ACF Fiorentina Youth Sector

ACF Fiorentina Youth Sector (Italian: Settore Giovanile) comprises the under-20 team and the academy of Italian professional football club ACF Fiorentina. The side currently compete in the Campionato Primavera 1, which they have won three times, and the Coppa Italia Primavera, which they won eight times. Additionally, they have won the Supercoppa Primavera three times, most recently in 2022. The club has also taken part in the annual Torneo di Viareggio, an international tournament of which they are eight-time winners.[2]

Fiorentina Youth Sector
Full nameAssociazione Calcio Firenze Fiorentina Youth Sector
Nickname(s)Viola (Purple), Gigliati (Lilies)
GroundRocco B. Commisso Viola Park[1]
Capacity
  • 3,000 (Curva Fiesole Stadium)
  • 1,500 (Davide Astori Stadium)
ChairmanRocco B. Commisso
Head coachDaniele Galloppa
LeagueCampionato Primavera 1
2023–24Campionato Primavera 1, 15th
Websitehttps://www.acffiorentina.com/en/news/all/youth-team

The Youth Sector is made up of various squads divided by age groups. All of the squads train at the first team's main training ground, "Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park" Training Center in Bagno a Ripoli.

History

edit

Fiorentina has historically placed great importance on nurturing local talent and continues to do so. Many young players have successfully transitioned from the youth academy to the first team, with notable examples like Claudio Merlo, who spent most of his career in Florence. Merlo joined Fiorentina at the age of 17 after moving from Rome and quickly rose through the ranks. Alongside players like Luciano Chiarugi, they became a key figure in the Fiorentina team of the 1960s, famously debuting in Serie A against the legendary Inter side in 1965. Their contributions helped the team win the Mitropa Cup and the Italian Cup, culminating in Fiorentina's iconic 1969 Scudetto triumph.[3]

In the 1960s, Fiorentina's youth sector achieved its first victory in the prestigious Viareggio Tournament in 1966. The 1970s saw further success with the club winning its first youth league title in the Campionato Primavera, followed by a second title in the 1979-1980 season. During the same decade, the Viola triumphed four more times at the Torneo di Viareggio. The 1980s brought a third and final Campionato Primavera title, while international victories at Viareggio reached a total of eight by 1992. The growth of Fiorentina's youth academy continued to produce successful talents, with numerous players debuting in the first team during the 2000s, including Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa, and Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic.[4] The team also embarked on a remarkable winning streak in the Coppa Italia Primavera, securing a total of eight titles by the end of the 2023-2024 season, with five victories in six consecutive finals.

Structure

edit

Fiorentina owns its own training ground with the complex set to provide a single hub for both the men's and women's first teams, as well as the youth academy.

The Youth Sector is divided into 10 squads: "Primavera" (under-20), under-18, under-17, under-16, under-15, under-13, under-12, under-11, under-10 and under-9.

Viola Park

edit

Fiorentina' home ground includes the 3000-capacity Curva Fiesole Stadium (Stadio Curva Fiesole) and the 1500-capacity Davide Astori Stadium (Stadio Davide Astori), situated inside the "Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park" Training Center in Bagno a Ripoli, near Florence.[5] The Training Center was inaugurated on 11 October 2023, Stadio Curva Fiesole received UEFA licence.[6]

Primavera (under-20)

edit
As of 31 August 2024[7]

Current squad

edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ITA Tommaso Vannucchi
4 DF   ITA Leonardo Baroncelli
5 DF   ITA Edoardo Sadotti
6 MF   LTU Ernestas Gudelevicius
8 MF   ITA Jonas Harder
9 FW   ITA Jacopo Tarantino
10 MF   ITA Mattia Ievoli (Captain)
11 MF   ITA Tommaso Rubino
16 MF   ITA Bala Keita
17 DF   ITA Lorenzo Romani
18 FW   ITA Giorgio Puzzoli
19 MF   ITA Niccolò Trapani
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF   ITA Lapo Deli
22 GK   ITA Pietro Leonardelli
23 MF   ITA Diego Pisani
24 FW   ITA Riccardo Braschi
25 DF   ITA Mirko Elia
26 DF   ITA Eddy Kouadio
27 DF   VEN Luís Balbo
28 FW   ITA Gabriele Bertolini
31 MF   ITA Giulio Scuderi
36 FW   ITA Maat Daniel Caprini
39 FW   ITA Giorgio Puzzoli
73 FW   ITA Francesco Presta

Out on loan

edit
As of 1 July 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player

Current technical staff

edit
Role Name
Head coach   Daniele Galloppa
Assistant coach   Luca Antonelli
Technical Collaborator   Lorenzo Sandri
Goalkeeping coach   Massimiliano Benassi
Fitness coach   Giuseppe Mazza
Analyst   Alessandro Rubichini
Club Doctor   Matteo Donadei
Physiotherapists   Daniele Bacci
  Michele Puglisi
Storeman   Maurizio Paoli
  Massimiliano De Angelis
Team Manager   Rocco De Vincenti
Head of Youth Development   Valentino Angeloni

Managerial history

edit

Honours

edit

National

edit

Primavera

edit

Other Youth teams

edit
  • Berretti: 2
    • 1975–1976, 1978–1979
  • Under-17 Allievi: 3
    • 1985–1986, 1988–1989, 2008–2009
  • Under-15 Giovanissimi: 1
    • 2010-2011
  • Juniores Nazionali: 2
    • 1957-1958, 1958-1959

International

edit

Primavera

edit

Notable former youth team players

edit

The following is a list of players who have played in Fiorentina's Primavera squad and represented their country at full international level and/or have played regularly at a high-level club football. Players who are currently playing at Fiorentina, or for another club on loan from Fiorentina, are highlighted in bold.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Fiorentina Viola Park Sports Centre". kscapemergingsenses.com. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  2. ^ "ACF Fiorentina Academy Scholarship". Soccerspen.com. October 19, 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02.
  3. ^ "Viola Portraits: Claudio Merlo". Museo Fiorentina. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  4. ^ "Florence and the talent machine: Vlahovic and the players who left Fiorentina in big moves". FotMob. January 28, 2022. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  5. ^ "FIFA President congratulates Fiorentina as ultra-modern Viola Park facility opens". FIFA. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  6. ^ "2024/2025: UEFA licences to 16 Serie A and 2 Serie B sides". FIGC. May 10, 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  7. ^ "Fiorentina Rosa Primavera" (in Italian). ACF Fiorentina.[dead link]
edit