The 35th edition of the Panchina d’Oro will take place at Coverciano on Monday 16 November. Organised by the FIGC’s Technical Sector, the event celebrates one of Italian football’s greatest strengths: its coaches.

Mario Beretta, President of the Technical Sector, said: “For coaches, the Panchina d’Oro is the most important day of the year. Beyond the training and awards, it embodies one of the core principles of our Coaching School: coming together and exchanging ideas. Sharing is an essential part of this job, and being able to do so with all our colleagues, from men’s Serie A to Serie C and women’s Serie A and Serie B, makes taking part even more valuable.”

Voting and awards. The ceremony forms part of a professional development course for professional coaches. Throughout the day, awards will recognise last season’s leading coaches, as chosen by their peers, whose verdict is final. Alongside the best Serie A coach, honours will go to the leading coaches in men’s Serie B and Serie C, women’s Serie A and Serie B, and men’s and women’s Serie A futsal. Italy’s best head of youth development will also receive the Mino Favini Award, named after the distinguished football executive, continuing a tradition introduced in 2018/19.

Voting for the men’s Serie A, Serie B and Serie C awards will take place in person at Coverciano on the morning of the event. Coaches are asked to vote online for all other awards.

Beyond football. Luna Rossa skipper and team director Massimiliano Sirena will be a special guest lecturer, addressing the professional coaches gathered in the Federal Technical Centre’s auditorium. His participation reflects the commitment to drawing on knowledge from different sports to provide the highest standard of education at Coverciano’s Coaching School. The afternoon will feature a session devoted to technical developments in football.

Anniversary. First held in 1991, the Panchina d’Oro reaches its 35th edition this year and has become an essential date in the football calendar. Massimo Moratti, then President of the Technical Sector, established the award with his working group. Its members included Felice Accame, who taught communication on the Coaching School’s courses at Coverciano for more than 30 years, and journalists Gigi Garanzini and Susanna Wermelinger.

Originally, journalists chose the winner, with the award recognising Europe’s best coach. Over time, it evolved into its current format, with several categories and voting conducted by fellow coaches. Olympique de Marseille coach Raymond Goethals won the inaugural award. On Monday 16 November, we will discover who succeeds Antonio Conte, the most recent winner, who received the honour at the previous edition in February.

Media information. Applications for accreditation can be submitted through the FIGC portal by noon CET on Wednesday 11 November, with a limit of one journalist per outlet. Journalists may enter the Federal Technical Centre from 12:15 PM CET and watch a live stream of the awards ceremony in the main lecture hall. The ceremony will take place in the auditorium from approximately 12:40 CET, with a media opportunity afterwards.

Following the event, the FIGC will provide a link to photographs and video footage from the awards ceremony.