About Sportiv Club Berceni Prahova

A story…a true story of ambition,of love for badminton, the will of some kids to overcome the barriers of distance or material condition, most often insufficient. This story began 20 years ago along with the arrival of the sports teacher Tino Ferrario.He didn’t came alone, but with two toys that soon became the best friends of each and every child in Berceni. These toys were the slip and the badminton racket.
Then, “All came together like magic”, as the teacher would declare 20 years later. The kids liked the sport and they learned it in a room that was the size of a classroom.
The teacher instilled his players' will to fight their own limits and thus were born the first badminton players, future outstanding characters in the development of their native village, Bercnei. Finding out about the work and children’s talents generous people who understand the value of Badminton(eg. Nicolae Negrea from Matizol Ploiesti) became sponsors and under the wing of these people, students of Professor Tino Ferrario won medal after medal and have become winners of the greatest national competitions and even of the Balkan competition.

But like any thing in life, whether good or bad, this support has ended. And how sometimes bad things do not come alone the school gym was transformed into a classroom. Therefore, for several years, young and old badminton players go, every weekend up to 5 km to a high school gym where they can train. They go there on holidays and during school, during cold weather or hot, by car, bicycle or on foot, with food from home in their backpacks and sometimes even with medicines for cold. And you may be wondering, "What made them do that?” They go and play with friends, they teach each other the rules of the game, sharing their dreams and ideas, they receive life lessons from the older players about how they can succeed by teaming up with the sport itself. At the end of the day everyone is smiling, full of enthusiasm and with the necessary strength to take over again the long journey full of challenges to success, to be the best.
The kids from 20 years ago understood the needs and difficulties and tried through financial contributions and personal efforts to cover part of the money needed, but the number of children who come to the gym grows and with it so does the needs.

A child of the village, a badminton player from the first generation, that grew and was always driven by the desire to help her community, especially established a non-profit organization, Second Chance, to restore hope in her native village. Second Chance would become the glue between people, ideas and facts. With the support of Second Chance, people willing to help the community came together, put ideas together and so, many projects were completed and more are in progress. Berceni Sports Club is one of the priority projects on the Second Chance list, being supported entirely by community and local authorities.

We hope that along with these people we shall turn this story
in a never-ending one.

Story written by:
Adina Anghelache