“Art and football share the same playground”: TCD meets A.S. Velasca

There is nothing conventional about A.S. Velasca. 

Founded in 2015, the Milan-based club play in the lowest tier of regional Italian football. With no relegation, Velasca are free to focus on their other driving force: their existence as a community of artists, creatives, thinkers and dreamers. In championing the game’s artistic culture, A.S. Velasca have redefined what it means to be part of – and support – a football club. 

While football is the anchor, the impact for both players and fans exists beyond the confines of the pitch. We put some questions to A.S.V. board members, Marco De Girolamo and Thomas Signollet.

Art or Football – which comes first for AS Velasca? Or does one inform the other?

MDG: “I wouldn't say that one comes first. They are two entities with their own lives, yet they speak the same language. They constantly intersect depending on the moment—and the events we organize. At Velasca, art and football share the same playground.”

What drives your overall mission – both from the perspective of a football club and as a creative collective?

TS: “First and foremost, our mission is to make the club live and breathe seven days a week, involving players in every aspect of the project—not just training and matches. That may sound simple, but it’s not. This constant engagement strengthens group cohesion, those who struggle are lifted by the others.

“Little by little, Velasca is growing into something more. It’s becoming a model where the narrative is what drives us forward.”

Football’s corporate machinery is desperate to tap into the game’s various subcultures and fan nostalgia. More often than not, the result is a flood of poorly executed cash-grabs, dressed up in increasingly banal and detached ways. 

A.S. Velasca offer a way out of this malaise.

The state of creativity in football currently is... strange. There is more creativity than ever – but fewer original ideas than ever. How do you see the current landscape?

MDG: “At the professional level, I don’t really see creativity. What I see is a lot of… “art washing”. There are many attempts to navigate football's economic crisis, but very little, if anything, truly related to art. And when there is creativity, it's often just recycled ideas, vintage concepts dusted off and repackaged.

“But I believe non-league football is where the real innovation happens. Amateur football has the power to preserve the true spirit of the game and explore new ways of thinking about, and loving again, football.”

One of the greatest defenders to ever play for France, Marius Trésor made over 250 appearances for Marseille and captained Les Bleus 23 times during the 1970s.

As part of the celebrations, A.S. Velasca played a friendly match against Juventus Sainte-Anne, where Trésor began his career. 

It was an unforgettable moment for the team.

Tell us about your recent trip to Guadeloupe - what was the aim of the trip, what was your lasting impression, are you planning further community trips like this?

TS: “We didn’t know what to expect. Guadeloupe has a hybrid culture of its own. The inauguration of the Marius Stadium was just a pretext as we were asked to make pasta and invited to drink ti-punch.

“The inauguration, the friendly match, the pasta party, all these moments allowed us to speak the same language. Football, music and food are universal languages.

“It took us five years to reach Guadeloupe. So, when and where will the next “trip" take place? We have some ideas, but who knows. After all, in 2019, we went to Soweto simply because we responded to a message on Instagram, and now we have a twinship with the Soweto Stars.”

Guadeloupe, Soweto, Milan – and beyond. A.S. Velasca’s vision – one that speaks to the game’s creative spirit, its flair, its status as a form of expression – is a universal one. 

Translating that vision into ways that not only provoke their audiences, but also to reimagine what it means to be part of a football club, is perhaps their greatest achievement to date.

Learn more about the work of A.S. Velasca by heading over to their website, or their Instagram.