“I am a citizen of Rome.” Daniele Gabriele, President of Alba Roma 1907 tells us. “I have a love for my city and for all sports.”
These are words spoken with a passion that echoes around the Eternal City which is in the midst of overseeing an exciting new dawn.
Let’s go back for a minute though, into the annals of this historic city. The year was 1907, and there was a team who was gaining a reputation for playing with a superior blend of flair and fashion, in an eye-catching and distinctive green and white kit. They were Società Sportiva Alba, a multi-sports club, who were enjoying a great deal of success in cycling, athletics, and boxing and were for a time considered the best footballing side in the capital.
The team was born in the Flaminio district of the city, which is where they played their games until 1926, before they merged with the Audace company, under the name of US ALBA AUDACE. It was then in the year 1927 when they would play their part in the making of history, forming a merger with FBC Roman and Fortitudo Pro Roma. It was at this moment that the now world-famous “Associazione Sportiva Roma” was born.
In 2020, Alba would rise once more from the ashes. The She-Wolf of Rome would roar in delight as the famous Green and White was resurrected from the dead.
Thanks to the commitment, energy and dedication of Daniele and business partner and co-founder, Alfredo Di Vista, they have brought back to life one of Rome’s most famous clubs. The exciting new dawn in the city is Alba Roma 1907.
The club has enjoyed cultural fame over the past couple of years, across social and traditional media, thanks to the launch of their kits by Rome-based manufacturer Ezeta, who have captured the public imagination through a number of innovative and creative designs which modernise and respect the tradition of the original home shirts worn by the team before they played their role in the formation of AS Roma.
In fact, the Capitoline Wolf was depicted on the original historic crest, which then became AS Roma’s symbol. I Giallorossi has also produced a line of clothing called the AS Legacy Collection – which pays tribute to Società Sportiva Alba.
Make no mistake though. This isn’t a marketing gimmick or a branding exercise. Alba Roma 1907, has been born out of pure love for football and sports. The Alba project was created to take a different path. It’s less about tactics and more about the individual and developing them not just as a player, but as a person.
Daniele and Alfredo are working 24 hours a day, committing themselves to promote a football club that bases its foundations on education, respect and sporting knowledge, through a number of different age levels, from grassroots all the up to the first team playing in the Terza Categoria. It is their hope that this is the start of lineage and a legacy that will last a lifetime.
The Atlantic Dispatch had the pleasure to sit down with Daniele to discuss what it’s been like bringing back to life a club that has given so much to Rome and Italian football.
street football was a way of life
I am a citizen of Rome. I have a love for my city and for all sports. I am the son of a different generation, who grew up with street football as a way of life. I grew up playing football in a popular neighbourhood where football is a reason for living: Testaccio. Here my passion for this game was born, transmitted by the “Testaccini.”
I remember with pleasure the old “Campo Badii” in the centre of the buildings, the crowded grandstand, the people looking out the windows, the passion of our fans.
Today a market has been built on that field, and in what was once the historic Rome field, there is land that has been waiting for years to return to its former glory. Football for me is passion, sacrifice, commitment, love, cohesion and comparison. Above all a moment of encounter between different cultures and sporting identities
Sacrifice, love, dedication and passion
I’m proud to contribute together with my partner Alfredo Di Vasta to the re-foundation of Alba Roma 1907. Alba Roma was hidden there waiting for someone to rediscover it and bring it back to life and onto the stage it deserves. I think it was fate that took us and Alba Roma on this new path.
For us, this brand is not just an economic argument, there is much more behind it. Sacrifice, love, dedication and passion are the ingredients that me and Alfredo put at the service of our members every day, 24 hours a day, often to the detriment of our families, for an entity that we see as our daughter.
“Alba Roma was hidden there waiting for someone to rediscover it and bring it back to life and onto the stage it deserves. I think it was fate that took us and Alba Roma on this new path.”
THE ALBA METHOD
My role involves a great deal of professional and personal commitment, which I share with my direct collaborators. The company is structured so that everyone can perform their task in the best possible way. We have outlined a technical sports path that has the growth of individuals as its objective. The “Alba method” is the common thread that unites our football school and the competitive sector. It’s hard to find time to relax.
Every day you have to deal with different problems, which increase in direct proportion to the growth of the club The most important challenge we have had is to reaffirm the ALBA brand on the national and international scene and to also, create a sports identity model that involves all our teams. Making an amateur club professional is a very difficult challenge
The Club must have a modern system
I am very satisfied with the sporting path of the Club. We have created some excellent competitive groups. In the past two years, our youth sector has achieved: victory in the provincial championship under 14’s level. We have achieved 3 third places in the categories: Under 17 (21/22) Under 15 (21/22) Under 15 (22/23) and qualifications for the Lazio Cup with the Under 18 category. Also, the first team was promoted to 2 Categoria in its first season in the LND.
The Club’s goal is to develop home-made players to create a supply chain that leads up to the first team. Winning a Scudetto with our youth categories is our secret dream. Our next commitment will be to build the ALBA STADIUM. The Club must have a modern system, which allows us to be able to grow further
ALBA is identified with very specific values, which make it unique
Alba is a heritage of the city of Rome and of the national football team. In its glorious past, it won two Central-Southern Championships and played twice in the national final for the Scudetto.
We have an obligation to bring back its history and what the club represented in the first three decades of the 20th century. ALBA is identified with very specific values, which make it unique.
Initially, nobody believed that the Alba brand could have worldwide importance. When we launched our first line of match shirts we were mentioned by SoccerBible, and last year AS ROMA Club even dedicated a clothing line to us, the “Legacy” as a tribute to its roots. We continue to work everyday for the future.
With thanks to the gentleman that is Daniele Gabriele. On behalf of everybody at The Atlantic Dispatch we wish them all the best for the coming season.
To learn more about Alba Roma 1907 visit here or follow them on Instagram