Different stories that participate in the history of a team that is always winning, even when it loses on the pitch. This is the heart of the documentary on Fiorentina Special edited by Davide Lemma for ACF Fiorentina and Mashfrog Production and screened for the first time today during the “Calcio Comunità Educante” Festival.   The first social football festival in Italy, “Calcio Comunità Educante”, organized by Angeli Press in the Comunità Incontro of Amelia, Terni, was born with the aim of enhancing the importance of the values of solidarity and inclusion through sport and sociality, with interventions by institutional guests and the world of national football. An ideal setting in which to tell how the disabled footballers of Fiorentina Special find in QuartoTempo a place open to all, in which football becomes a tool for participation and growth, both personal and collective, even off the pitch.

The director's comment, Davide Lemma: "The documentary has no claim or intention to delve into the issues of diversity but presents itself as an attempt to give the public the atmosphere of a locker room in which there is no homologation and hypocrisy , where the professionalism of the technicians is very high and the competitive spirit is deeply felt but there is only one fundamental and mandatory prerequisite: fun".

The President of QuartoTempo, Matteo Fazzini: “The documentary tells very faithfully what we are, a continuously open laboratory in which everyone - athlete, operator, technician, family member - undertakes a journey to better understand themselves and others and to build rich relationships of meaning, relationships to cultivate and respect to achieve personal goals and common objectives, on and off the field. An experience that through football can help change lives in their daily lives."

The General Director of ACF Fiorentina, Alessandro Ferrari: “This documentary and its protagonists perfectly interpret the true meaning of sport, which is increasingly rare to encounter: competitive spirit married to friendship, the psychophysical wellbeing that comes from taking care of oneself and of others, the sense of belonging. All in the embrace of a community in which diversity becomes wealth and play a tool for life. QuartoTempo is a continuous source of teaching and inspiration for us, we want it to reach the general public more and more and we believe that this content can be a valid tool".

Rocco B. Commisso, President of the Club: “When my family and I arrived at Fiorentina, we were immediately struck by the reality of our special teams. I am moved by their commitment, their enthusiasm, their authentic way of experiencing football, which is why we have tried not to lack our support and to support them continuously in their daily lives. It was also a project much loved by Joe Barone who had a truly special relationship with these guys."

The Documentary is now available to watch on the Club's YouTube channel.

Synopsis of the Documentary  

Quarto Tempo takes its name (or title) from the Amateur Sports Association of the same name which in Campi Bisenzio (Florence) promotes a social and educational promotion activity through sport. The documentary recounts the last day of the DPCS FIGC championship of the 2022/2023 season alternating with the words of the team members - players and coaches - to give a portrait of the intimate locker room without interference. The spirit that animates the kids and the coaches, and the values from which the association and the movement that organizes the championship are born, are the fulcrum of all the work.

Also thanks to family members and the voices gathered in the stands during the matches, a passionate story is born, made up of commitment, competitive spirit and a very strong spirit of belonging.  

The values of sport finally return to being the healthiest and most authentic ones and "Sunday at the stadium" with QuartoTempo turns out to be extremely heartfelt and - above all - fun. Learning while having fun: after the first and second half of the match, and the third half of fair play, there is the fourth half, the one that goes beyond sport and becomes everyday life.

Credits  

Written and directed by: Davide Lemma.  

Genre: documentary. Duration: 30'.  

Final editing: Roberto Tafuro, Antonio Bellusci and Luca Vitalone.  

Sound: Riccardo Cocozza.  

A production: ACF Fiorentina and Mashfrog.

Fiorentina Special  

QuartoTempo Firenze and AC Ossona are the Fiorentina Special, two teams "adopted" by Fiorentina as part of the Quarta Categoria project launched in 2017: the first national 7-a-side football tournament reserved for male and female footballers with intellectual-relational disabilities and psychiatric pathologies. A competition promoted by the FIGC, with the support of all the main components of the world of football, which then led in 2019 to the establishment of the FIGC Paralympic and Experimental Football Department to offer the maximum possible diffusion of the practice of football to people with disability.  

The Fiorentina Special project is a concrete commitment to inspire and invite more and more people, regardless of their abilities, to play football and offer everyone the opportunity to play, have fun and grow together. For this reason, the Club promotes educational and inclusive sports practice and raises awareness among its fans about respect for diversity, also thanks to the involvement of its members. The Club also supports basic activity with the organization of dedicated experiences, the donation of technical material, the support of qualified personnel and, in the case of QuartoTempo, the renovation of the playing field in 2021.