“Quello che non è normale”: Betsson Sport and Volley Millenium Brescia Take a Stand Against Violence Against Women with Italian National Team Player Beatrice Parrocchiale

In collaboration with Casa delle Donne di Brescia, the campaign launched for November 25 shines a spotlight on psychological violence and on the role of sport as a tool for empowerment and renewal.

A message that becomes a spark for change, competitive determination transformed into inspiration to say “enough”. On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Betsson Sport and Volley Millenium Brescia joined forces, with the collaboration of Casa delle Donne, launching an intimate and powerful video project titled “Quello che non è normale”.

The initiative features Beatrice Parrocchiale, European champion in 2021 with the Italian National Team, current captain of Valsabbina Millenium Brescia and Knight of the Italian Republic. In the video, the athlete is contacted by a fan who opens up to her, sharing her story and her moment of awareness: “I thought it was normal to cry, to listen to insults, to see hands raised against me.”

“I would like to thank Betsson Sport and Casa delle Donne di Brescia for giving me the opportunity to shoot this video,” comments Beatrice Parrocchiale. “I took this story to heart and I’m proud to have been its spokesperson. I hope the message reaches as many people as possible and that awareness around this cause continues to grow.”

The project “Quello che non è normale” was created precisely to challenge the dynamics of gender-based violence, focusing not only on physical aggression but also on the more subtle aspects often mistaken for love: obsessive control, systematic belittlement, and constant fear. Through visual storytelling, Betsson Sport and Volley Millenium Brescia highlight how sport can serve as a powerful vehicle for empowerment, capable of offering positive role models of strength and independence.

The collaboration with the Anti-Violence Center Casa delle Donne CaD-Brescia was fundamental to the project’s development. The organization has been a vital resource for the support, protection, and safeguarding of victims in the Brescia area since 1989, operating as a volunteer association. After welcoming and deciding to support the initiative, Casa delle Donne shared with Volley Millenium Brescia and Betsson Sport a real and current story – unfortunately – from which inspiration was drawn for the creation of the video.

“Casa delle Donne di Brescia enthusiastically accepted the collaboration with Volley Millenium Brescia and the cultural association Buscolo Satulo di Borgosatollo to create a video, produced with the collaboration of Betsson.sport, featuring two young women: a volleyball icon such as Beatrice Parrocchiale and a young woman who passed through our center,” said Viviana Cassini, President of Casa delle Donne Brescia. “It is necessary to fight violence by promoting initiatives like this one, to raise awareness and change humiliating and dehumanizing behaviors. It is also essential to know that, alongside prevention and intervention, there are places and people ready to support and accompany victims. Casa delle Donne is a safe and discreet anti-violence center that provides professional support through lawyers, psychologists, educators, mediators, and social workers, ensuring that every woman does not feel alone and can gain the tools to break free.”

With this campaign, the partners involved aim to raise awareness among the national public, reminding everyone that normality should never coincide with oppression, but with respect and the freedom to be oneself.

“On the occasion of this important day, we wanted to send a concrete message together with Volley Millenium Brescia, thanks to the collaboration of Casa delle Donne,” added Stefano Tino, Managing Director Italy at Betsson Group. “The goal of Betsson.Sport was to put the visibility of our network fully at the service of transforming a single testimony into a moment of collective reflection. It shows how sports partnerships can generate tangible value for the entire community.”

“For a club like ours, entirely composed of women, it is a duty to be on the front line in raising awareness and supporting a topic such as violence against women, which requires us to never lower our guard,” explained Emanuele Catania, GM of Volley Millenium Brescia. “I would like to thank Betsson.sport for its sensitivity, Casa delle Donne di Brescia and its president Viviana Cassini, who made available a story – sadly real – to work from; and Diego Grigolato of the Associazione Culturale Buscolo Satulo for the coordination. Special thanks also go to Multilumix for producing the video pro bono and to Beatrice Parrocchiale, who successfully took on the challenging task of conveying the full intensity of the story.”

For further information: Spencer & Lewis for Betsson.Sport.