Where there’s a will, there’s a way

The village of Troianul, in the west of Teleorman County, boasts a youth center, a museum, and Nike recognition for its junior football team.

Ana-Maria Cononovici, 06.10.2026, 14:00

The village of Troianul, in the west of Teleorman County, boasts a youth center, a museum, and Nike recognition for its junior football team. Behind this story lie the Roșiorii de Vede branch of the “Se Poate” Association and the National Historical Education Tour, organized by the film producers Dan Drăghicescu and John Florescu of Chainsaw Europe.

Ana-Maria Moisa, the president of the Roșiorii de Vede branch of the “Se Poate” Association, told Radio Romania International that it all began in 2023 with the creation of a space for young people:

“We set up an interactive space for youth. We established a library and organized non-formal education, art, and cultural activities. That is how the Troianul football team was formed, which is also an association dedicated to sports activities. Guided by the members of the ‘Se Poate’ Association, they launched this organization, which led to the creation of the boys’ and girls’ minifootball teams. This all took place over the last three years. Later, in June of this year, we wanted to give the youth space a fresh look, so we transformed it into a museum as well; in the same area where young people come for various activities, such as workshops on history, critical thinking, public speaking, and more, we introduced exhibits and opened a museum. Since we also conduct activities in Roşiorii de Vede and collaborate with Chainsaw Europe on the National Historical Education Tour, we held a film screening at the town’s open-air theater in July. We decided to invite executive producer John Florescu and associate producer Dan Drăghicescu from Chainsaw Europe to visit the newly opened museum.”

A rare, framed Nike collector’s T-shirt on display at the exhibition sparked a series of miracles. Dan Drăghicescu, an associate producer at Chainsaw Europe, shared his side of the story, revealing how he and John Florescu were amazed to discover both the museum and the fact that the village had a football team:

“We discovered art objects brought there from Bucharest, from across Europe, and even from overseas auctions. John and I were impressed. In one corner, we spotted a very rare Nike T-shirt featuring an animated ‘Off-White’ style logo, a design created by Nike in recent times to benefit communities and encourage people to play sports together. It is a rare shirt, acquired at auction, that really caught our eye. We later learned that the village was home to two youth football teams, one for girls and one for boys, aged 14 to 17. On the way back, John mentioned that one of his sons had been a classmate of the son of Nike’s New York-based CEO. He suggested we should write a letter to tell him what we’d seen in southeastern Romania, specifically in the village of Troianul, Teleorman County, where there are two teams that love the sport but lack proper gear. No sooner said than done!” Two weeks later, we received an unexpected reply from the CEO, Mr. Eliot Hill, asking for the number of children, the equipment they needed, and all their sizes. We wrote to Troianul, and two days later we had the measurements for all the children in the village; we sent them to America, and two weeks after that, boxes arrived containing Nike boots, socks, shorts, and T-shirts for the two youth teams. We thought it was a fantastic gesture! For such a busy man to be impressed by a letter we sent following the presentation of a historic project. Actually, King Mihai brought us to Teleorman; it was because of the King that I wrote to New York, and, thanks to the King, I would say, these products arrived in the village of Troianul directly from America.”

Ana-Maria Moisa also told us about other exhibits in the museum:

“We have a work by Victor Brauner, we have a work by Picasso; and apart from these very famous artists, whom we want to promote to young people and within this community, we also wanted to bring in other works that would resonate more with them. That is why we placed the Nike jersey in the Youth Space. We also have sculptures by Ion Irimescu and Ion Pacea, as well as artists from Teleorman County such as Ion Mitroi, with his pottery, and Costel Păun, the only artist in the world who sculpts in waterstone. We have a great diversity of artists. And we look forward to welcoming listeners, if they are in Teleorman County or near the village of Troianul, to visit us!”

How did the children receive this support? Ana-Maria Moisa:

“They are just starting out, they began training a few years ago, but they were thrilled to receive the gear; they were overjoyed. While we do try to help through various sponsorships, the Nike equipment, and especially this gift from the CEO, made a huge impression on them.”

The letter signed by Elliott Hill concludes with the message: All of us at Nike are cheering for you. Wishing Team Troianul great success and many victories ahead. (LS, AMP)