Sporting Club Centro Giovani Calciatori Viareggio
The Viareggio Sporting Club Centro Giovani Calciatori, better known by the acronym CGC Viareggio, is a multi-sports association founded on November 20, 1947 with five sections: football, basketball, volleyball, athletics and track hockey. This last section represents the flagship of the company. It is famous in Italy for the organization of the International Youth Football Tournament "Coppa Carnevale" (also known as the Viareggio Tournament). It is one of the few clubs in Italy to have brought its teams to the respective top leagues in two different sports (hockey and volleyball).
The association owns the PalaBarsacchi, a sports facility acquired in November 2017 after the bankruptcy of Viareggio Patrimonio, an in-house company of the municipality of Viareggio, the previous owner of the facility.
Soccer section
It organizes the Viareggio Tournament and has several teams in the youth sector categories. The 1970s saw some boys who would embark on a professional career in the youth teams: among all Carlo Bresciani, striker from Viareggio, Fiorentina and Foggia.
Athletic section
Like football, created since 1947, it has trained several athletes leading them to win regional and national titles. Some have reached the Italian national team. The section was awarded the Silver Star for Sporting Merit.
Volleyball section
The volleyball section was created in 1973 from the merger with the GS Fontanella Company. It reached the top flight in 2 seasons in the seventies: Serie A 1976-1977 and Serie A1 1978-1979. Here are the names of the authors of the feat: Laura Letari, Alessandra Monciatti, Patrizia Motto, Carla Volpi, Suelly Giagnoni, Giovanna Bianucci, Bruna Piacentini and Angela Lunardini. Coach Michele Bertolucci.
Basketball section
The CGC takes care of the youth sector by setting up various teams from Under-18 to mini-basketball.
Hockey section
The same topic in detail: Sporting Club Centro Giovani Calciatori Viareggio (rink hockey).
The hockey section was created in 1969 from the merger with the Viareggini Skating Society, founded in 1947, collecting the legacy of a good movement of players already in the thirties, due to the presence of numerous skating rinks. The first official match was played in February 1938 against Pisa.
In 1970 came the first promotion to the top flight. In 1976, despite playing in Serie B, the Center reached the final of the Italian Cup where it was defeated by Novara who dominated the championship in those years. The young goalkeeper Alessandro Cupisti made his debut in that team.
The 2010-2011 season saw the Viareggio-based company win the first national trophy in its history, the Coppa Italia, at the end of a double match against the tenacious Valdagno (5-5 in the first leg and 5-4 with the golden goal in the return). It is November 23, 2010.
On 7 June 2011 he became the Italian Champion for the first time, bringing the series of the championship final to 3-0, in the best of 5 games, against Valdagno again.
On 5 October 2013 he won his first Italian Super Cup, in the single final, on penalties to the bitter end, again against Valdagno, at the home of the Veneto team.