06.04.2024
The Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region finances the UD4Safety project which involves the world of football
The communication campaign created by the Automobile Club Udine, together with Udinese Calcio, as part of the UD4Safety FVG project, aims to raise awareness among the population of the province on the issue of road safety by involving the players, local and national favourites, in the recall the need to “respect the rules”.
The partnership, which started already in December at the ‘BLUENERGY STADIUM’, was broadcast on the stadium’s big screens and on the tickets of some home matches, on calendars distributed to fans, as well as promoted on the Udinese Calcio and ACI channels, in the press, on the web TV and on the main local radios. Images of footballers who drink water and not alcohol to stay focused while driving, who fasten their seatbelts – including the rear ones, who stop at the stop sign to let a pedestrian cross: these are simple and immediate rules which too often are not followed, resulting among the main causes of accidents.
“Sport has a great aggregative and educational value. To spread the message of the importance of having attentive and responsible behavior – declares Gianfranco Romanelli, President of the Automobile Club Udine – we thought of using the passion people have for football. The practice of sport, especially team sport, promotes values such as fairness and commitment and teaches you to respect your opponent. All the messages of the UD4Safety project campaign are based on the importance of respecting the rules, in any context, highlighting certain behaviors, unfortunately very frequent, which due to their dangerousness symbolically deserve the “red card”. All it takes is a moment of distraction or imprudence and you go from a “before” to an “after” from which you can never go back.”
“Road accidents are a phenomenon that shows no sign of decreasing – states Franco Collavino, General Manager of Udinese – and everyone can do their part to fight it. We enthusiastically accepted the invitation from the Automobile Club Udine, making our facilities and, above all, some first team players available to take photos and video content which were broadcast during the home matches and shared on our social networks. Football is one of the most followed team sports in the world, an opportunity for aggregation and discussion, it sparks passions and discussions between people of all ages. The capacity for cohesion and transversality are the levers that we wanted to exploit, to spread a simple but unequivocal message: each of us is required to respect the rules that have been defined for everyone’s safety. The objective is to reach the highest number of people and address all road users, of all ages, regardless of their passion for football.”
During the week, to strengthen the value of the campaign which is also carried in all road education courses promoted by the Automobile Club Udine in schools, a training event aimed at the youth sector of Udinese was organized at the Auditorium of the Bluenergy Stadium, where over 100 young athletes, their coaches and athletic trainers listened to a speech in which the parallel between what happens on the pitch and what happens every day in traffic was highlighted. On this occasion, Regional Councilor Pierpaolo Roberti recognized the image contribution given by the athletes and the operational contribution of the Udinese structure, which were crucial to the success of the campaign.
“The world of football, through a Serie A team, joins a campaign that belongs to everyone – underlined Roberti – and helps to spread the idea that the rules are not just prohibitions and limitations, but serve to help us to stay with others, to share the same spaces and achieve common goals. The sense of responsibility reinforces respect for the rules and vice versa. A virtuous circle, as parents, teachers and, given the context in which we find ourselves, coaches know well. Football, through its protagonists, has proven to be a very effective vehicle for the message we are committed to spreading.”