Sweet moment Everton's Martina Piemonte meets fellow Italian

1301 Everton player hug
The moment Martina met the young girl at a girl's football session Credit: X: Everton in the Community Martina Piemonte

Everton women's player Martina Piemonte has made the day of a young fan, after finding out the girl was a fellow Italian.

Martina, who signed for Everton last summer from AC Milan, was at a Premier League Kicks event, organised by the football club's charity, Everton in the Community.

The charity has posted a film on social media showing Martina surrounded by girls asking for her autograph.

She asks one girl her name, then repeats the question, and apologises, saying "I'm Italian, my English is...." and signalled '"so so".

Another girl gasped and said: "I'm Italian too".

Martina then approaches the girl, and gives her a kiss on the head and a hug, which moved the girl to tears, Martina hugged her for a bit longer.

Everton in the Community posted on X : "A beautiful moment at our PL Kicks session as Martina Piemonte met a fellow compatriot.

"Just another reason why it's so important that we keep inspiring and engaging girls in sport.

Martina completed her move to Everton from AC Milan in 2023, agreeing a two-year contract with the Club until the end of June 2025.

Everton in the Community has been delivering the Premier League Kicks programme for more than 10 years.

Premier League Kicks brings fully qualified coaches from the charity into the communities of young people, many of whom are ‘hard to reach’ and uses the power of sport to engage young people in their familiar surroundings.

The charity works in partnership with the Premier League Charitable Fund, Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner to deliver more than 30 sports sessions in Merseyside each week for young people aged between eight and 19.

Everton in the Community has been running the Premier League Kicks programme for ten years Credit: X: Everton in the Community

The PL Kicks project also includes 'The Youth Zone’.

The Youth Zone combines football and sport sessions with workshops on topics such as healthy lifestyles and employability, as well as on the dangers of gang violence and drugs and alcohol.

The programme continues to reduce anti-social behaviour and crime by 75% - 82% during session times around Merseyside.

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