Marco Picchi: ʺWe have chosen players who have great enthusiasm. We want to continue expanding our structure
ʺTogether with Marco Ramondino we chose guys who showed great enthusiasm in embracing the project, joining us in a very early phase of the market – begins Marco Picchi, CEO of Bertram Derthona – and depriving themselves of the opportunity to explore other offers. Compared to the team of two years ago it is difficult to make comparisons because each team has its own identity and is built with certain criteria ʺ.
Thinking about the near future, the process for the construction of the stadium has continued in recent weeks It is a gift that the Gavio family wanted to give to the city of Tortona and to Derthona Basket. The program agreement was signed in recent days and on Monday 22 July there will be a vote in the City Council, before the ball passes to the regional bodies. There is great optimism about the possibility of seeing the start of the works within a few months: it will be a historic moment for the city and a significant opportunity for Derthona Basketʺ.
This week, the roster that will face the 2019/20 season in the black and white jersey was also completed: Picchi focused in particular on the choice of Andrejs Gražulis, who ʺHe is the best possible player for Marco's game system and for the structure of our team. We didn't look at his passport but at his characteristics: our hope, like that of the fans, is that he can revive the memory of Sorokas, who won an Italian Cup with us and played a great seasonʺ.
ʺWe selected Italian players who didn't have a horizon of just one season – continues Picchi – as we want athletes who can embark on a journey with us. They are all young but have important experience in the championship behind them: furthermore, they are not at a stage of their career where a single season is decisive for them. I therefore believe that judgments on the team should be made in the medium termʺ.
The CEO of the Juventus Club then spoke about the development of the negotiations, which ʺThey were simple because the common will of the parties allowed a solution to be found. I must say that I was struck by Matteo Martini's willingness to explore the possibility of coming to Tortona despite him having an existing contract with a Serie A club. His input was decisive and was a source of great pride for us.ʺ.
Picchi then focused on the consolidation of the corporate structure, considered decisive for planning the future: in this regard ʺThe 2018/19 season, which was negative on a sporting level, allowed us to put some building blocks in order to have an increasingly solid house. In many sectors, such as communication, we have made important steps forward; furthermore, the closeness of the Gavio Group allows us to plan in the long term and grow as a Club. In jokes, joking or superstitious, with Doctor Gavio we occasionally talk about Serie A: this is because Derthona is ambitious by nature and he is ambitious by entrepreneurial level. We want to increase the number of fans and season ticket holders and reach 150 sponsors, so that the day we realize the dream of Serie A does not remain ephemeralʺ.
ʺWe made a thoughtful choice on the season ticket campaign – continues the CEO of the Club – not asking our fans to make a blind effort. It was decided to complete the work on the market: the phase dedicated to last year's subscribers will start from 26 August, while free sales will start from 10 September. We also opted for this decision for a pricing policy, taking into account that in recent years we have always recorded the + sign in front of the percentage of season tickets and tickets sold, proving the unaltered love of our fans for Derthonaʺ.
In closing, a memory of Luigino Fassino, soul and driving force of Derthona Basket for almost thirty years could not be missing: Picchi said that ʺwhen the phone call came from Tavernelli's or Pullazi's agent, confirming the agreement, I instinctively dialed Luigino's number and was moved because for years, when I closed a deal, I made the first call to him. We missed him a lot this year, as his unconditional love for this team, for these colors and for this arena manifested itself when things were going wrong. I always say that he wasn't present in Cervia, when we won the A2, and in Jesi, when we won the Italian Cup, because he didn't consider his presence necessary. Luigino has always been there in every moment of difficulty and today I miss him in everyday life, due to the relationship I had with him; However, I think he would be happy to see this house continue to grow and become more and more beautiful. He is present everywhere in this arena, thanks to the photos of him, and I am happy that people stop me and ask me what he would have said at certain momentsʺ.
