..:: CABJ :: Sitio Oficial ::..

	Prestige is built up from below

After working with Newell's lower divisions for 23 years the highly regarded coach Jorge Bernardo Griffa, a man who has devoted and still devotes his life to the shaping of young talents, was hired by Boca Juniors in 1996.

Thanks to the savvy of the instructor in charge of the Management of the Department of Amateur Soccer, a position he held until the end of 2003, the project conceived together with Mauricio Macri has borne its fruits in time.

When the first division team became the champion of the Apertura tournament in 1998, of the Clausura in 1999, of the 2000 Libertadores Cup, the Intercontinental Cup in 2000, the 2001 and 2003 Libertadores Cups, it did so with the help of several junior players promoted from the Lower Divisions.

Two years ago the coach obtained the Challenger Cup for the third consecutive time, for having attained the highest score by adding the points won across all junior categories. Thanks to this record the mentioned trophy will remain in the Club's glass shrine for good.

If one adds all the titles garnered by the coach, the former player of Atlético de Madrid has 26 championships to his credit plus the 88 official titles Boca's lower divisions have won during his tenure.

Griffa toured Europe and Latin America where the categories were invited to take part in numerous international tournaments. Some of his successes are:

32° Monthey Tournament , in Switzerland (category 1983 –champions); DSF & Ahl Tournament , United Arab Emirates (category 1985 -champions); Eurovoetbal, Groningen – Holland (category 1984 –champions and Angelo Dossena Trophy , Crema - Italy (category 1984 –champions).

And in 2005 the Ninth category of Ramón Maddoni –at present in charge of Children Soccer – won the Efipan Cup, a prestigious tournament in Brazil . In the final they beat Gremio. Miguel Tevez, Carlitos's brother, played in that event.

	From Boyé to Tevez

Skimming through Boca's memory, certain players who rose to fame a longer time ago cannot be overlooked, such as forwards Mario Boyé and Angel Clemente Rojas, defenders Natalio Pescia, Rodolfo Arruabarrena and Nicolás Burdisso, among others.

Boyé, whose nickname was “El Atómico” (the atomic player) stood out during the decade of the forties, was part of Boca's champion teams of '43 and '44 and contributed his talent to the National Team. Pescia displayed his poise and capacity for sacrifice in the fifties and became a champion in '54. And Rojas, “Rojitas” for his friends and fans, elicited admiration through his image as a striker and his supple waist which allowed him to design unpredictable dribbles. The 60's witnessed the vastness of his repertoire.

Nearer to our time Rodolfo Arruabarrena, “El Vasquito” (the little Basque), left his imprint on the Bombonera. His precise left foot, his devotion on the field and his marker talent of beating the rival forward to the ball made him an unquestionable idol.

And in the 90's the following names made the playing field sparkle: Carlos Tevez, Fabricio Coloccini, Sebastián Battaglia, Nicolás Burdisso, Aníbal Matellán, José María Calvo, Pablo Jerez, Franco Cangele and Neri Cardozo, all of them were raw material which Maddoni and Griffa knew how to shape for Boca's top team and later for the export market. And nowadays also the National Team is profiting of their ability .

*The list of the players promoted by Griffa continues below:
Matías Silvestre, Alfredo Moreno, Carlos Marinelli, Wilfredo Cavallero, Miguel Caneo, Catriel Orcellet, Ariel Carreño, Roberto Colautti, Joel Barbosa, Miguel Caneo, Nahuel Fioretto, Omar Pérez, Fernando Navas, Héctor Bracamonte, Fernando Ortiz, Cristian Giménez, Ariel Rosada, Hernán Vigna, Juan Marcos Forchetti, Gabriel Cristovao, Gustavo Pinto, Miguel Portillo and Miguel González.

	Where the dreams lie and wait

Another proof of Management's savvy is the construction of the Casa Amarilla Complex, built right next to the Bombonera stadium in April of 1996.

It is the boarding house where the dreams of the juniors who come from different parts of the country lie and wait, year after year, far away from their families. Where their hopes regarding soccer do not make them forget the importance of their academic studies. They are taken care of by a set of knowledgeable professionals.

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