Grassroots youth sector: season finale this week

The autumn programme of the Grassroots Youth Sector, as far as events organised by the FSGC on home soil are concerned, is about to enter its clou week. These are the final fixtures before Christmas for the boys and girls who make up the teams at San Marino’s football hubs for 5 to 12 year-olds. For the youngest age groups, day, venue and time remain unchanged: the appointment is once again at the “Ezio Conti” in Dogana on Saturday morning: on 13 December the ground will host a real pre-Christmas party, with football – in its most inclusive and engaging form – at the heart of the event as the common thread.

The Under-10 Christmas Tournament, the final event of the calendar year for the teams that have so far faced each other in seven-a-side or five-a-side matches without the pressure of league tables, will instead be held midweek. On Wednesday 10 December the same format will be used again, but in a dream setting: the San Marino Stadium. On the pitch graced by some of the greatest stars of European and world football, six small pitches will be set up – three for each match format – where once again the skills of the boys and girls involved in the Under-10 football activities can shine. Kick-off is at 17:00, with a group snack to round things off and bid farewell to the pitch ahead of a truly exciting 2025.

That will also be the case for the teams registered in the Campionato Sammarinese Under 12, though not before Saturday 13 December. The format, consolidated in recent seasons, will not be limited to shining a spotlight on the two sides battling for the autumn champions title, but will embrace all the teams that took part in the competition over the ten rounds of the regular season – which concluded yesterday morning. On this occasion too, the San Marino Stadium will be set up with three small-sided pitches for three separate tournaments, starting from 15:00. Alongside Titano Academy, Cailungo, Serravalle Football Academy, Serenissima and San Marino Academy, a same-age team from Polisportiva Garden will also take part in this phase.

Competing for the trophy will be Juvenes Dogana and Cailungo Azzurro, who have reached the final act after a thrilling three-way race with Tre Fiori/Virtus – who finished third in the group, just three points off top spot and two behind the first challengers. Kick-off for the autumn final of the 2025-26 Campionato Sammarinese is set for 16:30, followed by the awards ceremony (18:00) and a shared post-match snack. The innovation introduced this year, already applied during the regular season, is that all four periods of play will count towards deciding the winners of the 2025-26 autumn tournament. One point will be awarded for each period won, with a point apiece in the event of a draw in that segment. If, at the end of the full 72 minutes, broken up by three 3-minute intervals, the final is still level on points, the overall goal difference in the final itself will determine who enters the competition’s roll of honour. Should this criterion also fail to produce a winner, reference will be made to the overall league standings, which would favour Juvenes Dogana. The side linked to the Serravalle Football Academy hub have in fact knocked their upcoming opponents Cailungo Azzurro off top spot – winning 3-1 yesterday morning in Falciano (1-0, 0-1, 2-0, 1-0). As can be seen from the partial scores, and from the 3-3 draw recorded in the first meeting in the regular season, we can reasonably expect a hard-fought, evenly balanced and highly engaging match. In short, the perfect finale to a calendar year that our future little champions will keep in their memory for a long time to come.