The Minicopa Endesa returns to Tarragona full of attractions

• The Minicopa Endesa will take place at the Palau d’Esports Catalunya and the Poliesportiu Campclar in Tarragona, from Friday, December 6 to Sunday, December 8.
• A total of 26 matches will be played and more than 1,000 minutes of basketball over three days.

The Minicopa Endesa returns to Tarragona from December 6 to 8. This Tuesday, the competition where stars are born was presented at the Plaça del Fòrum in the Catalan town, returning to the Costa Daurada after the success of 2023.

At the event, presented by Alejandra Llambés and Pepe Pozas, participated Rubén Viñuales, mayor of Tarragona; Noemí Llauradó, president of the Diputació de Tarragona; José Miguel Calleja, general director of the ACB; Mario Soler, councilor for Sports and Health of the Ajuntament, and Israel del Arco, sales manager of Endesa in Catalonia.

16 teams and over 200 children

The Minicopa Endesa will bring together over 200 children (born in 2011 or later) from the youth teams of the ACB clubs in Tarragona. During the event, the calendar and format were revealed in which the 16 participating ACB teams will fight for six tickets to the final phase. The reigning champion, Barça, and host Gran Canaria are already waiting in the final phase.

The teams will be divided into four groups of four teams each, and the winner of each group will travel to the Canary Islands. The second-place teams will have another chance, fighting for the last two spots.

The Minicopa Endesa will take place at the Palau d’Esports Catalunya and the Poliesportiu Campclar, starting on Friday, December 6 at 16:00 with the first day of games. On Saturday, December 7, the second round will take place in the morning, and the third round in the afternoon, leaving the ‘finals’ between the second-place teams for Sunday, December 8. A total of 26 matches will be played, and over 1,000 minutes of basketball will be played over three days.

Free entry with a food donation

Entry to all matches will be completely free, but all fans are asked to contribute with one kilogram of non-perishable food, which will be donated to the Food Bank.

All matches live on the internet

All 26 matches of the competition will be broadcast live on the ACB's YouTube channel. Additionally, for the first time, all matches will be narrated by well-known basketball journalists such as Oscar Cuesta, Enric Ribó, Marc Mundet, and Oscar Herreros.

A new special ball for the Minicopa Endesa

The Minicopa Endesa 2024-25 will feature a new ball, a black Wilson Evolution model with silver lines and the vibrant colors of the competition, including the lynx that symbolizes the Minicopa Endesa.

Much more than just a competition

The ACB, together with the Ajuntament and the Diputació de Tarragona, has prepared an extensive program of activities to make the Minicopa Endesa much more than just the 26 matches being played. Thus, on Wednesday, December 4, a talk from the Acting Against Bullying campaign will be held at the Campclar Institute, and on Sunday, December 8, a training session will take place where the players participating in the Minicopa Endesa will share a session with other children with disabilities. In addition, the participating teams will visit the spectacular Tarragona amphitheater on Friday.

Institutional Statements

The institutional representatives did not hide their joy at being able to repeat the tournament's start in Tarragona. "The last year was already wonderful having the Minicopa Endesa here, at our home," said Rubén Viñuales, mayor of Tarragona, adding that the tournament, in addition to having "a lot of history", also has "a lot of future." "These 200 kids are the stars of the future, and for us, it's an honor to have them here thanks to the ACB. That they’ve chosen Tarragona again makes us want to treat them even better, so we have to keep raising the bar every year."

Noemí Llauradó, president of the Diputació de Tarragona, nodded, emphasizing the opportunity to host such an event. "We are working to host great events like this Minicopa Endesa, which is very special because it gives us the opportunity to project ourselves to the outside world. In addition to the good climate and culture, we are investing a lot in sports tourism."

For his part, the ACB's general director, José Miguel Calleja, was confident that this edition will be a success. "We are sure we are going to surpass ourselves, and we are very grateful to the Town Hall, the Diputació, sponsors, and Endesa, for their tenth year supporting the tournament. We try to make it a unique experience for the kids, creating an environment in which there is camaraderie between teams. It's a life-changing experience, and most of them will only play it once, and they need to remember it forever. They all have spectacular excitement."

Meanwhile, Mario Soler, the sports and health councilor of the Ajuntament, valued the fact that Tarragona will host the event again. "It’s an honor that you’ve chosen us again. The first time is a reward, and the second is taken as recognition. It’s still a challenge. The Minicopa Endesa is a very big event with a lot of level and quality. It mobilizes a lot of people, and there’s a lot of work behind it."

Finally, Israel del Arco, sales manager for Endesa in Catalonia, described it as a "pride" to be sponsors of the Minicopa Endesa. "It’s more than just a competition, it's a true school of values that we must continue promoting. We’ve renewed our sponsorship with the ACB, and we’ve been here for 14 years, wanting to contribute to being the benchmark for basketball at the national level and to be known as such."

About Endesa

Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. It is also the second-largest gas operator in the Spanish market. It develops an integrated business of electricity generation, distribution, and commercialization. It also offers electric mobility services, where it is the leading operator of integrated energy solutions and charging points in Spain, as well as other value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy use in homes, businesses, industries, and public administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the UN SDGs and, as such, promotes renewable energy development through Enel Green Power España, the digitization of networks through e-distribution, and corporate social responsibility. In this area, we also act through the Endesa Foundation. Our workforce includes around 9,000 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.