The history of basketball in Monopoli has relatively recent roots compared to football, but it is just as significant in the local sports scene. Monopoli's most representative basketball club is the Associazione Pallacanestro Monopoli (AP Monopoli), founded by Angelo Barnaba some 31 years ago, around the 1990s, with the aim of promoting basketball in the area. The club has grown over the years to become a point of reference for the city's sport, both at youth level and with the first team.
Over time, the club has developed a structured youth sector with different categories that include the youngest (Esordienti and Aquilotti) up to the Under 15, Under 17 and Under 18 teams, thus offering a complete growth path for young basketball fans in Monopoli. The movement has also involved qualified coaches such as Angelo Veneziani, head of the youth sector, a well-known and respected face on the regional scene.
The first Monopoli basketball team has participated in regional and national amateur championships, progressively growing in level. Recently the Action Now Monopoli club, born in 2019, represents a further development of basketball in the area, with the aim of bringing Monopoli back to higher competitive levels such as Serie B, focusing on a mix of local youth and experienced players.
Among the anecdotes related to Monopoli basketball, there is the perseverance in keeping alive the passion for a less popular sport than football, despite the historical lack of large sports facilities in the city. They also mention local initiatives and events that have promoted basketball as an opportunity for young Monopolitans to get together and grow socially.
In conclusion, basketball in Monopoli has developed with perseverance and passion, from a pioneering first club to a well-organised youth movement, to a first team that aspires to grow in regional and national championships. The club works mainly in the dissemination and promotion of basketball among young people, with the aim of continuing to build a solid future for the sport in the city.
For more information, visit the Action Now Monopoli team website and follow updates via mobasket.com and the social pages linked to Monopoli basketball.
Official sources and archives for the history of basketball in Monopoli
For the history of basketball in Monopoli, the official sources and main archives available are:
The documentation and materials preserved at the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro (FIP), which has regulated and promoted basketball in Italy since 1921. The FIP publishes reports and institutional documents that help reconstruct the evolution of basketball at national and also local level.
The historical municipal archives of Monopoli, where you can find documents relating to the organisation and sports activities carried out in the area, including the first basketball clubs and promotional initiatives carried out under the patronage of the municipality.
The material of the basketball club Monopoli itself, in particular private and digital archives of local associations such as Action Now Monopoli and AP Monopoli, which collect testimonies, photographs, sports results and anecdotes from the foundation to the present day.
Journalistic archives and local and regional sports publications often recounted and documented important milestones in Monopoli basketball through articles, interviews and match reports.
Broader sources of Italian sports archives, such as sports history publications and thematic notebooks dedicated to basketball, which also include data and cross-references for realities such as Monopoli.
These resources, both digital and physical, constitute a useful heritage to reconstruct in detail and with authority the history and development of basketball in the city of Monopoli.
List of relegated leagues and promotions for each season
The Associazione Pallacanestro Monopoli (AP Monopoli) has participated in several regional and national championships throughout its recent history. The team has mainly played in Serie C Silver, Regional Divisions and youth leagues, with alternating performances that have seen promotions and some relegations.
There is no complete and detailed public list of all the precise seasons, promotions and relegations for each year of Monopoli basketball. However, in its most recent history AP Monopoli has maintained a constant participation in the regional Serie C Silver championships, trying to build a competitive team with the enhancement of youth. In recent years, the club has participated in playoffs and achieved promotions to higher regional divisions. Granted, the team has never reached the levels of the National B Series or other major national categories.
The youth structure follows the regional FIP (Italian Basketball Federation) categories involving Under 13, Under 15, Under 17 and Under 19, with results and promotions at territorial level.
For a more detailed and up-to-date season-by-season account, I would recommend direct contact with the AP Monopoli club (present on social media as AP Monopoli) or consulting the Puglia regional FIP archives, which accurately record results, rankings, promotions and relegations.
In summary, Monopoli basketball has a history of continuity and growth in regional championships, with promotions and relegations typical of amateur teams committed to sports and youth development.
ph Filippo Danese