 Official Clericus Cup Logo | |
| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Region |  Vatican City and Italy |
| Teams | 16 |
| Current champions | Collegio Urbano (4th title) |
| Most championships | Collegio Urbano (4 titles) |
| Website | http://www.clericuscup.it |
 14th season | |
TheClericus Cup is an annualassociation football tournament contested by teams from theRoman Colleges, which areseminaries of theCatholic Church located inRome. During the fourth season (2010), the tournament involved 16 schools and fielded players from 65 countries, with the majority coming from Brazil, Italy, Mexico, and the United States.[1] The players are normally seminarians studying to be Roman Catholicpriests. A handful of players areordained priests. The annual tournament is organized by theCentro Sportivo Italiano [fr;it] (CSI). The league was founded in 2007.
Officially, the goal of the league is to "reinvigorate the tradition of sport in the Christian community"[2] and has been called the "clerical equivalent of soccer's World Cup."[3] In other words, it exists to provide a venue for friendly athletic competition among the thousands of seminarians, representing nearly a hundred countries, who study in Rome. The league is the brainchild of theCardinal Secretary of State,Tarcisio Bertone, who is a football fan.[4][5] While some press outlets hinted that the Church hoped to offer a brand of football free offootball hooliganism, the reality is that play on the field is intensely competitive.
This competition had its beginnings in 2003 when Jim Mulligan, aseminarian at thePontifical Beda College, founded aknockout tournament involving eight international teams from theRoman Colleges. This competition was calledThe Rome Cup. Its first match took place in May 2003 between Beda College and theVenerable English College, which was won 5–2 by the English College. Mulligan became a priest in theArchdiocese of Westminster, London and continues sporting activities, carrying out sponsoredabseils andparachute jumps to raise money for various church projects.
The 2009 season drew 16 teams, representing 15 international seminaries, plus thePontifical Gregorian University. The league is divided into two sides or divisions:Division A andDivision B. In 2009, Division A included four national seminaries (ThePontifical North American College, theBrazilian College, theFrench College, the Polish Institute) and two international colleges (San Paolo andMater Ecclesiae). TheSaint Anselm of the Aventine, and the multinationalGregorian University rounded out Division A.[6]
Division B included the Mexican College, ThePontifical Roman Seminary, theUrbanianum (which fields players primarily fromAfrica andEast Asia), as well as the religious institutes Augustinianum,Sedes Sapientiae,Redemptoris Mater, and Guanelliani Internazionale (TheServants of Charity). Two schools,Almo Collegio Capranica andPio Latino merged to field the team Almo-Pio.[7]
The first season was played from February to May 2007. The second season began in November of 2007 and finished on 3 May 2008. The regular season games were played at Oratorio San Pietro, on the Via di Santa Maria Mediatrice, 24.[8] The third season was played from February to May 2009 with Redemptoris Mater winning the championship against the Pontifical North American College. The fourth season was played from February to May 2010 with the championship game again consisting of Redemptoris Mater against the Pontifical North American College. Redemptoris Mater won the championship game, 1–0, against the North American College, the same score as in 2009.
During the second season, the inaugural and final match were held at the site of the1960 Summer Olympics: theStadio dei Marmi inRome. In the third season, the opening game was officiated by one of Italy's top referees,Stefano Farina.[9]
The 2020 and 2021 seasons were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 season was scheduled but eventually cancelled as well. There was also no 2023 season.[10]
Despite the league's amateur status, it has attracted the attention of the professional football community. The president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) called the inauguration of Clericus Cup III (the 2009 season) "evidence of success" of the league.[11] In 2009, the major Italian newspapers covered the league as a novelty – includingCorriere della Sera,Il Giornale,Corriere dello Sport, and the anti-clericalLa Repubblica. A video featuring a player from the Urbanium's team is available on the web.[12]Voice of America reported on the North American College's road to the championship game in 2009.
In the first two seasons, international newspapers often focused on events peripheral to the game itself. During the Clericus Cup II season, several international newspapers found the hyper-enthusiasm of the fans newsworthy. Redemptoris Mater's club, in particular, generated a very noisy fan base. The Pontifical North American College also employed a megaphone that annoyed both opposing players and neighbors alike. This led the local government to pass an ordinance banning the use of tambourines, percussion instruments, and loud speakers during morning hours – when most of the league's games are played.[13][14][15] The media coverage has increased the profile of the league, whose talent continues to improve each year.
The British press has covered the Cup's use of ablue card, which British reporters labelled thesin bin.[16][17] Instead of thered andyellow cards, the blue card is a 5-minute bench penalty for unsportsmanlike play.[18]
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontifical Urban University | 4 (2014, 2015, 2017, 2019) | 2 (2016, 2018) | — | 2 (2009, 2013) |
| Redemptoris Mater | 3 (2007, 2009, 2010) | 3 (2008, 2014, 2015) | 1 (2013) | 1 (2017) |
| Pontifical North American College | 3 (2012, 2013, 2018) | 2 (2009, 2010) | — | 3 (2008, 2011, 2019) |
| Mater Ecclesiae | 2 (2008, 2016) | 1 (2013) | 3 (2007, 2009, 2017) | 1 (2012) |
| Pontifical Gregorian University | 1 (2011) | 2 (2012, 2017) | 3 (2015, 2016, 2018) | — |
| Pontifical Lateran University | — | 1 (2007) | — | — |
| Angelicum | — | 1 (2011) | — | — |
| Sedes Sapientiae | — | 1 (2019) | 2 (2011, 2012) | 4 (2007, 2014, 2015, 2018) |
| Ukrainian College | — | — | 1 (2008) | — |
| Brazilian College | — | — | 1 (2010) | — |
| Theological Institute of St. Peter | — | — | 1 (2014) | — |
| Guanelliani | — | — | 1 (2019) | 1 (2010) |
| Latin American College | — | — | — | 1 (2016) |
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| Domestic cups |
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