Last Sunday was not a Sunday like any other for the inhabitants of the village of Castanea. In fact, 28 years later, we have returned to playing on the historic “Terra bianca” sports field, a structure abandoned for decades and renovated thanks to the commitment, not only economic, of some local young people who wanted to revive the glories of the past.
It all started in July 2024 when Stello Russo (current president of the local third category football team), Salvuccio Oliva and Marco Bongiovanni (vice presidents, together with the secretary Gaetano Biancuzzo) obtained the free concession of the facility from the owners (the Reattino family) and started a whole series of works that led to the dispute of last Sunday’s match between Castanea and Malfa, valid for the second day of the third category group A (for the record, the home team won 2 to 1).
The works, completed in record time, were carried out thanks to some donations from citizens and associations, but everything started from the “savings” and sacrifices of the top management of the football team. The enthusiasm is palpable: the whole community, led by the commercial establishments, supports the club with sponsorships useful to keep the team in the third category championship.
The structure is approved to host matches up to the First Category championship. A team effort that brought about 200 people to witness the brilliant success of the group led by Tommaso Di Pietro last Sunday. After playing in Massa San Giovanni last season, Castanea has finally found its “home”. Furthermore, on the sidelines of the match, a commemorative plaque was presented to Ninni Pino, historic president of Castanea from 1975 to 1992.
«It was an unforgettable Sunday – said Stello Russo – a great emotion to return to play on our pitch and welcome so many people to the field. We are happy and satisfied with all this work.”
