Parma announced the new structure of the Area Sportiva 2026/27; Crovari appointed as Football Pathway Manager
In an official statement, Parma laid out the new Area Sportiva organization for 2026/27 — with scouting and youth staff confirmations and a new role for Federico Crovari.
Parma Calcio 1913, through a long official statement on their website, announced the new organizational structure of the Area Sportiva that will be implemented for the 2026/27 season. The aim of the change is to provide continuity to the club's project and to foster the development of players from youth to the first team.
According to the statement, Football Director Alessandro Pettinà will remain in the role, with direct responsibility for the management of the men's First Team and related staff.
There are confirmations in important positions: Massimiliano Notari's contract as Head of Scouting has been extended until 30 June 2029. Massimiliano, together with his team of scouts, will continue to monitor and search for talent at regional, national and international levels. Meanwhile, Mattia Notari, who continues his contract until 30 June 2029, will remain as Head of Men Youth Sector and will provide continuity to the sportive and educational project launched four years ago.
The club has also confirmed Gianluca Baschieri's role as Head of Grassroots through a three-year renewal, which aims to strengthen Parma's position as the main institution in grassroots talent development in Italy.
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://tmw-storage.tcccdn.com/storage/tuttomercatoweb.com/img_notizie/thumb3/49/496469a52a319b0b3c5ebd1227b97f83-83394-oooz0000.jpeg" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>The latest addition to the structure is the appointment of Federico Crovari as Football Pathway Manager. This new, transversal role is responsible for designing and managing the development path of players from the youth sector to the first team, developing individual growth programs and monitoring athletes on loan, which will be coordinated with the Football Director, Head of Scouting and Head of Men Youth Sector.
As for the women's sector, it was previously announced that Marco Zwingauer is leading it as Head of Women's Football.
The statement specified that the entire structure of Area Sportiva will answer directly to CEO Federico Cherubini. In a statement, Cherubini said that this new structure, adopted with the ownership, is an important step in the development and consolidation of the club's structure. He added that through the confirmations in the men's sector, the club has chosen to continue the work of professionals who have shown a sense of belonging, dedication and ability — fundamental elements for the development of the project sportivo.
As for the women's sector, he said that the club has a clear desire to start a new cycle for the continuous improvement and consolidation of Parma Women in all fields. According to Cherubini, the long-term strategic goal is to build a sustainable model that will value talent at every stage of its development, provide conditions for the growth of each athlete—sportivo and personal—and aim for all teams to achieve higher and more challenging goals.
Parma's announcement clearly aims to combine the continuation of the current project and the addition of new roles that will strengthen the relationship between youth development and the first team, which is critical in the modern management of the football club.
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