The most beautiful football tournament held in Catalonia

BarcelonaYears ago, when professional teams didn't go on overseas tours in exchange for tickets, the big draw of preseason training was the summer tournaments. The Gamper or Teresa Herrera, who now have a residual significance, were unmissable events; also the Ramón de Carranza in Cádiz, considered the Champions League of the dog days, which took place at the end of August and marked the start of the season.

In modest Catalan football, the opposite is true, and some of the traditional summer tournaments, such as the Estany Tournament in Banyoles—the second oldest after the Gamper—maintain their essence intact. The most popular of all is the Historical Tournament, organized by Martinenc and played from this Monday until next Sunday at the Guinardó Municipal Stadium.

"It was founded in 1984, on its 75th anniversary. The club organized a sporadic summer tournament with historic and neighborhood teams from Barcelona: Sant Andreu, Horta, Júpiter, Europa, Poble Sec, Iberia, Sants, and Martinenc itself," explains Alfred Porcar, general manager. "They spent so much that they asked for it to be repeated next summer... and, look, next year will be the 40th edition," he adds about a competition that has become a "meeting point for Catalan football," as summarized by Àlex Cano, captain of Europe and a classic of the Historics, who especially remembers the 2 we got with a goal of mine in the final against Sant Andreu.

Football and popular prices

"There are teams that have rivalries, but it's a week of respite. There's an atmosphere of camaraderie in a modest and local football environment, which is what we encourage," Porcar analyzes about the competition that kicks off the amateur season in Catalonia and reflects the rise of popular football in the territory, which attracts a large number of fans—more than a thousand per day—from the various participants, who gather to share a beer and watch their players after weeks of inactivity. The organizers promote it with equally popular prices; a season ticket for the six days of competition costs 15 euros. "Money shouldn't be an impediment to watching football," the organizer adds.

On Jupiter There are two non-negotiable things: that home games be played at 12 noon and that in the summer we play the Históricos," says Juanjo García, the most historic coach of the Históricos, with 13 editions. "I remember the one from 2011 when we faced Máriz a Man, making my debut with them by a certain Mariano Díaz. He told me "this kid will be a professional"... and shortly after he signed for Madrid," recalls the grey-and-maroon coach.

He Jupi It's the only club, along with the host, that has participated in every edition of a competition that brings together teams from the First RFEF to the First Catalan League, and which has expanded beyond Barcelona. "We have a waiting list, and we filter by sporting merit. This year, Reus, Mollerussa, and Vilanova are making their debut," explains Porcar, who during his time as a footballer played for five of the 12 clubs participating in the 39th edition.

The tournament's 3v1 format during the group stage—from Monday to Thursday, three teams play a triangular with 45-minute matches to decide which of them advances to the semifinals—makes it special and evens out the differences in category and physical preparation. "The First and Second RFEF teams have been training for weeks; we start preseason on Monday, and on Thursday we compete against Hospi and Europa," says the Júpiter coach, who has a very clear recipe for the youngest players: "Take a seat behind your back to avoid conceding and be lucky on penalties."

Manolo González, pride of Catalan football

In this year's edition, the organizers are paying tribute to Manolo González, "a role model" for coaches like Juanjo Garcia and a classic of the Historic League, who played for Poble Sec at the beginning of the century and, in 2017, won it as manager of Badalona. On Wednesday, during the break between the first and second matches of the day, the Espanyol coach will be honored on the Municipal del Guinardó pitch.

"Manolo is from the Espanyol because he played and coached for many years at Martinenc. And he's a mirror for the football we champion. He came through the youth categories and the Catalan regional league; then, he went abroad to make a living, and his good work finally led him to the First Division. We've seen him checking out and fear, checking out and fear. Catalan football," proclaims the organizer of the fashionable summer tournament in modest Catalan football.