Sporting headlines amid the global coronavirus pandemic have focused on the mass cancellation of events and the possibility of a speedy return to action for some. 

European football has been the focus of much attention this week. The Netherlands' top league has been cancelled outright, with no winner, no losers relegated, and fans left wondering what's going to happen to their clubs. Germany also grabbed the spotlight with the announcement the Bundesliga could restart in early May, albeit with Geisterspiel ("ghost games") played without fans. 

But in Italy, which has been one of the countries hit hardest by COVID-19, there is no return to calcio anytime soon. Instead, clubs like Pescara in the Italian second division have found alternative ways to entertain and engage their fans. 

The team launched a campaign to have fans design a fantasy football kit, with the slogan "give a kick to COVID-19." It was meant as a way to keep the town's spirits up during the longest lockdown in Europe. But when the club announced six-year-old Luigi D'Agostino's winning design, it was such a hit that the club and its kit provider decided to make the kit for real – and will wear it when they return to action. 

Now, a rainbow and a dolphin might not be the usual pairing for a professional football club's kit, but there is more to the design than first meets the eye.

The rainbow is the link to COVID-19. In an attempt to help children deal with the unexpected stress and disruption the pandemic and lockdown has caused, many people across the world are decorating their homes and neighbourhoods with drawings of rainbows. 

It has quickly become a symbol of hope for many around the world – and a reminder that brighter days are to come. 

"The rainbow represents peace, and when the [pandemic] will finish," D'Agostino told CGTN Europe. 

"We as Italians are being hit by a heavy rain, but the sun will return and I'm sure in every house there will be a big rainbow," his mother added. 

The dolphin, seen playing with a football at the center of the youngster's design, is an important symbol for the club he supports and the town on Italy's eastern Adriatic coast. 

"It is very special for me, this drawing," the youngster told CGTN Europe. "I am a big fan of Pescara, I really really adore them." 

And this adventure isn't over yet. 

D'Agostino has been invited by Erreà, the Italian company that produces Pescara's kits, to its factory in Parma (nearly 500km from his home) to meet the team who normally spend months designing new kits, and those who will make his vision of hope a reality. 

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