The grassroots football tournament will be held from August 3 to 8 across seven fields in La Palma, featuring eight teams, including English Aston Villa, champions of the Europa League.
The third edition of the U19 Bonita Cantepro Tournament will take place from August 3 to 8 across seven football fields in six municipalities of La Palma. The competition, which was presented this Friday in the Plaza de España in Los Llanos de Aridane, will bring together eight top-level teams, prominently featuring the English Aston Villa, current champions of the Europa League.
In addition to the British team, the youth academies of Sevilla FC, Valencia CF, and Real Sociedad will participate, along with the Canary representatives UD Las Palmas and CD Tenerife, as well as the local teams CD Mensajero and Atlético Paso. This edition marks a qualitative leap compared to previous ones, as it incorporates a Premier League team for the first time.
The mayor of Los Llanos de Aridane, Javier Llamas, described the event as a "luxury" for the municipality. "After evaluating it with the government team, we had no doubts. Sport in our municipality is in very good health," he stated. Llamas highlighted that UD Los Llanos has just been promoted to Tercera RFEF and the Argual women's team competes at a national level, reflecting the good moment of local football.
The Sports Councillor of the Cabildo of La Palma, Yurguen Hernández, supported the Cabildo's commitment to the tournament. "From the first edition, we saw potential and it is now consolidated," he noted. Hernández emphasized that the island needs events of this calibre and that the tournament transcends sports, involving areas such as Sodepal and Tourism.
The event director, Guille Jiménez, thanked the support of the participating municipalities. "We aimed to bring Real Madrid and we achieved that last year; now, a Premier League team," he explained. Jiménez confirmed that El Paso is not participating again as they are renewing the grass on their field, but Tijarafe, Breña Alta, and San Andrés and Sauces have joined as new venues.
The tournament will kick off on Monday, August 3, at the Municipal Stadium Aceró in Los Llanos de Aridane, with matches CD Mensajero-CD Tenerife (17:00), Valencia CF-UD Las Palmas (18:30), and Atlético Paso-Sevilla FC (20:00). The group stage will be completed on Tuesday at the Silvestre Carrillo Stadium (Santa Cruz de La Palma), on Wednesday at the Municipal Stadium of Tazacorte, and on Thursday at the Municipal Stadium of Tijarafe.
The semi-finals will take place on Friday, August 7, at the Municipal Stadium of Breña Alta, at 17:30 and 19:30. The final day on Saturday, August 8, will begin at the Llano Clara field (San Andrés and Sauces) with matches for seventh and eighth place (10:00) and for fifth and sixth place (12:00). In the afternoon, the Rosendo Hernández Stadium, in the Miraflores Sports City, will host the match for third and fourth place (17:30) and the grand final (19:30).
In total, 18 matches will be played over six days, featuring young footballing talents from both national and international backgrounds. Entry to the matches will be free, as reported by the organization, with the aim of bringing elite football closer to local fans.
For the residents of La Palma, this tournament represents a unique opportunity to see the future football stars live. The economic impact is also felt, as the teams and their companions will stay on the island for a week, benefiting the local tourism and hospitality sector.
The III U19 Bonita Cantepro Tournament thus establishes itself as an unmissable event in the island's football calendar, with luxury participation and an organization that has managed to attract top-level international clubs.
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