- The 20th Endesa Mini Cup is taking shape. Endesa, the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Tarragona City Council and the Tourist Board of the Tarragona Provincial Council presented on Wednesday the details of the event Where Stars Are Born, the first phase of which will take place between 6 and 8 December in the capital of the Costa Daurada.
The tournament celebrates its 20th anniversary and debuts a new image, full of strength and colour, which evokes the stars and the future. A new look at a competition that has become a success story of how to combine sport and sponsorship with purpose, supporting grassroots basketball both from the point of view of the competition and from the values that are instilled in future generations. The Endesa Mini Cup has already seen 116 children make their debut in the elite: from the pioneer Ricky Rubio to Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama and so many other great players that we saw for the first time in the competition where stars are born.
The first to take the floor was Antonio Martín, president of the ACB, who highlighted the new image of the Endesa Mini Cup, pointing out that "beyond the image, what we want to transmit with the change is the very entity of the competition itself. It started out as a boys' championship held in parallel to the Copa del Rey and today it is a basketball event that goes beyond what we imagined 20 years ago, acquiring the value and weight that has made it what it is today".
"We would like to thank the institutions and Endesa, which is always with us, for the support and effort they have made because we aim to meet the expectations that come with bringing such an important event to Tarragona and the Costa Daurada”
Afterwards, Berni Álvarez, Tarragona's sports councillor, stated that "it is exciting for us. We always saw how important it would be to be able to bring an event like this to the Costa Daurada and Tarragona. It is a challenge in which we feel very well accompanied by the ACB and by the Provincial Council and I think it is a start of what can be placed on the map, demonstrating that we are a city and a territory that is capable of hosting high-level sporting events."
Carlos Gómez Cordero, Endesa's commercial director in Tarragona and Lleida, explained that "we continue to support elite and grassroots sport. We value it highly and consider it key to support sport from the ground up, transmitting the values of basketball and with which we at Endesa feel fully represented".
Meanwhile, Carlos Brull, president of the Tarragona Provincial Council Tourist Board, pointed out that "we are increasingly committed to having high-quality sports facilities to be able to attract professionals from the grassroots level. It is an honour to be here and, between the Provincial Council and the City Council, to be able to carry out the Endesa Mini Cup. I would like to thank everyone who makes it possible, as it is not easy to have an organization of this type."
"We are very happy because it brings together sporting, family and educational values so that everything runs smoothly," he insisted.
Finally, Pepe Pozas, who played in the Endesa Mini Cup in 2006, recalled that "from then to now the tournament has changed a lot, because that was the beginning of something very nice. But it is a unique experience for the players and their families, creating bonds and memories that are never forgotten. The effort made by the ACB with the help of the institutions and Endesa is very similar to what they see later in the matches involving their idols, which is why it is an incredible tournament".
Groups and calendar: 26 matches between 6 and 8 December
On Wednesday Endesa Mini Cup announced the groups and schedule of the games to be played simultaneously in three courts between the Palau d'Esports de Catalunya (two courts) and the Poliesportiu Campclar. The 16 children's teams of the Endesa League clubs (all except Real Madrid, reigning champions, and Unicaja, hosts of the final phase in February) are divided into four groups of four teams: the winner of each group will qualify for Malaga, and the runners-up will play a play-off to decide the last two tickets.
The ball will start bouncing on Wednesday, 6 December, at 4 p.m., with eight matches that afternoon, and continuing on Thursday, 7 December, with 16 matches throughout the day. On Friday, 8 January, the finals between the runners-up and the presentation of medals to all participants. In total, there will be 26 matches that can be seen in their entirety on the ACB's YouTube channel.
Access will be completely free, but all spectators can collaborate with a kilo of solidarity by bringing non-perishable food that will be collected to help those most in need through the Food Bank.
We take action against bullying in the Endesa Mini Cup
The ACB and Tarragona City Council also join forces to fight against bullying, as part of the "We act against bullying" campaign that the ACB has been promoting for four years. On Tuesday, 5 December, psychologist Verónica Sánchez and former player Pepe Pozas will give an educational talk at the Antoni de Marti i Franquès secondary school, aimed at students in the first year of ESO.
Training with children with functional diversity
On Friday, 8 December, several players of the Endesa Mini Cup will train with children from Tarragona with functional diversity, in a session with the participation of the former player Pepe Pozas and the coaches David Ndour and David González, members of the association Baloncesto sin Rasgos. It will be at the Poliesportiu Campclar, at 10:30 a.m.
Teams will visit the amphitheater
The children participating in the Endesa Mini Cup will also have a cultural visit that is very worthwhile. On Wednesday, 6 January, most of the teams will visit the spectacular Roman amphitheatre of Tarraco, built in the 2nd century AD and still very well preserved today. A unique opportunity to get to know one of the Roman jewels of the Iberian Peninsula and complete the sporting experience that they will live during this week in Tarragona.
About Endesa
Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. In addition, it is the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. It undertakes end-to-end business including the generation, distribution and retailing of electricity. It also offers, through Endesa X, value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and public administrations, including electric mobility, where it is one of the main operators of charging points in Spain. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations' SDGs and, as such, is strongly promoting the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of networks through e-distribution, and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our team totals around 9,260 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, Europe's largest electricity group.