The FENIX TROPHY is a ground-breaking international sporting event, conceived and organized by the Milan-based football club Brera FC, active since the 2021/2022 season. It involves European non-professional clubs (each one paired with a charity partner), chosen for their exceptional social, historical and cultural distinctiveness. The competition has received UEFA’s approval.
FIRST EDITION
In the first edition, the teams represented 7 European countries: Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Czech Republic. The 8 clubs involved were famous for a varied number of reasons: clubs rebuilt and run by the fans, clubs featuring significant social and cultural projects, clubs with extraordinary communication skills, etc. In short, a real European network among “cult” non-professional clubs. The first edition was won by English side FC United of Manchester.
SECOND EDITION
The second edition, in the 2022/2023 season, saw a different format and an increased number of clubs and represented countries. 9 clubs from Italy, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Serbia, and Czech Republic faced each other in the FENIX Trophy 2022/2023, and BK Skjold from Copenaghen (Denmark) emerged victorious.
THIRD EDITION
The third edition marked yet another expansion, with the number of clubs going up to 12 in 10 different countries: Poland, Belgium, Wales, England, Denmark, Romania, France, Finland, Norway, and Czech Republic. Divided in 4 group, out of the 12 clubs only four reached the Finals, with FC United of Manchester (England) celebrating their second title on Lake Garda.
Brera FC ceased to participate with its team to take on the solo leadership role in the organization of the tournament.
FOURTH EDITION
The fourth edition, bound to begin in September 2024, marked not only another expansion (from 12 to 16 participants), but also a significant change of format: the clubs will now face each other in a knockout tournament with two-legged ties over two rounds. Clubs from 14 different countries will be represented in the tournament: Poland, Belgium, Wales, England, Denmark, Romania, Italy, Finland, Norway, Scotland, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany and Czech Republic.
The competition’s meaning goes beyond the simple football aspect. The FENIX Trophy is an experience of sporting exchange, meant to highlight best practices within non-professional football: sporting conduct, bonds with the local community, sustainability, use of technologies, and friendship among clubs.
The trophy’s symbol is a phoenix, the mythological bird that regenerates from its predecessor’s ashes: it stands as a metaphor and a wish for the rebirth of new football models. FENIX, however, also has meaning as an acronym.
FRIENDLY — The distinctive character of the competition is based on creating a friendly environment for clubs, players, and supporters. This marks a significant difference from professional tournaments, where the clubs are set in arbitrary opposition to each other.
EUROPEAN — The tournament aims to develop a cooperative network between some of the most important cities in Europe: Milan, Rome, Manchester, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Warsaw, Prague and Valencia. Tournament travel is designed to increase a sense of European belonging among participants and supporters.
NON-PROFESSIONAL — The idea of the focus on amateur clubs is to draw attention to alternative football models. The purpose is to show that such alternatives, full as they are of fans’ passion, can provide great sporting and social involvement.
INNOVATIVE — Such an event is unprecedented in the non-professional football world. An additional innovation is to bring clubs together based on affinity (in this case, being iconic clubs) rather than simply on football ranking (although the clubs are quite similar in their footballing level).
XENIAL — From the Ancient Greek xènos, the word indicates an attitude of hospitality towards strangers, maintaining a mutual respect of cultural differences. In each match, in fact, the away club is fully hosted by the home team. The competition intends to make this attitude the shared sentiment of the tournament – and expand this idea outwards.