The U21s finished the 2025/26 Hoval Promotion League season in 15th place, securing their place in the division with two matches to spare and achieving their main objective for the season. A positive result, achieved in a challenging division, in which the team had to combine competitiveness, development and adaptability.
The bianconeri’s campaign was divided into two fairly distinct phases. The first half of the season showed promising signs, with the team picking up crucial points and finishing the first half of the season on a high note. In the second half of the season, however, the path became more complicated, partly due to changes within the squad and some significant absences. “The overall picture of our season is positive, considering the difficulties posed by the league,” explained coach Andrea Vitali.
A DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE
Avoiding relegation was a sporting objective, but also a fundamental condition for continuing to offer the young bianconeri a high-level environment in which to develop. The Hoval Promotion League remains, in fact, a demanding league, in which the U21s face physical, experienced teams accustomed to adult-level football.
Precisely for this reason, remaining in the division takes on even greater significance: “The important thing is to give our young players the chance next year to play in the highest possible division for us, alongside the other U21s in the country,” emphasised Vitali. A statement that sums up the essence of the project perfectly: competing to grow, but also growing through competition.
The second half of the season presented the squad with significant challenges. Some players went their separate ways, whilst two serious injuries opened the door for even younger players to step in. It was no easy transition, but one consistent with the U21s’ mission: to guide promising young players through the transition from the academy to senior football, with different timelines, responsibilities and demands.
SURVIVAL AND PROMOTION TO THE FIRST TEAM
Amidst a season of both positive moments and more challenging ones, the team secured crucial results when it mattered most. The draw secured in Bienne, the victory against Kreuzlingen before the break and the home wins against Brühl and Basel U21 were key milestones on the path to survival.
At the same time, the season confirmed the U21s’ role as a bridge to the first team. Ilija Maslarov and Gjan Ajdin made their Brack Super League debuts with the team led by Mattia Croci-Torti, an encouraging sign of the developmental role of Vitali’s squad and the link between the youth system and professional football.
It is precisely this transition that measures a significant part of the daily work. “The most difficult step is managing to empower the lads and make them more independent in their decision-making both on and off the pitch,” explained Vitali.
FOUNDATIONS FOR MOVING FORWARD
The season therefore ends with survival secured, a squad that has weathered various challenges, and a developmental focus reinforced by the players’ moves to the first team. The defeats and difficulties of the second half of the season do not detract from the value of the journey, but are an essential part of it. “Playing alongside the senior players accelerates the lads’ development, especially during difficult periods,” Vitali noted.
Looking ahead to next season, the direction remains the same: to continue giving the young bianconeri the opportunity to compete in a highly formative league, with that blend of experience and youth that characterises the U21s’ journey. The 2025/26 season thus leaves behind an important survival, but above all the confirmation of an environment in which to grow, make mistakes, learn and prepare for the next step.