ACF Fiorentina Youth Sector

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Fiorentina Youth Sector
2022 ACF Fiorentina logo.svg
Full nameAssociazione Calcio Firenze Fiorentina Youth Sector
Nickname(s)Viola (Purple), Gigliati (Lilies)
Ground Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park [1]
Capacity
  • 3,000 (Curva Fiesole Stadium)
  • 1,500 (Davide Astori Stadium)
Chairman Rocco B. Commisso
Head coach Daniele Galloppa
League Campionato Primavera 1
2023–24 Campionato Primavera 1, 15th
Website www.acffiorentina.com/en/fiorentina-youth-men-u20

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]

Contents

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

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

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

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)

As of 3 January 2025 [7]

Current squad

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.NationPlayer
1 GK Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Tommaso Vannucchi
4 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Leonardo Baroncelli
5 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Edoardo Sadotti
6 MF Flag of Lithuania.svg  LTU Ernestas Gudelevičius
7 MF Flag of France.svg  FRA Hugo Lamouliatte
8 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Jonas Harder
9 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Jacopo Tarantino
10 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Mattia Ievoli(Captain)
11 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Tommaso Rubino
12 GK Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Brando Dolfi
16 MF Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  CIV Bala Keita
17 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Lorenzo Romani
18 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Giorgio Puzzoli
No.Pos.NationPlayer
19 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Niccolò Trapani
21 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Lapo Deli
22 GK Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Pietro Leonardelli
23 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Diego Pisani
24 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Riccardo Braschi
25 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Mirko Elia
26 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Eddy Kouadio
27 DF Flag of Venezuela (state).svg  VEN Luís Balbo
28 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Gabriele Bertolini
29 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Brando Mazzeo
31 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Giulio Scuderi
36 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Maat Daniel Caprini
73 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Francesco Presta

Out on loan

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.NationPlayer

Current technical staff

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

Managerial history

Honours

National

Primavera

Other Youth teams

  • 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

Primavera

Notable former youth team players

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

  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. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  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. "Under 20 Male". ACF Fiorentina. Retrieved 2025-01-07.