The icing on the cake of a championship was missing, the tricolor at youth level has not been won since 2022 (it was the Under15), but the dessert served by the Academy Volley Lube was still delicious. The red and white nursery confirmed itself as the best in the Marche at a competitive level, with the teams from Under13 to Under19 all excelling in the regional phases. The national highlight was missing, but the relevant placings project the Civitanova youth academy onto the podium among the youth sectors of the peninsula. The national second place in the Boy League (Under14) was applauded, the Under15 Scudetto slipped out of the hands only in the tie-break, a competition which saw Mattia Penna named best spiker and Nico Pasqualini awarded best central defender. Fourth place and a great disappointment for the Under17s, perhaps the most talented team of the season (Diego Dolcini celebrated as best libero). Also prestigious are the 6th place nationally and the 7th place in the Junior League for the Under19 team against older teams and always fighting with determination. To ennoble a year of protagonists, the many calls of the talented red and white athletes by the national indoor and beach volleyball categories. The head of the Academy, Giampiero Freddi, speaks thus of the 2023-2024 season of the youth sector: “We all would have liked to win a Scudetto to replenish the already rich trophy cabinet and I must say that we came close, but what makes me really proud is that we didn’t miss a beat in the Marche region. Furthermore, our boys took to the field as protagonists in the national tournaments even with opponents who were one or two years older. I thank the staff for their professionalism, the boys for their dedication. commitment, and families for constant participation. Representing a reservoir for the national selections repays us for the sacrifices. Creating profitable synergies with schools is an essential step to nourish the Academy and make volleyball known to young people!”. The promotional results are worth mentioning, i.e. the S3 1st level regional record and the S3 2nd level Marche silver at the end of painstaking work by Freddi, which also included targeted initiatives outside the field, such as the School Project, capable to involve over 500 primary school students, culminating in the final party with the Eurosuole Forum invaded by schoolchildren.
Andrea Scoppa
