Campionato Nazionale Primavera
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| Founded | 1962 |
|---|---|
| No. of teams | 42 teams (regular season) 8 teams (finals) |
| Country | Italy |
| Continent | UEFA |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Roma (8th title) |
| Most titles | Torino (9 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Rai Sport 1 & Rai Sport 2 |
| Official website | Legaseriea.it |
The Campionato Nazionale Primavera – Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti, is an Italian football youth competition, the most important of the Italian football league system. It is organised by the Lega Serie A and the participating teams that take part in Serie A and Serie B: the first edition was held in the 1962–63 season, in place of the "Campionato Cadetti". Due to ceremonial reasons, the league is officially called Campionato Primavera Tim – Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti.
Torino boast the highest number of titles, having won the Campionato Primavera nine times.
From the 2012–13 season players who are at least 15 years old and who are under 19 at the beginning of the season can participate. At the discretion of the league, teams are allowed a maximum of four "non-quota" players, of which one has no age limit and the rest must be under 20 in the year that the season begins.
The initial phase of the Primavera Championship consists of 3 rounds, each consisting of 14 teams, organised by geographical criteria: teams play in a true robin-round format, for a total of 26 games in the regular season. The top two in each group have direct access to the final phase: the remaining two positions are assigned via the play-offs, with the participation of eight teams (the third and fourth ranked, plus the fifth best). The matching pattern is as following:
The latest slots (two) are awarded after a play-off series, in which eight teams are involved: the final stage (also «Final Eight»), held on a neutral venue, is based on knockout format. The final phase of the Primavera Championship is hosted every year by a different region: the winning team is awarded a trophy, like the Serie A trophy (received, as a reward, by the Italian Champions). The winners are eligible for Supercoppa Primavera, against Coppa Italia Primavera winners: if the same club wins both competitions, the runners-up of Coppa Italia are admitted in Supercoppa.
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