It certainly cannot be said that last weekend was an ideal weekend for playing beach soccer. The bad weather, which plagued Alto Adige until a few days ago, did not even spare the event organized by Lnd and Sgs. And which included in a single event the Serie B Beach Soccer championship (men’s and women’s) and the national contest reserved for Under 15s (men’s and women’s) and Under 17s (men’s only).
For all the participants, the experience was without a doubt a sort of leap in the dark, as Alto Adige is not exactly one of the most renowned destinations where this sport is practiced in Italy. Consequently, the players also needed to focus in the best possible way on the new reality they had entered.
There is potential for this discipline to grow happily in our province: Location, structures, organizational machinery. Passion, we might add.
The first encouragement to continue on the path traced over the last weekend came from Massimiliano De Celis, one of the leading figures of beach soccer in Italy. Not only within our Federation. Qualified technician, promoter, speaker and writer: De Celis, much more than a simple supervisor of the event, gave his contribution by catechizing the participants especially on one point: beach is neither futsal nor football. It is a discipline in itself. And the first step to understanding his philosophy is precisely this.
Going into the merits that concern us more closely, that is, the three contests reserved for very young people, in the regulatory playing facility of the Trett Minigolf in Lagundo, the only venue in Alto Adige where it is possible to practice beach soccer, they fought a fair battle group of teams. Even historic clubs in Alto Adige, enticed and encouraged by the novelty of “football on the sand”.
Almost simultaneously, in 17 other Italian locations, the other qualifying tournaments for the respective interregional phases took place. From which the four teams that will compete in the Final Four scheduled in Tirrenia on the weekend of 27 and 28 July will soon emerge.
At the end of the event, both Klaus Schuster (president of the Bolzano LND-FIGC Committee) and Massimo Cima (vice president of the LND and SGS delegate for futsal and beach soccer) were satisfied. In addition to Andrea Piazza (one of the historical figures of our Sgs, as well as head of the youth sector of the Asd Laives Bronzolo) in Lagundo as a precious support of the organization.
These are the results and the qualifiers:
Under 17 men’s category: Voran Leifers – Neugries 1-3; Algund – Voran Leifers 4-1; Neugries – Algund 5-0; First and second place final: Neugries – Algund 3-1. Qualified interregional phase: Neugries (in the photo, with Cima and Schuster)
Under 15 men’s category: Laives Bronzolo – Olimpia Merano 2-3; Real Bubi Merano – Laives Bronzolo 0-12; Olimpia Merano – Real Bubi Merano 15-1; First and second place final: Olimpia Merano – Laives Bronzolo 6-5 after penalties. Qualified interregional phase: Olimpia Merano.
Under 15 female category: Burgstall A – Pustertal 4-3; Pustertal – Burgstall B 5-2; Burgstall A – Burgstall B 12-2. Interregional phase qualified: Burgstall A.
The winners will access the second national phase; appointment next July 7th in Marina Romea.
