A.P.D. Real Noci

Noci sits in the Murgia of the trulli, a stone's throw from Alberobello, a land of white stone and conical roofs that look pulled from a fairy tale. The town's football has one glory to show off with pride: it was Noci who, in 1991/92, became the first ever champion of the Puglia Eccellenza, the top regional tier created that year. Real Noci, heir to the town's football tradition, stayed true to that level, and in 2015/16 was once again among the clubs admitted to the Eccellenza, playing at the highest tier Puglia offers outside professional football. The crest shows two children with raised arms beneath a protective shell, a local symbol pairing devotion and childhood, and green is the colour the town chose to represent itself on pitches across the region. This is deep provincial football, played in the shadow of the trulli, with all the seriousness of the big centres.