After nineteen championships played in National League, thirteen of them with the bianconera jersey (598 games, 32 goals, 69 assists), topped by a national title in 2006, two playoff finals (2016, 2018), two Youth World Cups (U18 and U20) and 25 games with the Swiss national team, Alessandro Chiesa ended his long and brilliant competitive career with Thursday night's match.
The rock-solid defender, Lugano's captain from 2016 to 2020 and the seventh player in the club's history in terms of number of appearances, will begin a training course in the youth section ofHockey Club Lugano from next June, at the same time completing his university education.
Aware of the importance of planning his post-career with a view to a possible future integration into society, Chiesa had already decided a few years ago to embark on the path of university studies that would lead him to a Bachelor's degree in Leisure Management at SUPSI, a world involving Sport, Entertainment, Tourism, Art and Culture.
Confronted in these months with the alternative between continuing his playing career away from Ticino or giving continuity to his intense history with the HCL in a new role, Chiesa chose the latter option.
His deep identification with the colors bianconeri, his passion for the world of sports and his technical skills will thus immediately be an added value for the growth of the youth sector ofHockey Club Lugano.
Until the end of his studies at SUPSI and his training within Youth + Sport, Alessandro will be active part-time in the Youth Section with the functions of coach and administrative assistant, with a focus on the recruitment of youngsters, a sector that has been forcibly affected in recent years.
These are the words of Marco Werder, CEO of theHockey Club Lugano organization and Director of the Youth Section bianconera:
"We are very happy that a figure like Alessandro Chiesa has accepted this training course within our Youth Section. His empathy, his ease in human relations, his attention to social aspects, combined with his technical skills, are ideal ingredients to continue a relationship with the HCL that dates back even to his arrival in Lugano as an 18-year-old in the 2005/06 season."
The large bianconera family will have the opportunity to thank Alessandro Chiesa for all he has done and all he will do for the colors bianconeri at the traditional end-of-season team salute scheduled for Sunday, April 3, 2022 starting at 12 noon at the DNA Shed Bianconero & Events and the Yellow Lodge with the offering of a macaroni and risotto.
