‘BEYOND’: BEYOND SOCCER

Going "beyond" soccer: this is the new initiative launched by F.C. Como Women and dedicated to its players, featuring a series of sessions designed to prepare them for life after their sports career, equipping them with essential tools to navigate life beyond soccer.

This unique format is aptly named ‘BEYOND’—the very keyword of the initiative organized by the Club, which gives its name to a series of events aimed at sharing the experiences of exceptional guests from the world of sports and other fields. The interactive panel format, led by F.C. Como Women's CEO Elena Mirandola, debuted on October 31 with former volleyball player Sonja Percan, who visited the team’s training center as a special guest for the first time.

Sonja, after an exceptional career across volleyball’s top divisions, successfully transitioned to a completely different professional setting and is now a Senior Program Manager at Amazon Web Services. Networking, challenges, identity, success, and setbacks—these were among the topics covered during the first session.

PERSEVERANCE AND CHALLENGES

“My advice to the players is to explore and stay curious,” Sonja Percan began during the panel. “When you’re a young professional player, you don’t often think concretely about your future beyond sports, and it can be hard to know what might interest you outside of the sport you practice. The key is to experiment, study, and make the most of your free time outside of training.”

SOFT SKILLS AND NETWORKING

Soft skills play a crucial role in sports and are equally vital in the professional world. “I took the skills I learned in sports and transferred them to the workplace, approaching my new work environment as a new team. Being used to teamwork helped me build relationships and trust in the team and people I started working with after my sports career. Sports teach you a lot, even if you might not realize it.”

IDENTITY

How hard is it to leave behind the identity of an athlete and start a new life? “At first, it was tough to let go of ‘Sonja the volleyball player.’ Exiting the world of sports isn’t easy. You have to learn to manage the fact that you’re no longer an athlete; once you step out, you become ‘Sonja’ and no longer ‘Sonja Percan the volleyball player.’ You need to be prepared to manage this change, which often comes after age 30-35, when you’ve gained experience as an athlete but not in the working world.”

OPPORTUNITIES AND GOALS

“This initiative aligns with F.C. Como Women’s mission and, more broadly, that of Mercury/13, to create a dedicated platform for our players’ development and excellence, on and off the field,” says Elena Mirandola, CEO of the Club. “The topics covered in this series of meetings are based on feedback we received directly from the players, who almost unanimously expressed a desire to explore how to build a career after professional sports. Many are still very young, and I believe that giving them the tools to start structuring their future has immense value and can help them become more confident.”