How Strongers Was Born: the Story of the First Event That Ignited the Mission
On 16 December 2023, at the Villa Aurelia Sporting Club in Rome, the first major Strongers event came to life: a padel tournament that raised nearly €7,000 for oncology research. The story of how it all began.
A padel court, December 2023: it all starts here
Every great mission has a precise moment when it stops being an idea and becomes reality. For Strongers Social Club ETS, that moment takes the shape of a padel racket, a Saturday in December in Rome, and a community that chooses to play for something that truly matters.
On 16 December 2023, at the courts of the Villa Aurelia Sporting Club, the first major fundraising event in our history took place: the Christmas Padel Tournament 2023. A by invitation only tournament, designed not just to compete, but to build something together — awareness, community, and concrete resources for oncology research.
The debut figures: nearly €7,000 for research
The result exceeded all expectations for a first outing. At the final count, the event generated:
- Gross income: approximately €7,683
- Net allocated to research: approximately €6,885
- Operating costs (catering + court hire): €788
Nearly seven thousand euros net, allocated — as with all Strongers initiatives — to "scientific research of particular social interest". This is not an abstract figure: it is what makes it possible to fund those who work every day to turn a cancer diagnosis into a survival story.
The role of Latitudinezero: the first sponsor who believed in us
Behind those figures lies a story of trust. Latitudinezero by Silvia Martelli was the main sponsor of the tournament, contributing €7,366 paid directly into the Strongers account between 3 and 20 December 2023. A concrete choice, not a symbolic one: investing in a nascent organisation means believing in its vision before even seeing its results.
This is the kind of partnership we want to build: not visibility in exchange for a logo, but a genuine alliance between those who run a business and those who pursue a mission.
More than a tournament: a roundtable on science
The Christmas Padel Tournament 2023 did not end on the court. After the final award ceremony — moderated by journalist Mattia Iovane — a roundtable on oncology research was held, with the aim of bringing scientific and institutional awareness beyond the sporting event itself. In attendance were the President of Strongers, Raffaele Giusti, and Avv. Simone Canterini, representing the Rome Bar Association, which granted its patronage to the initiative.
Sport and science, on a December afternoon in Rome: this is the soul of Strongers.
From that court, a tradition
The Christmas Padel Tournament did not remain a one-off episode. In autumn/winter 2024 a second edition was held, confirming that the afternoon of 16 December 2023 was not an experiment — it was the foundation of a recurring event.
Every ball struck, every point played, every partnership built: all of it contributes to funding research. This is what it means to be a Stronger.
Want to be part of the next chapter? Follow us at strongers.org and discover how sport and solidarity meet every day.