Taking to the field in Venice: the Sant’Elena Sports Association grows from a young, intercultural community that uses football to inhabit the city through new acts of participation, relationship-building, and care
The Sant’Elena Sports Association celebrates the new Sant’Elena public pitch, recently reopened by the Municipality of Venice following renovation work. It was right there, in 2021, that a spontaneous group was formed, giving life to a growing community capable of using sport to build relationships, ideas, and shared responsibilities.
On Sunday, May 25, the association invites the public to a community meeting near the pitch to discuss ongoing activities and gather proposals for new collective projects.
Those interested in participating or joining the community can register via linktr.ee/as.santelena.
“We believe that Venice can be a livable city. Opening up spaces means creating opportunities for those who truly live here, day by day,” says Sofia Ressia, one of the founders. “We started spontaneously, but we realized we were creating something more. Today, the association exists to make this journey visible and accessible to anyone who wants to experience it.”
Formally founded in 2023, the association now has over 130 members and more than 40 different nationalities. The goal is clear: to use football as a tool for social gathering, accessibility, and urban transformation.
Born from a group of Venetian and international students, the association has built a true community: a WhatsApp group with more than 500 members, the Venezia League—an amateur tournament with mixed teams—along with cultural activities and events open to the public.
Community projects
The amateur tournament promoted by the association features ten teams, each recognizable by jerseys designed by Tommaso Kusch—the association’s president and a IUAV student—to give every team a visual identity. It is a league where age and gender mix without hierarchies. The trophy was crafted using traditional Venetian materials and techniques by blacksmith Francesco Zanon, oar-maker Saverio Pastor, and master glassmaker Simone Cenedese: an object that unites sport, the city, and craftsmanship.
Before the matches, the association organizes the Venezia Talks: public meetings dedicated to urban culture, sport, and active citizenship. Among the guests engaging with the community on music, public space, urban art, and daily life in Venice are Arianna Mazzon of Venezia FC, journalist Valeria Necchio, architect Sergio Pascolo, DJ Spiller, and writer and essayist Alberto Toso Fei, along with other key figures in Venetian cultural life.
The program is completed by language courses (Italian, English, French, Spanish) designed to encourage exchange between Italians and foreigners.
To play is to belong
The historic Sant’Elena pitch, near the Pier Luigi Penzo stadium, is a landmark for the community and remained unusable for months until its recent restoration. During this time, the association moved the Venezia League to the Salute pitch, which is usually closed but was made accessible through an agreement with Engim Venice. “The lack of a space forced us to find a solution. In doing so, we opened ourselves up to new possibilities,” says Kusch. Now, the association is working to raise the funds necessary to renovate the pitch and ensure its use by as many people as possible.
One of the most heartfelt projects is Football is for Everyone, dedicated to girls aged six and up. “As a child, I was always one of the few girls in the league, and I know what it means to be told that football isn’t a sport for girls,” says Ressia. The open day on May 11 at San Giacomo dell’Orio involved girls and families, with training sessions and mixed matches at the Patronato dei Frari pitch. The initiative also included attending a Venezia FC Women’s match at the Mestre stadium, meeting some players pitchside to “show the girls that there is representation in this sport, and I believe this matters a great deal at their age,” she emphasizes.
Article by Lucia Pecoraro.
Photos in order of appearance: @veneziafcfemminile, Levi Calanco, Leonardo Mizar Vianello, Ayoub Benlouali. The others were provided by the Sant’Elena Sports Association.
