Antonio Romei looks back on a positive 2016 for Sampdoria

With the year rapidly drawing to a close, Samp director Antonio Romei has looked back on the Blucerchiati’s 2016, taking stock of projects already underway and setting objectives for the year to come.

“It’s definitely been a positive year, especially when it comes to building new facilities and renovating our existing infrastructure,” Romei told Samp TV.

“Casa Samp – the accommodation for youngsters from the academy – is ready to go and will be inaugurated in January. We’ve taken over the running of the Stadio Ferraris and created a new pitch for the Primavera and youth set-up.

“We’ll also soon be completing modernisation works on the changing rooms at the training ground for the first team and youngsters. We’ve taken great steps forward in just a few months.”

Romei was keen to reiterate the importance of investing in the club’s training ground.

“Bogliasco and the Gloriano Mugnaini will be our base. We want to strengthen our relationship with the area to help create a cutting-edge complex equipped with facilities suitable for an elite club.

“The youth academy is a vital part of all football clubs. We have to be aiming to produce more and more players. It’s always been an important part of Sampdoria – we’ve had players such as [Mauro] Icardi, [Roberto] Soriano and [Simone] Zaza pass through the ranks here – but we’ve tried to take it to the next level by instigating a technical programme whereby all of the teams have to adhere to principles based around keeping possession and playing attacking football.”

Last but not least, Romei spoke about another of the club’s key projects.

“We’ve created a network of affiliated clubs we call Next Generation Sampdoria, which comprises amateur clubs from all over Italy. These clubs share our values and help us to increase our scouting presence across the country. We’re going to keep developing the project because it is generating very positive results.”