From Como to Accra: Football as a Shared Language

There are moments when football becomes more than just football. When it detaches from points and standings, forgets the stadium lights and sponsor boards, and returns to its roots: a ball, an open space, and a group of kids who just want to play.

That’s the kind of football seven Primavera players from Como 1907 found themselves playing in Ghana. No luxury buses or grass pitches—just red earth, real joy, and goals made of wood. They had travelled over 4,000 kilometres from the serenity of Lake Como to the buzzing heart of Accra.

In partnership with Sport Creates Memories, a non-profit that has spent years using football as a vehicle for social inclusion across Africa, the young Lariani players spent eight transformative days training, competing, laughing, and learning in a place that gave as much as it received.

“We learned not to take anything for granted,” said Primavera captain Giuseppe Mazzaglia. “We met children who have so little, yet know how to enjoy every second. The highlight? Just playing football with them. That joy—it was everywhere.”

But this wasn’t just a charity photo-op. This was infrastructure. Together, Como 1907 and Sport Creates Memories launched a grassroots football league spanning ten vulnerable communities, complete with new teams, gear, and coaching support. The clubs weren’t named after European powerhouses or famous players—they were named after home: SCM Laglio, SCM Bellagio, SCM Torno, SCM Brunate, SCM Menaggio, SCM Cernobbio, SCM Tremezzo. These were symbolic exports from Lake Como, stitched into Ghanaian soil.

Laura Juul Hansen, co-founder of Sport Creates Memories, captured the spirit of the initiative with simple clarity: “I’m so proud that, with Como 1907, we now have the first European club to come all the way here—not just to visit, but to build. To share what they have. What they’re leaving behind isn’t just memories—it’s a future.”

And it wasn’t only about football. The players explored markets, tasted Ghanaian dishes, stood beneath the spray of the Oboadaka waterfalls, and sat in school classrooms to co-teach with local educators.

“There was this moment,” one player recalled, “when a child ran home shouting, ‘Como Football Club came to watch me play today.’ That’s when we understood—we weren’t visitors anymore. We were part of something.”

For the boys, this was a trip that will linger long after the season ends. But for Como 1907, it was something even more: a manifestation of a wider philosophy.

“This project shows how football can be a tool for growth, inclusion, and cross-cultural dialogue,” said Camilla Veronelli, Como 1907’s Head of Community Relations and Fan Development. “It’s not just about building better players. It’s about shaping better people. That’s our mission.”

From the gentle stillness of Lake Como to the beating pulse of Accra, a new connection has been made—one forged not with contracts or headlines, but with muddy boots and shared dreams.

And on some quiet afternoon in Ghana, when kids lace up their boots for the league named after a town they’ve never seen, they’ll remember that a football club from across the sea came to play with them, listen to them, and most importantly—believe in them.