Dear Members,

Time again for the CSIF annual review! I began writing these reviews in 2003 on a simple newsletter which looked like a ‘take away’ menu! Here I am now, writing it in a magazine which has been produced to an exceptionally high standard. The editorial team have worked extremely hard, especially this year, to produce a publication which promotes our Italian Culture, provides information and keeps members up to date with the clubs activities. A big thank you must go to all our members who have contributed articles and to the companies who subscribe to advertising space. Without financial support we would not be able to cover the cost of printing and distributing Lo Stivale. We still need new advertisers so please get in touch if you would like to support the magazine. 2010 has been an exceptionally busy year with OGI and a year of changes at committee level.

The committee has a new Presidente in Luigi Moccia, who took over the reigns in January. Here is a photo of him in case you have not met him! Gaetano felt it was time for someone else to take over the leadership role. Thankfully he has decided to remain on board as Treasurer and will continue to be an active members of the CSIF committee, providing his wealth of experience and knowledge. We have also had new committee members join bringing in fresh ideas and existing committee members taking on

new roles and responsibilities. I think the committee has a great balance of experience and innovation, which can only benefit our Club and its members as we move forward into the new decade.
What has also stood out for me this year is the increase in the number of new families attending our social events and joining our OGI team. Time has been spent promoting the aims of CSIF within our local Anglo-Italian Community and reaching our target audience (I sound like a media consultant – must be Luigi’s influence!). Joking aside it is vital we reach families who understand the importance of celebrating Italian culture. We have been able to reach new families by continuing to develop links with our Italian School, keeping our website updated with club and local news, distributing Lo Stivale quarterly, encouraging our club members to spread the word to their family and friends and arranging events people enjoy attending!
2010 was an OGI year and preparations began in February.

Our Finchley OGI sub committee members were very proud to manage such a great bunch of youngsters.

Supporting our team during the training sessions were a record number of coaches and mentors. They worked closely with the children to help them achieve their full potential. With an event this size financial assistance is always needed and we were supported by Franc Warwick, who sponsored our OGI Team, and Franchi who sponsored our football team. Without this level of financial support we would not have been able to provide for all the needs of our team. Thank you!

Thanks also must go to our families who attended our fundraisers, the ‘Get in to the Groove Disco’ and our Family Lunch – which was a sell out.
The 3 day OGI event was great and our kids did us proud. They conducted themselves well and entered into the true spirit of the games – achieving success on a team and personal level. Truly a team effort! The weekend ended by returning to the Woodside Park Club with the Les Rickard Trophy for the second time in a row! The celebrations did not stop there, Gaetano, our Team Manager for 20 years was presented with a Silver Salver in recognition of his commitment to the Finchley OGI Team!

Back to our social calendar. In response to feedback received from our members we decided to revamp two of our family social events. In February at our Carnevale Celebration the Tri Colore Theatre Company told a Bi-lingual Carnevale story, the children loved it, watching the story unfold and taking part in the interactive workshop afterwards. In October we cast aside the regular Halloween Party and replaced it with a “Thriller Night” celebrating the songs and moves of Michael Jackson. The room was transformed into a misty, eery cemetery and manyzombies could be seen lurking around the room!

Please visit our website www.finchleyitalianclub.com where you will find all the club’s news and if you are not already receiving our mail shots via email. If you would like to drop me a line, feel free to email at maria@finchleyitalianclub.com. The Committee is always looking for new ways to bring our Anglo-Italian community together. Please feel free to get in touch with your ideas!

May I take this opportunity to thank all the CSIF committee members and their partners for their hard work, commitment and enthusiasm to the Club. A big, heart felt thank you must also go to all our members for the support you give to the Club Sociale Italiano di Finchley.

On behalf of the Committee I wish you a Happy New Year!