The Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup underlined its commitment to young people, sport and the next generation at the Pino Daniele Sport Centre in Caivano that provides sporting opportunities for young people and the wider community.
In attendance, representing the America’s Cup, were Grant Dalton, Chairman of the America’s Cup Partnership and CEO of the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, alongside CEO of the America’s Cup Partnership, Marzio Perrelli, Ian Walker of the Challenger of Record GB1, Bruno Dubois co-CEO of La Roche-Posay Racing Team, the CEO of the Italian Challenger Luna Rossa, Max Sirena, and Clara Carrington and Gwénolé Bernard from Tudor Team Alinghi.
Sabrina Bono, Chief of Staff to the Minister for Sport and Youth; Marco Mezzaroma, President of Sport e Salute and Diego Nepi Molineris, CEO of Sport e Salute ; Giuseppe Bencivenga, the Metropolitan City of Naples Councillor for Territorial Affairs; Antonio Angelino, the Mayor of Caivano; Francesco Montini, President of the Fiamme Oro Sports Groups; Flavio D’Ambrosi, Vice-President of GS Fiamme Oro and President of Federboxe; and Francesco Ettorre, President of FederVela were also in attendance.
“The significance of a day like this goes beyond the sporting aspect,” emphasised Marco Mezzaroma, President of Sport e Salute. “The ‘Pino Daniele’ Sports Centre is a tangible example of what can happen when institutions and the local community work together to give a space back to the community. Today we have brought the America’s Cup here, but above all we have brought the young people a message of confidence and opportunity. This is the social dimension of sport: creating opportunities, fostering a sense of belonging and building a future.”
“This is the power of sport: to change the trajectory of a place and, at the same time, that of a generation,” said Diego Nepi Molineris, Chief Executive of Sport e Salute. “The Italian Government has chosen to place sport and safety at the heart of Caivano’s regeneration, and today, where there was once a scene of horror, there is a centre of excellence where more than 800 children play sport every day. Now something extraordinary has happened: the pupils from the Parco Verde schools have experienced the America’s Cup, seen the Trophy, and met champions such as Sirena, Dalton and many other key figures in the challenge that is about to arrive in Naples. A moment that will remain etched in their memories forever. We’ve brought the sea where there is no sea, the wind where it doesn’t blow, and the dream where it seemed impossible. And on Saturday, those young people will actually board a boat to experience their first regatta at sea. This is what sport is all about: not just telling young people that the future is possible, but letting them experience it for themselves.”
“We are particularly pleased,” stated Giuseppe Bencivenga, to be here today in a this place, a location that embodies the rebirth of a community that has endured significant hardship like Caivano. Together with Metropolitan Mayor Gaetano Manfredi, we allocated substantial funds to ensure the America’s Cup was not merely an event for the city centre but for the entire metropolitan area, as we believe its legacy of benefits and advantages should be shared across the whole territory. Indeed, today’s event moves precisely in that direction.”
As well as celebrating the remarkable investment in sport and opportunity in the Campania region, it was also announced by Marzio Perrelli, Chief Executive of the America’s Cup Partnership, that the dates of the Youth America’s Cup 2027 will be from the 2nd – 6th June inclusive with the competition once again coming to a thrilling one race match race final where the winner-takes-all.
In making the announcement Marzio Perrelli added: “Today we are celebrating young people in a wonderful venue that has revitalised a troubled area, and there could be no better moment to announce the dates for the Youth America’s Cup. During the three months of official competition, there is also room for this trophy, which is incredibly important because it is here that the champions of the next edition will emerge. The choice of dates has been made specifically to showcase this competition.”
With Naples and the Campania region at the heart of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, this event at the ‘Pino Daniele Sport Centre’ in Caivano represents an important moment in a wider ambition to use sport as a force for opportunity, participation and positive change.
The facilities of the Pino Daniele Sport Centre in Caivano will give a new generation the opportunity to participate in a wide range of sporting activities for all ages, including swimming, boxing, karate, judo, parkour and tennis. With modern equipment and expert instructors from the ‘Fiamme Oro Sports Group,’ it is the ideal place for young athletes to improve fitness, learn new skills and have fun in a welcoming and professional environment.
Speaking at the re-opening, Grant Dalton commented: “As we see in many similar high-performance sports, the America’s Cup is getting younger and more diverse so it’s imperative that the legacy we create now is one of pathways for the next generation. What this sports centre represents is much wider than that. It’s about giving young people opportunity to experience teamwork, commitment, resilience and fair sporting competition, values that we look for and encourage in our athletes as they come through in sport. It’s an incredible vision and we are all delighted to see the commitment that the government and the Campania region have committed to Caivano.”
Creating opportunities for young people is an important part of the legacy of the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup. The pathway to the very highest level of sailing will again be showcased through the Youth America’s Cup, where some of the most talented young sailors in the world will have the opportunity to compete on one of sailing’s greatest international stages.
A bridge between emerging talent and the professional America’s Cup environment, the Youth America’s Cup offers young sailors exposure to the high-performance racing, technology, teamwork and pressure that define the modern competition. It represents an opportunity to demonstrate that they have the ability to become the America’s Cup sailors of the future and the pathway from Barcelona 2024 to Naples 2027 has been amplified with a number of sailors such as Seb Menzies, Maria Giubilei, Margherita Porra, Marco Gradoni, Matt Beck, Enzo Balanger and Gianluigi Ugolini successfully transitioning through to become valuable member of the senior squads of their respective America’s Cup teams.
