The Diocese of Naples has entered a three-year collaboration with CONI Campania to bring more organized sport and recreational activity into oratories and parishes across the city.
The agreement was presented through "Insieme nello sport," an event at Stadio Collana involving the Diocese of Naples, CONI Campania and the Campania regional sports department. The stated aim is to use sport as a tool for youth aggregation, education and personal development.
What the agreement covers
The protocol with CONI Campania focuses on sporting and recreational activities in oratories and parishes. Planned elements include free training courses for educators, managers, coaches, catechists and volunteers, as well as inclusion initiatives and projects addressing school dropout and youth hardship.
The program also includes first-aid courses, a diocesan sports day and the possible free use of Stadio Collana for social and educational events.
A separate agreement was signed with FIGC Campania. It concerns youth football, coach training, parish tournaments and related educational activities.
Oratorio Cup and parish tournaments
Among the proposed activities are an Oratorio Cup, parish tournaments and a wider network intended to offer young people regular opportunities for meeting, training and personal development.
The sources describe these as planned activities. They do not establish whether the Oratorio Cup or the Diocesan Sports Day has already taken place, and they do not provide evidence about implementation, participation or outcomes after signing.
The scale in Naples
The original report states that the Naples area has 288 parishes, 110 oratories and approximately 15,000 young people attending them. Those figures come from that report and are not independently corroborated by the other sources consulted.
Readers should therefore treat them as the reported context for the initiative, rather than as confirmed current attendance.
Why oratories
The broader institutional rationale for supporting oratories points to education, sport, social inclusion, solidarity and the prevention of marginalisation and youth hardship.
The Department for Sport describes oratories as educational and social community spaces and identifies sports, training, inclusion and anti-marginalisation projects as eligible areas for public support. That national notice concerns 2026 funding and should not be read as evidence that the Naples protocol received funding.
What to watch for
For families and volunteers, the most practical points are the training offer and the parish-level tournaments. Free training is directed at the adults who run youth activities, including educators, coaches, catechists and volunteers.
For young people, the relevant developments would be the schedule for the Oratorio Cup, parish tournaments and the diocesan sports day. The event at Stadio Collana marked the public presentation of the collaboration, with planned activities to take place in oratories and parishes.
