Italian Football League

Last updated
Italian Football League
IFL logo.png
ClassificationTop level league
Sport American football
Founded1978;47 years ago (1978)
First season1980
CEO Enrico Mambelli [1] [2]
No. of teamsMax 12
CountryFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
Most recent
champion(s)		 Parma Panthers
(7th title) (2024)
Most titles Bergamo Lions
(12 titles)
Level on pyramidLevel 1
Official website www.fidaf.com

Italian Football League (IFL; the name is in English) is the top level American football league in Italy first established in 1978. The first recognized league champion was crowned in 1980.

Contents

The annual final playoff game to determine the league champion is called the Italian Bowl, that awards, for American football, the title of "champion of Italy" and the scudetto . [3]

Background

Spaghetti Bowl, American football bowl game played in Florence, Italy, on 1 January 1945 Spaghetti Bowl4.jpg
Spaghetti Bowl, American football bowl game played in Florence, Italy, on 1 January 1945

In Italy, the first American football game took place in Genoa on 27 November 1913 when the teams of the USS Connecticut and USS Kansas faced each other, two of the 14 ships of the American Great White Fleet temporarily docked in the Ligurian port during an exercise cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. USS Connecticut won 17–6. [4]

After this sporadic appearance, American football returned to Italy with the Allied troops during World War II. American football followed the advance of the US units from the south to the north of the Italian peninsula. On 23 November 1944, a touch football match was played at the Stadio della Vittoria in Bari, between the Playboys and the Technical School. [5] The trophy, called the "Bambino Bowl", was won by the Technical School 13–0 in front of an audience of 5,000. [6]

A little over a month later, the Spaghetti Bowl [7] was held in Florence in front of 25,000 people on New Year's Day 1945 between the Bridgebusters (representatives of the Twelfth Air Force) and the Mudders (United States Army North); the Mudders won 20–0. [8] Although probably other matches were played in those years of which no documentation remains, the first in peacetime, took place in Trieste, the last territory liberated from the Nazi-Fascists, in January 1948. The match was organized by the Trieste United States Troops and saw the SP'S prevail over D Company by "three touchdowns" (then 21–0). [9]

History

Legnano Frogs celebrate victory after winning the XV Italian Bowl in 1995 Superbowl 95.jpg
Legnano Frogs celebrate victory after winning the XV Italian Bowl in 1995

In the 1970s teams formed and played in Italy. The first American football championship organized in Italy, which was never recognized by the federation, took place in 1977 and was won by the Tori Torino  [ it ].

Among the games played in the 1970s there was the first official match played between Italian American football teams in preparation for the first championship officially recognized by the federation; played on 24 June 1978 at the Stadio Carlo Speroni in Busto Arsizio, it was won 36–0 by the Rhinos Milano over the Gallarate Frogs. [10]

In 1980 the first official American football league in Italy was established and crowned a champion. [11] This championship did not include a final and was won by Lupi Roma  [ it ]. However, the title of first champions of Italy was recognized to the Lupi only in 2016. [12]

Palermo Sharks [it] in 2008 2009 Guelfi Sharks.jpg
Palermo Sharks  [ it ] in 2008

The Italian league (Series A) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, was one of the first leagues in Europe to sign professional import players and coaches from the USA. The league had good popularity in the early years especially the late 1980s and early 1990s with reported attendance of nearly 20,000 fans for a Series A league final championship game in that time period. [13] American Football in Italy has had ups and downs since that time but has always had a competitive league with different lower levels playing below the Italian Football League (IFL).

XXXIV Italian Bowl, won by Milano Seamen vs. Parma Panthers in 2014. XXXIV Italian Superbowl.jpg
XXXIV Italian Bowl, won by Milano Seamen vs. Parma Panthers in 2014.

The new IFL was founded in 2007, taking over previous league's significance called (National Football League Italy). [14] The league was born as a result of the escape of several of the best clubs of the old championship organized by the Italian federation, such as Milano Rhinos, Parma Panthers, Bologna Doves and Bolzano Giants. However some of the historic Italian clubs have not joined the new league and continue to participate in different tournaments organized by other federations.

In the following years a lot of teams moved to the Federazione Italiana di American Football  [ it ] (the federation the IFL belongs to) [15] and most of the biggest teams are now again part of the IFL that is the First Division or in the other two divisions.

The Bergamo Lions have won the most Italian Super Bowl league championships winning 12 finals.

On Saturday, July 1, 2023, Italian Bowl XLII was played at the Glass Bowl Stadium on the campus of The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA. This marked the first Italian Football League Championship held outside of Europe. The Parma Panthers won the game played in front of nearly 10,000 fans, and was televised in the United States.

IFL teams

Rhinos Milano vs. Catania Elephants in 2008 at Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan Rhinos vigorelli.jpg
Rhinos Milano vs. Catania Elephants in 2008 at Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan

† defunct
♦ due to league expansion the Napoli team can play the 2015 IFL season and is not relegated to the second division
‡ Roma Grizzlies won the second division championship and earned the right to play the 2015 IFL season [16]

Italian Bowl

Italian Bowl is the annual final play-off game of the Italian Football League (IFL) to determine the league champion. It is the game that awards, for American football, the title of "champion of Italy" and the scudetto . [3] Until 2014 the championship game was called Italian Super Bowl.

