When Como 1907 qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time, it was a moment that meant a great deal to everyone connected with the Club. For the players, staff and supporters who have followed the team through very different times, European football at the Sinigaglia was something to celebrate.
But playing in the Champions League also brings an opportunity to introduce Como, its people and its organisations to an audience far beyond the city.
This season, two local organisations have a place on the Club's European shirts. Fondazione Como ETS and Quelli che… con LUCA ODV have different purposes and histories, but both represent an important part of the community Como 1907 belongs to.
For the Club, it is an opportunity to recognise their work and help more people discover the causes they support.
Fondazione Como ETS: a local organisation on a European stage
When Como travelled to Rotterdam to face Feyenoord in October, supporters may have noticed a different logo on the sleeve of the players' shirts.
In place of the Club's usual sleeve partner, PokerStars.news, the logo of Fondazione Como ETS appeared for the European fixture. It will also feature during the Club's upcoming Champions League matches in Spain, against Real Betis and FC Barcelona.
The change was prompted by local advertising regulations, which meant the usual sleeve branding could not be used in those countries. Rather than leaving the space empty, Como 1907 and PokerStars.news agreed to use it to highlight an organisation working within the local community.
Fondazione Como ETS supports initiatives across the territory, helping develop projects in areas including education, health, social inclusion, sport and accessibility.
Its work is concerned with the everyday needs of the community, supporting organisations and projects that can make a practical difference to people's lives.
Much of that work happens away from the public attention surrounding professional football. It involves local relationships, an understanding of the needs of the territory and the continued efforts of people working to improve opportunities for others.
By giving the Foundation a place on the shirt, the Club and PokerStars.news are helping introduce that work to a wider audience.
It also reflects an important aspect of Como's approach to commercial partnerships: looking for opportunities to work together on initiatives that matter locally.
In this case, a restriction that required a change to the shirt became an opportunity to do something positive.
For an organisation rooted in Como, it is a chance to have its name and work recognised well beyond Lake Como.
Quelli che… con LUCA: a cause brought to the Club by its supporters
The second organisation has a particularly personal connection to Como 1907.
Quelli che… con LUCA ODV was founded in 2011 by Andrea Ciccioni in memory of his son Luca, with the aim of supporting research into childhood leukaemia at the Tettamanti Laboratory in Monza.
What began as a family's response to an unimaginable loss has grown into an association that brings people together through fundraising, awareness campaigns and a shared commitment to improving the future for children affected by the disease.
Its relationship with Como 1907 began in 2022, when supporters brought the association and its work to the Club's attention.
Since then, Como has supported Quelli che… con LUCA through fundraising activities and awareness initiatives involving the wider BiancoBlu community.
Now, as the Club competes in the Champions League, the association's logo will continue to appear on the back of the players' shirts for the fixtures covered by the initiative, excluding those in the Netherlands and Spain.
Mirwan Suwarso, speaking about the decision to continue supporting the association on the European stage, explains why the relationship is particularly important to the Club.
"Quelli che… con Luca was brought to us by our own supporters. They believed in this cause and asked us to stand alongside them. As a parent, I could never imagine what it is like to lose a child, and when we heard about the work they were doing, we immediately wanted to help.
"For me, that is what being a community club means. Our supporters are part of who we are, and when something matters to them, it matters to us.
"Now we have the opportunity to take this cause into the Champions League. If we can use that platform to raise awareness and help prevent other families from experiencing such a loss, then we should. We are proud to continue standing alongside them."
The Club's participation in Europe offers an opportunity to introduce the association to people who may never have heard of Luca, his family or the research being carried out in Monza.
It is a relationship that began with supporters and has continued through very different stages of the Club's development.
From fundraising to scientific progress
Behind the name Quelli che… con LUCA is a long-term commitment to medical research.
Since its foundation, the association has worked to raise funds for the study of childhood leukaemia, supporting the researchers and scientific facilities involved in understanding the disease and developing potential new treatments.
Through years of fundraising and contributions from supporters, including the Como 1907 community, the association has helped finance advanced scientific equipment used in research into leukaemia and childhood cancers.
Medical research takes time. New ideas must be investigated, findings tested and potential treatments carefully assessed before they can be considered for use with patients.
The research project supported by Quelli che… con LUCA is now progressing towards a potential clinical trial stage, an important step in assessing whether scientific developments could eventually lead to new treatment options.
There is still work to be done, and progress in the laboratory does not guarantee a successful treatment. But reaching the point where clinical research becomes a possibility demonstrates why sustained support matters.
For families affected by childhood leukaemia, advances in research offer the prospect of improving the understanding of the disease and potentially developing better treatments.
For the people who have supported Quelli che… con LUCA over the years, those advances give a practical sense of what their fundraising can help achieve.
A football club cannot carry out medical research, but it can help the organisations that support it. It can give them a platform, involve its supporters and contribute to the resources that allow researchers to continue their work.
That has been the basis of Como's relationship with Quelli che… con LUCA since 2022, and it remains the purpose behind carrying the association's name into Europe.
A small patch with a direct purpose
This season, supporters will also have the opportunity to contribute directly.
The Quelli che… con LUCA patch will be available for €5 and can be added to official Como 1907 Champions League shirts at the time of purchase, both in Club stores and online.
All proceeds will be donated to Quelli che… con LUCA ODV to support research into childhood leukaemia.
For some supporters, the patch will be a way of remembering Luca and the story behind the organisation. For others, it is a way to contribute to research or support a cause that has become part of the Como community.
Whatever their reason, each purchase helps the association continue its work.
The patch is also a reminder of how the relationship began, with supporters who believed in the cause and wanted their Club to get involved.
Two organisations, one shared connection
Fondazione Como ETS and Quelli che… con LUCA represent different aspects of life in the community.
One works across a broad range of local needs, supporting organisations and projects throughout the territory. The other focuses on a particular cause, bringing together families, volunteers, researchers and supporters around the aim of improving the future for children affected by leukaemia.
Their work is different, as are the stories that brought them to the Club. But both demonstrate the value of relationships built over time, and the part a football club can play in supporting work that matters to the people around it.
The Champions League brings new opponents, new destinations and experiences that many Como supporters are enjoying for the first time. It also introduces the Club to audiences across Europe who may know little about the city beyond its football team and famous lake.
By including Fondazione Como ETS and Quelli che… con LUCA on its shirts, Como has the chance to share another part of the place it represents.
As the team continues its European campaign, both organisations will be part of that journey, bringing their work and the people behind it to a wider audience.
And while the matches will be decided on the pitch, the attention they bring can also be put to good use away from it.