Philadelphia Junior Cup participants meet El Aynaoui in Trigoria

On 25 February, Neil El Aynaoui met with a group of young footballers who in previous weeks had taken part in the initial stages of the 13th edition of the Under 14 and Under 7 tournament for parish church teams in the cities of Serie A Enilive 2025/26 clubs.

For the youngsters of San Giuseppe Artigiano Parish, it was an opportunity to spend some time with a professional footballer and reflect on the key topics of the campaign run alongside the tournament, together with a selection of players from AS Roma's Under 13 and Under 14 academy sides.

After an introduction by AS Roma Chief Football Operating Officer Maurizio Lombardo, El Aynaoui took part in a debate with the youngsters and club psychologists Rita Bassetto and Alessia Giuliani, who touched on the topics of friendship, team work, respect and combatting racism and all forms of discrimination. Also attending the event was Oumar Daffe from the Lega Serie A Corporate Social Responsibility office and Fabrizio Papa of CSI Roma.

At the end of the meeting the parish footballers gave El Aynaoui the competition shirt bearing the motto “Il calcio è amicizia” (Football is friendship) – one of the core values of a sport capable of breaking down barriers on and off the field. The Lega Serie A then handed the captains of the teams the personalised Philadelphia Junior Cup | Keep Racism Out kit, signed by the Giallorossi player.

Previously AS Roma had hosted two other teams taking part in the tournament: youngsters from the parish churches of San Luca Evangelista and Nostra Signora di Lourdes were in the stands at the Stadio Olimpico for the match against Cagliari on 8 February.

Browse the gallery 

1 / 15

2 / 15

3 / 15

4 / 15

5 / 15

6 / 15

7 / 15

8 / 15

9 / 15

10 / 15

11 / 15

12 / 15

13 / 15

14 / 15

15 / 15

Beyond football

The Philadelphia Junior Cup is an opportunity for many boys and girls aged 12-14 to come into contact with Serie A football through various organised activities. The aim is to spread the values of inclusion, collaboration, friendship and team work, with the help of Serie A clubs. Events held at stadiums, training grounds, club headquarters and parish centres offer the young players the chance to take part in sport and reflect upon issues such as racism and discrimination.

The meetings and activities run with clubs from Serie A Enilive 2025/2026 take place alongside the Philadelphia Junior Cup tournament, between January and May.

The tournament

 While professional clubs compete in Serie A, another nationwide tournament is being played on the pitches of parish churches across the country. Following the official presentation in Naples in December 2025, the provincial stages of the Philadelphia Junior Cup | Keep Racism Out began in January 2026. The winning teams then compete in regional and inter-regional stages with the aim of becoming one of the eight teams to qualify for the national finals. 

The finalists will travel to Rome for the two-day finals, at the end of which the two best teams will face off at the Stadio Olimpico – shortly before the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa final – to determine the overall champions.