In just over a year as president, he has cleared all the debts, reopened the stadium and strengthened the youth academy: now he is aiming for promotion His focus and attention are on Genoa, but every now and then his thoughts turn to Ostiamare as well. On the one hand, there is Daniele De Rossi the manager, who is fighting for survival with the Rossoblù – he took over from Patrick Vieira in November – and, with nine matches remaining in the season, holds a nine-point lead over the third-bottom side. On the other hand, there is De Rossi the president, who bought Ostiamare in January 2025, becoming its owner. For him, that club holds a special place in his heart: it was there that he began playing football in the youth ranks, first as a full-back and then as a striker; at the age of 16, he moved to Roma, where his father Alberto was coaching the Primavera side. At Trigoria, on the advice of Mauro Bencivenga, he moved permanently into midfield. Ostiamare are currently second in Group F of Serie D, four points behind leaders Ancona with seven matches remaining in the season. What do the rules say? The top team is automatically promoted to Serie C, whilst the teams finishing second to fifth will enter the play-offs: these play-offs do not determine further promotions, but serve to establish a ranking from which teams may be selected to complete the Serie C 2026/27 squad in the event of clubs being excluded due to failure to register or bankruptcy. Ostiamare’s manager since last summer has been David D’Antoni (on a two-year contract), a former midfielder who played mainly in Serie B and C; he was the manager during Monterosi’s historic promotion to Serie C between 2019 and 2021. De Rossi’s plan for “his” Ostiamare was (and is) to clear all debts – he managed to save the club from bankruptcy – strengthen the youth sector (in just over a year, teams ranging from Under-15s to Under-19s have been set up) and invest in the Anco Marzio stadium, which has already been brought up to standard following its previous closure due to being unfit for use, and the season ticket campaign has restarted this season. De Rossi follows the team closely, often managing to be present in the stands during matches, and his new philosophy includes strict rules regarding the use of mobile phones and PlayStations by the young players. All the latest updates in real time! Join the CALCIOMERCATO.COM WhatsApp channel: click hereAdd GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting