Rosario Coco

Coordinator – He/him

Rosario Coco coordinates the Outsport Office at AICS and is a D&I expert with experience in project design, media, and communication. From 2017 to 2019, he coordinated the first Outsport project, the first EU-wide research and training initiative on LGBTI people in sports. He is currently the President of Gaynet, an Italian association focused on media education, and coordinator of the Outsport network, the internal unit of AiCS (Associazione Italiana Cultura Sport) dedicated to international projects on Education Through Sport. He has recently collaborated with the Sport Unit of the Council of Europe as an international expert on hate speech in sports.

 

Andrea Giuliano

Project Officer – They/Them

Andrea Giuliano is a Project Officer at the Outsport Office within the AiCS LGBTI Department and a contributor to AiCS’ Identità Alias gender inclusion policy (2024). Their work focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), LGBTIQ+ rights, human rights, and the role of public and digital spaces in fostering access, safety, and participation. Andrea has worked in non-formal education and training contexts, including with neurodivergent youth, and as an author and research assistant has developed advocacy-oriented content for a range of publications and organisations.

 

László Földi

Expert on Human Rights Education – He/Him

László Földi has been working in the field of non-formal education for 25 years. He has extensive experience in sport, education and youth policy development both on national and European level. He was working for the Hungarian government as director of the European Union youth programs for 12 years, 2 years for the Council of Europe’s Youth Department, and since 2011 he is freelance trainer and consultant in the field of human rights education, education for democratic citizenship, and education through sport. Between 2013 and 2017 he was working for the No Hate Speech Movement of the Council of Europe as educational and campaign consultant. 

He is the co-author of four milestone handbooks on Education Through Sport, Move and Learn (2013) manual for education for democratic citizenship through sport, and chief editor of the first Outsport Toolkit (2019) 

 

Maria Vittoria Rambaldi 

Coach and Trainer – She/Her 

Maria Vittoria Rambaldi is a socio‑pedagogical educator and gender equality practitioner with experience in anti-discrimination, gender studies, and social inclusion. She has worked as an anti-violence operator and conducts youth workshops on preventing gender-based violence. She is a qualified Outsport Coach and Trainer and contributes to projects promoting inclusion and equality through sport.

 

Gaia Ciccarelli

Coach and Trainer – They/Them

Gaia Ciccarelli is a former football player, English teacher, and researcher at the University of Siena, where they work in linguistics and cultural mediation. Gaia is a certified Outsport Coach and has been involved in the Outsport project since 2018. Their research also contributes to EU-funded initiatives, including projects analysing the challenges of fostering inclusive education pathways and addressing invisible homophobia and gender-based discrimination within higher education (HE) institutions.

 

Klaus Heusslein 

Project Consultant – He/Him 

Klaus Heusslein is an experienced project manager and strategist with a strong background in social innovation, inclusive sports, and organisational development. He was co-president of the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF) and contributed to the first Outsport project (2017–2019), a pioneering EU initiative on LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport. He has also conducted research on LGBTQ+ experiences in grassroots sports, combining practical project management expertise with a commitment to social impact, equality, and diversity.

 

Alessia Cottini

Sociologist and collaborator – She/Her 

Alessia Cottini is a sociologist and project manager specialising in communities and sustainable spaces. Her work focuses on analysing the dynamics of the sports system and the gender-related issues that run through it, with particular attention to how sports spaces can become genuinely accessible and inclusive for queer people.

 

Alessandro Paesano 

Media Expert and Trainer – He/Him

Alessandro Paesano is a media expert at Gaynet.it (Italy), where he supports communication strategies and campaigns to promote LGBTQIA+ visibility and inclusion. He has contributed to training and workshops on inclusive language, representation, and SOGIESC topics for journalists and media professionals. Alessandro also participated in the first Outsport project, combining his expertise in media with sport-based initiatives to foster equality and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ communities.