The countdown to the start of the 2024 Pulcino d’Oro International Tournament is fast approaching, and from Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th June the pitches of Levico Terme, Borgo Valsugana and Caldonazzo, in the heart of Valsugana, will be the scene of a four-day event dedicated to football and fun. On Wednesday 5th June, the press conference to present the ninth edition of the Pulcino d’Oro International Tournament was held in the Aurora Room of Palazzo Trentini, seat of the Council of the Autonomous Province of Trento. The event was attended by numerous representatives of local institutions, as well as the Organising Committee and some of the volunteers involved in the event.
President Claudio Soini, host of the event, sent his greetings. The press conference began by recalling some of the objectives of the current edition of the Pulcino d’Oro, which kicked off on 17 February with the English regional tournament hosted by Leeds United, and which promises to be as interesting as ever. More than 300 teams have taken part in the 14 European and Italian regional tournaments, and 60 clubs will take part in the final, including the 12 that will compete in the women’s competition, the Pulcino d’Oro Girls. All of them are all worthy of mention.
“After six months in which the Pulcino d’Oro ‘train’ has touched all of Italy, but also Europe with the stages of the regional tournaments in England and Holland, the time has finally come for the final phase”, began Sandro Beretta, President of the Pulcino d’Oro Organising Committee. Not only on a sporting level, but in general. Our three cornerstones have always been sport – children – solidarity. The event is a series of projects: it includes many themes, from sustainability to volunteering. And every time we take it to different regions in Italy or abroad, not only do the participants recognise its value, but also those who have never heard of it before come to compliment us on the organisation and the principles that the Pulcino d’Oro conveys. It has always been a vehicle for positive values. The future? I can see tournaments outside Europe”. The importance of the values that the Pulcino d’Oro represents is so great for all the participants in the event that the Organising Committee has decided to draw up a Charter of Values to be signed by all those who take part into the Pulcino d’Oro and to be presented in a special place. “It is no longer just an event,” concludes Beretta, “but a real project capable of involving all local realities, sports, schools and more.”
The strong demand for participation led the Organising Committee, chaired by Sandro Beretta, to set up the stages leading up to the international event, choosing for structure and quality partners capable of handling this type of event. The curtain will rise on the European and regional stages, of which there will be 14 in 2024. A new Pulcino d’Oro every year, always evolving, but with one constant: the growth in the quality of the participating teams. And this year, as was to be expected given the exponential international scope of the event, the level has risen even further. The Italian giants Juventus, Inter (the latter with the most victories in the tournament), Roma and Milan will be there, as well as Atalanta from Bergamo, a club that just won the Europa League. From England, Sunderland and Leeds United will take to the pitch, while the Netherlands will be represented by 2022 winners PSV Eindhoven and first-time winners AZ Alkmaar, who won the Orange Tournament for the first time. Argentina will be represented by reigning champions River Plate, who defeated the Rossoneri in last year’s final, while Portugal will be represented by Benfica. The absolute newcomers this year are Spain’s Atletico Madrid, who will show how the Pulcino d’Oro has become a veritable laboratory for world youth football.
As always, great attention is paid to sustainability: last year, for example, the use of ceramic plates and cutlery saved 300 kilos of disposable plastic. “There are many values associated with the Pulcino d’Oro,” says Stefano Ravelli, Director of the Valsugana Tourist Board, “including those of tourism. Events such as these reinforce the sustainable and environmentally friendly nature of the whole of Valsugana and allow the world to get to know our reality, with a great boost from the point of view of tourism”. Tourism, but not only.
As Andrea Fontanari, President of the Alta Valsugana and Bersntol Community, said: “The Pulcino d’Oro is international, it is sustainable, but above all it is an inclusive project, especially thanks to the promotion of women’s football through the Pulcino d’Oro Girls tournament. With all these elements, it is clear that this is an event that offers many opportunities for visibility, both for tourism and for the local sporting reality”.
The Mayor of Levico Terme, Gianni Beretta, also expressed his enthusiasm: “The whole community of Levico is eagerly awaiting this event. One of the most important values associated with the Pulcino d’Oro is volunteerism, and the local community has been involved throughout the year in anticipation of the event”.
Together with the young talents of the top Italian and European clubs, more than 1,200 promising youngsters aged 9 to 11 will arrive in Trentino, in Valsugana, to play more than 300 exciting matches. Until Sunday 16th June, when the games will decide who will win the Pulcino d’Oro, the Pulcino d’Argento, the Pulcino di Bronzo, the Pulcino Gialloblù and the four Arcobaleno. The sporting importance of the event has also been emphasised, as Stefano Grassi, President of the FIGC Trentino Committee, pointed out: “The Pulcino d’Oro is an event that can make so many sports clubs and realities in Trentino protagonists. To see 280 Italian teams competing is an extremely positive thing, an excellent signal for the school youth sector and beyond”.
A few figures will help us understand the scale of the Pulcino d’Oro 2024. Up to 250 students from various Trentino institutions will be involved in the volunteer team during the days of the event. The Pulcino Village will also host other sports, from basketball to rugby, from beachvolley to volleyball, in a spirit of solidarity. Confirmed the partnership with UNICEF, started in 2019, which will be relaunched on an important stage: Sportitalia will be broadcasting the finals for the third year in a row, strong from last year’s result, with over one million viewers involved.