Il calcio come infrastruttura sociale? Riflessioni ed esempi dal contesto italiano

This working paper analyses the potential of football facilities – particularly those of minor leagues and amateur teams – as social infrastructures in the contemporary Italian context. By combining the literature on social infrastructure with that on sport, cities and governance, the contribution extends this conceptual framework to spaces traditionally considered monofunctional and with no continuity of use. The Italian context makes this reflection particularly urgent since the widespread obsolescence of public stadiums, the financial fragility of smaller clubs and the decline in participation in lower leagues intersect with a less visible ecosystem of grassroots football practices, capable of experimenting with alternative models of management, daily use and territorial roots. This tension constitutes the starting point of the analysis. The paper adopts a qualitative and conceptual approach, based on desk research and document analysis. Three illustrative examples of Italian initiatives show how sports facilities can be reinterpreted as multifunctional, community-oriented spaces. The analysis identifies four enabling conditions: continuity of use, multifunctionality, integration of social and cultural functions and forms of participatory governance. The contribution aims to enrich the debate on urban and sports policies, proposing football facilities as possible proximity hubs, places where physical infrastructure and associative life combine to support local cohesion.