‘DDR’ is written on several walls in Ostia. These three capital letters were not sprayed by nostalgics of the real, long-gone socialism in East Germany. The initials, however, celebrate Daniele De Rossi, the city’s son, 2006 World Cup winner, and icon of AS Roma. They signal above all the joy that De Rossi has taken over his former training club. Earlier in the year he took over Ostiamare. One of the first actions was to demolish the previously illegally erected stands and locker rooms.
Now the Stadio Anco Marzio – named after the mythical fourth king of Rome – resembles a container village. Only two small stands, with a total capacity of 500 people, are installed along one sideline and behind one goal. “The stadium is under construction. The containers will disappear under a new stand,” notes Sporting Director Adriano D’Astolfo, pointing to an area on the opposite sideline.
Behind the other goal, however, a completely new structure with stands, a gym, changing rooms, and also a medical area is planned. “It is a multi-million project,” emphasizes D’Astolfo, largely financed from De Rossi’s private fortune.
The former Ostiamare player – for five to six years he spent in the club’s youth academy before moving to AS Roma – announced at the club’s first January press conference that he wanted to make the club the third force of Roman football. He did not, however, indulge in announcing concrete promotion dates. “First we have to stay in the division.” That was achieved in the last season. He has already celebrated a first major success: the U19 team became Italian national champions in Serie D in the summer. “The first time in the club’s history,” says D’Astolfo proudly.
Youth development currently receives the greatest attention. The club’s own football academy recorded a record number of applicants. “With 400 registrations, they had to stop,” explains Mario, an old fan since the 1980s, during the quarterfinal match against Sora. He bravely waves one of the purple plastic flags that the club’s nearly 200 ultras distributed to all spectators. “Bianco Viola olé” the entire stand sings.
Small Fields with Sand and Cement
For the football academy, the new president De Rossi devised another feature: three small fields with different surfaces. “One is covered with sand, like at the beach where we used to play football,” says D’Astolfo, recalling the time when the young De Rossi came over from the Sporting beach section to play with him, who is a year younger, and the other friends on the beach. “The second field is cemented. This is how we train technique as street footballers.” And on the third field, natural grass grows.
Daniele De Rossi’s father serves as an advisor to Ostiamare, while in the club’s secretariat Daniel’s sister, Ludovica De Rossi, works.
“Every week the football school’s classes change the surface. They train their technique,” says D’Astolfo. On concrete the ball rolls faster, and one must also try to stay on both feet, he argues. On the uneven grass surface you learn ball control with obstacles. And the deep sand naturally improves conditioning and leads to a better feel for the ball. The next youth titles seem to be only a formality.
Economic ambitions are also part of the plan. The new president De Rossi wants the new stadium to be suitable for the third division. The club is aiming for promotion to Serie C and has started the season perfectly, with seven wins in the first seven games. The expansion is also viewed with an eye toward AS Roma. The head of youth football at AS Roma wants to build a U23 team that would participate in Serie C.
There is not yet a suitable stadium for that. The Anco Marzio could be rented to AS Roma’s U23, one speculation already circulating in the media. Sport Director D’Astolfo responds cautiously to this question. The paths of the decision-makers are, however, short. The head of AS Roma’s youth department is Alberto De Rossi, Daniele’s father. He also acts as an advisor to Ostiamare. And in the club’s secretariat works Ludovica De Rossi, Daniele’s sister and Alberto’s daughter. In Rome’s seaside town, a football family business of a very special kind is thus growing.
