San Marino Grassroots League: final stages of the U12 tournament kick off

The San Marino Grassroots League kicked off on Tuesday 27 October, an experimental tournament reserved for the Under-12 category, created with the aim of promoting a new way of experiencing football, putting the youngsters, their independence and the educational value of sport at the centre.

The project is built on three main pillars: self-managed play, giving children a leading role in the dynamics of the game; active social inclusion, through the concrete involvement of youngsters with intellectual and relational disabilities; and the evolution of the coach’s role, called upon to move from a directive figure to a facilitator of the playful-educational experience and guarantor of everyone’s participation. The Grassroots League is not just a football competition, but an experience that brings together six key elements: competition, strategy, unpredictability, entertainment, inclusion and fair play. Alongside the normal dynamics of a match, there is also room for original tools such as special cards, a dice roll at the start of the second half and the horn challenge, designed to make every game different and engaging. It is a format in which winning and collecting points matters, but where respect, fairness and participation are equally important values.

The tournament has involved all five teams from the San Marino football hubs, joined by one guest team from Italy, and has been organised into two groups of three teams. A distinctive feature also lies in the team names, chosen directly by the youngsters: Group 1 featured Tigers Serravalle (Serravalle Football Academy), Lyons Serenissima (Serenissima) and Atletico ma non troppo (Titano Academy). In Group 2, “I Fulmini” Around Sport Calcio, the only team from Italy, lined up alongside Cailungo The Best (Cailungo) and Aura Academy Femminile (San Marino Academy Femminile). After the first two matchdays, the schedule now moves on to the decisive fixtures, determined by the standings in the respective groups. The first date is set for Tuesday 17 November at 17:00, in Montegiardino, with the play-off for fifth and sixth place between Atletico ma non troppo and Aura Academy Femminile. On Thursday 19 November, again at 17:00, the other two matches will take place: at the Domagnano ground Lyons Serenissima and I Fulmini Around Sport will battle for third place, while in Montegiardino the final for the title will be played between Tigers Serravalle and Cailungo The Best.

The tournament also represents an important training opportunity for young match officials, selected from among the boys who recently completed the most recent refereeing course. Thanks to the support of the CEF Federal Coach-Educators, they will be able to gain experience directly on the pitch. Precisely because of the experimental nature of the project, the matches do not involve the compilation of team sheets or match reports.