Fabio Zarra
Sport Psychologist
A fully registered psychologist with the Italian Order of Psychologists, with over ten years of experience in professional sport, particularly football. I worked extensively with Cagliari Calcio, handling psychological assessment and mental training for athletes in both the youth academy and the first team. In this role I played a strategic part in managing relational and developmental dynamics, actively contributing to athletes' sporting and personal growth. I also delivered training for coaches and parents, and served as Head of the Residential Facility for young players.
My professional journey has been enriched through collaborations with educational, clinical and training institutions, allowing me to develop interdisciplinary expertise in educational psychology, occupational psychology and child neuropsychiatry. I have been a speaker at numerous national conferences on psychological wellbeing and performance in sport.
I am the author of the book Ironicamente Sportivə a work that blends psychological insight with humour to portray the world of sport through a critical, light-hearted and deeply human lens.
I promote an integrated approach to sport psychology, grounded in the balance between mental preparation, emotional support and personal development, with the aim of guiding each athlete towards their fullest expression — on and off the field.
Virginia Marino
Clinical Psychologist and Educator
A clinical psychologist with a strong background in the humanities, I have worked in sport psychology for over ten years, supporting athletes, coaches and staff in managing the emotional, relational and motivational dynamics linked to performance. My work focuses on strengthening individual resources, regulating stress and building a winning mindset — one that can sustain the athlete both at their peak and through moments of crisis.
I have worked with professional clubs and sports centres, designing personalised interventions in mental training, autogenic training and sport-applied mindfulness. I firmly believe that psychological wellbeing is the primary ally of performance, and that emotional awareness is one of the fundamental keys to sporting and personal growth.
Alongside sport, I teach in the humanities and literary disciplines, bringing my psychological experience to the service of the educational relationship. I integrate my skills to offer students a learning approach that combines subject content, active listening and the development of life skills.
Inspired by an integrated vision of the human being, I promote a person-centred model of intervention that unites scientific rigour, empathy and authentic dialogue. Accompanying athletes and students in recognising and facing their emotions is, for me, not only a professional skill — it is a mission.
Alessandro Marino
Professor and Business Manager
Associate Professor of Business Economics and Management, and author of numerous international publications on corporate strategy and management.
In academia he has taught at Bocconi University Milan, the University of Milan, the Wharton School and LUISS Guido Carli Rome, in general management courses, master's programmes, doctoral programmes and business schools.
For over fifteen years he has provided strategic
consulting for industrial and service companies.
For approximately ten years he served as
chairman of the board and principal shareholder of
a professional football club, as well as a member of
the FIGC Federal Council for the 2021–2024
Olympic cycle, a member of the football league
council and board director of various companies in
the chemical, sport and services sectors.
He holds a PhD in Strategy and a Master of
Science in Applied Economics from the Wharton
School, University of Pennsylvania.
He completed
a specialisation in Applied Data Science at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Boston).
He graduated in Business Economics from
Bocconi University (Milan).
