The 2022/2023 season was a record-breaking one for Pool Libertas Cantù: the first team, which plays in Serie A2 Credem Banca, won an historic second place, its first DelMonte® Coppa Italia Serie A2 Semifinal, and fought against the battleship Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia in the DelMonte® Supercoppa Serie A2 Final. But a source of pride for the company led by President Ambrogio Molteni was also the youth sector: more than 150 children involved, and 6 teams at the starting line of the various youth championships (Under 13, Under 15, Under 17 and Under 19) , divisional (two teams in Prima Divione) and regional (Serie D and Serie C). Worth noting are the excellent results of the Under 19s (for the first time in the history of the Canturina club among the best eight teams in Lombardy), the Under 15s (reached to the Third Territorial Phase) and the Under 13s (fourth place at the Territorial Finals). Less positive, unfortunately, were the Serie C and Serie D years, both of which ended with relegation.
The President Ambrogio Molteni
I am very proud of the work that all our staff is doing for the youth sector, which this year has had an incredible surge in numbers, with the arrival of many young people who are learning to play volleyball with such enthusiasm. We’ve had incredible growth in the number of teams, and the only drawback is always the lack of facilities, which is putting us in difficulty.
Alessio Zingoni – Technical Director of the Youth Sector
First of all I would like to thank the Sports Director Maurizio Cairoli and the Youth Sector Manager Stefano Tete Pozzi for the opportunity they gave me and for all the commitment they put into it from day one. It’s something I’m very passionate about, and this year, having been year zero, we’ve taken a lot of steps forward. I also want to thank them because they gave the start to the year. I would like to underline all the impetus that has been given to the whole youth sector both from a technical and moral point of view: certainly, the results of the first team in Serie A2 Credem Banca have helped us, but they must not be left alone. We want to restart trying to keep the two sectors together: this year we did it by trying to train various guys with the first team a lot, and sometimes we brought them to the scoresheet in important matches. This is certainly our goal: to try to bring some of them permanently to the first team. Of course, it takes years, of structure and planning, and we are working every day to improve the whole system. I would also like to thank all the coaches who have collaborated with us this year, namely Emanuele Rizzi, Renato Mattaini, Fulvio Roncoroni, Tommaso Bianchi, Anna Torchio, and also the physiotherapist dedicated to the youth sector Luca Pellegrinelli, and the coaches who trained the two ‘over’ groups, namely Lorenzo Prina’s Serie C and Andrea Moscatelli’s first division. Next year, unfortunately, some of them will leave us for new experiences or work needs, and I’m very sorry because I’m very happy with the work everyone has done. However, we have been able to replace them with equally competent and passionate figures, and we will try to restart with all the youth categories.
Anna Torchio – Under 13 3×3
A newborn group that immediately gave good results both in terms of ranking and in terms of players, a group that has grown both technically and in number, and having children in the gym, especially in this age group, is important. I feel satisfied because this championship has been a challenge for both of us and the boys have given everything they could. Considering the newbies and the more experienced ones, it was a good mix. There will be work but the starting point is certainly good.
Fulvio Roncoroni – Under 15
The Under 15 group, with whom I worked this season together with Tommaso Bianchi, has shown constant growth over the course of the year, managing to reach the Third Territorial Phase, and contributing 7 athletes to the Como territorial expedition which obtained the sixth place in the 2023 Trofeo dei Territori. The good results of this first year are, in my view, an excellent basis from which to start next season. Finally, I would like to thank all the members of the technical staff starting with the Technical Director Alessio, then moving on to Anna, Emanuele, Renato and Tommaso. and I thank the company in the figures of the president Ambrogio Molteni and the managers Stefano Pozzi and Maurizio Caroli who have never let me lack their support in my first vintage in Cantù.
Renato Mattaini – Under 17 and First Division
The initial difficulty was that of uniting three cores of players with different experiences and coming from situations with considerably different technical backgrounds. The boys were very good at forming a united group and at assimilating the new game system, never missing training sessions, and, game after game, at expressing the type of game required. Personal and team growth has been constant, so much so that he competes on an equal level with much better equipped teams both in the youth league and in the First Division.
Emanuele Rizzi – Under 19 and Serie D
This year I was extremely satisfied. I had the opportunity to manage a group of boys who played the double championship, with Under 19s and Serie D for the most part and Serie C for some. After an initial adjustment, the group began to mature, and the experience of the category championships made itself felt on the youth championship, where we collected a beautiful Top 8 of Lombardy, an achievement of which I am truly very proud, as are the my boys.
