NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) -In the vibrant heart of Naples’ historic centre, the thunderous sounds from five-a-side football matches resonate off the ancient stone walls of a former juvenile prison.
Fuelled by Napoli winning the Italian Serie A title in two of the last three seasons, a passion for soccer is taking root across the city.
More than 30 years had passed since the club’s first two Scudetto crowns inspired by Argentina World Cup winner and Napoli icon Diego Maradona.
The long-awaited success has reignited a deep passion for the sport and the fierce devotion Neapolitans are renowned for.
Nowhere is this clearer than in the games in the former prison courtyard, abandoned for over two decades, which are drawing growing crowds and sponsorship.
The Scugnizzo Cup, a grassroots tournament in its sixth year, is becoming one of the city’s most popular sporting events.
“It’s a game this city loves deeply, almost viscerally, but one that is often tied solely to the passion for the city’s professional club,” volunteer Sergio Sciambra said.
“At the same time Naples lacks sports facilities and parks, and it has become nearly impossible to play football in public squares taken over by cafes and tourism,”
The prison, known as Scugnizzo Liberato, which translates to liberated street boy in the Neapolitan dialect, has been transformed into a vibrant community space.
“It’s a tournament created for the people of the neighbourhoods, to build atmosphere and friendship,” said organiser Giuseppe Pipino.
“Naples is sometimes criticised for not being a good example, but the Scugnizzo Cup is for those kids who face more difficulties.”
The tournament brings neighbourhood and migrant teams together to play matches in a tight concrete courtyard.
“The Scugnizzo Cup is the testament to a need felt by the city, to reclaim a sport that can no longer be just watched from the stands,” volunteer Julian Foster said.
“It shows us that you can still have fun without massive stadiums and football superstar, that there are other ways of being together, ways that have slowly been taken away or forgotten.”
During this year’s final, the prison courtyard was up by with flares as Manchester City Napoli, named in playful tribute to their Premier League counterparts, crushed Inter Miami Quartieri Uniti 4-0 on Friday.
(Writing by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, additional reporting by Antonio Denti, editing by Ed Osmond)
