杏MAP导航

By Chistopher Wells

杏MAP导航 Francis on Friday held an audience for more than five thousand young football players, along with professional football stars, coaches, educators, and experts, including the heads of several Italian sports institutions. The group was taking part in a special encounter organized for the young people, entitled 鈥淭he football that we love,鈥� which focused on the idea of football as fun, educational, and inclusive.

Those were themes picked up by 杏MAP导航 Francis in his address. The Holy Father quoted a saying of St John Bosco, who said that the easiest way to draw young people was to 鈥渢hrow a ball in the air.鈥� 鈥淏ehind a rolling ball,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥渢here is almost always a child with their dreams and aspirations.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis said, 鈥渢he great thing about playing with a ball is that you can do it together with others.鈥� 鈥淔ootball is a team sport,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 have fun alone.鈥�

In off-the-cuff comments, he confided that for him football is the best is 鈥渢he best game in the world鈥� and he urged them to keep it so.

While lamenting the excessive competitiveness that sometimes mars youth sports, the 杏MAP导航 encouraged parents and coaches to remember 鈥� and to teach their children 鈥� that football 鈥渋s a game, and must remain so!鈥� Sport is an activity for one鈥檚 free time, chosen precisely because it is fun. It offers children a chance to chase a dream, even if they don鈥檛 end up becoming champions. 杏MAP导航 Francis emphasised the important role of coaches and mentors, who are role models for their athletes, whose example will leave an 鈥渋ndelible mark鈥� in their lives, for good or ill.

鈥淪omeone once said that he walked on tiptoe on the field so as not to trample on the sacred dreams of children,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said. He asked parents and coaches 鈥渘ot to turn the dreams of your children into easy illusions destined to clash early on with the limits of reality; not to oppress their lives with forms of blackmail that limit their freedom and imagination; not to teach shortcuts that only lead to getting lost in the labyrinth of life.鈥� Rather, he said, 鈥渕ay you always be partners in the smiles of your athletes.鈥