On December 2, 2021, our club, NY International FC, lost our incredible teammate and beloved friend, Davide Giri.

Davide, an Inter Milan obsessive from the Piedmont town of Alba, Italy, Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University, and founding member of our football club, was tragically murdered on his way home from a mid-week training session with the team, in an unprovoked attack a few blocks away from his apartment. The senseless and random attack devastated our club, and has left a gap in our hearts that will never be filled.

Davide was one of the first players to join NY International FC upon its creation three years ago and he quickly became one of the pillars of the club. A left-footed defender, he will be remembered on the pitch for his Alessandro Nesta-esque tackles and his incredible work rate, always giving everything he could for the team. Davide was a decisive contributor to NYIFC’s successive promotions and was a major influence on and off the field.

Davide was a true gentleman and brought nothing but joy and kindness to those around him with his good nature, gentle heart, witty sense of humor, and his contagious smile, all of which will never be forgotten.

To celebrate and honor our beloved friend and teammate’s beautiful life, we are hosting the NYIFC ANNUAL 5K CHARITY RUN for Davide, with all proceeds from the event to be donated to the Davide Giri Prize Memorial Fund, at the Computer Science Department at Columbia University,

Established in 2022, the Prize will be made annually to a graduate student in Computer Science who has combined excellence in research results with continued outstanding efforts to promote research collaboration.

We are partnering with the amazing team at Fit Club NY for this event which will take place at 21-03 31st Ave in Astoria, Queens on Saturday, June 25.

If you are a non-runner but wish to support this amazing cause, please donate here.