The scudetto, a decoration having the colors of the flag of Italy which is sewn onto the jersey of the Italian sports clubs that won the highest level championship of their respective sport in the previous season. Scudetto.svg
The scudetto , a decoration having the colors of the flag of Italy which is sewn onto the jersey of the Italian sports clubs that won the highest level championship of their respective sport in the previous season.
GameYearWinnerOpponentResultLocation
-1980 Scudetto.svg Lupi Roma -Group winners-
I1981 Scudetto.svg Rhinos Milano Frogs Gallarate 24–8 Stadio Eugenio Broccardi, Santa Margherita Ligure
II1982 Scudetto2.svg Rhinos Milano Frogs Gallarate 11–0 Stadio Tonino Benelli, Pesaro
III1983 Scudetto3.svg Rhinos Milano Warriors Bologna 20–14 Palasport di Genova, Genoa
IV1984 Scudetto.svg Frogs Busto Arsizio Warriors Bologna 16–6 Stadio Romeo Neri, Rimini
V1985 Scudetto.svg Doves Bologna Angels Pesaro 27–11 Stadio Silvio Appiani, Padova
VI1986 Scudetto.svg Warriors Bologna Angels Pesaro 18–8 Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna
VII1987 Scudetto2.svg Frogs Legnano Milano Seamen 27–24 Stadio Romeo Neri, Rimini
VIII1988 Scudetto3.svg Frogs Legnano Warriors Bologna 17–0 Stadio Dorico, Ancona
IX1989 Scudetto4.svg Frogs Legnano Milano Seamen 39–33 Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma
X1990 Scudetto4.svg Rhinos Milano Frogs Legnano 33–6 Stadio Romeo Neri, Rimini
XI1991 Scudetto.svg Giaguari Torino Phoenix San Lazzaro 38–16 Stadio Brianteo, Monza
XII1992 Scudetto.svg Pharaones Milano Lions Bergamo 35–25 Stadio Druso, Bolzano
XIII1993 Scudetto.svg Lions Bergamo Gladiatori Roma 48–39Stadio Comunale, Telgate
XIV1994 Scudetto5.svg Frogs Legnano Rhinos Milano 37–27 Stadio Giovanni Mari, Legnano
XV1995 Scudetto6.svg Frogs Legnano Gladiatori Roma 32–26 Stadio Alfiero Moretti, Cesenatico
XVI1996 Scudetto.svg Phoenix Bologna Gladiatori Roma 25–20 Stadio Dorico, Ancona
XVII1997 Scudetto2.svg Phoenix Bologna Frogs Legnano 42–35 Stadio Brianteo, Monza
XVIII1998 Scudetto2.svg Lions Bergamo Frogs Legnano 29–28 Stadio Santa Maria Goretti, Catania
XIX1999 Scudetto3.svg Lions Bergamo Giants Bolzano 49–14 Stadio Europa, Bolzano
XX2000 Scudetto4.svg Lions Bergamo Giants Bolzano 49–27 Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan
XXI2001 Scudetto5.svg Lions Bergamo Dolphins Ancona 30–24 Stadio Europa, Bolzano
XXII2002 Scudetto6.svg Lions Bergamo Dolphins Ancona 21–14 Stadio Europa, Bolzano
XXIII2003 Scudetto7.svg Lions Bergamo Dolphins Ancona 45–0Polisportivo Comunale, Civitanova Marche
XXIV2004 Scudetto8.svg Lions Bergamo Dolphins Ancona 14–13 Stadio Andrea Torelli, Scandiano
XXV2005 Scudetto9.svg Lions Bergamo Warriors Bologna 42–14 Stadio Andrea Torelli, Scandiano
XXVI2006 Scudetto10.svg Lions Bergamo Panthers Parma 24–12 Stadio Andrea Torelli, Scandiano
XXVII2007 Scudetto11.svg Lions Bergamo Panthers Parma 55–49 (2 OT) Stadio Andrea Torelli, Scandiano
XXVIII2008 Scudetto12.svg Lions Bergamo Giants Bolzano 56–54Stadio Comunale, San Giovanni in Marignano
XXIX2009 Scudetto.svg Giants Bolzano Marines Lazio 35–21 Stadio Dei Pini, Milano Marittima
XXX2010 Scudetto.svg Panthers Parma Elephants Catania 56–26 Stadio Breda, Sesto San Giovanni
XXXI2011 Scudetto2.svg Panthers Parma Warriors Bologna 76–62 Stadio XXV Aprile, Parma
XXXII2012 Scudetto3.svg Panthers Parma Elephants Catania 61–43 Stadio Franco Ossola, Varese
XXXIII2013 Scudetto4.svg Panthers Parma Milano Seamen 51–28 Stadio Paolo Mazza, Ferrara
XXXIV2014 Scudetto.svg Milano Seamen Panthers Parma 33–3 Stadio Paolo Mazza, Ferrara
XXXV2015 Scudetto2.svg Milano Seamen Panthers Parma 24–14 Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan
XXXVI2016 Scudetto5.svg Rhinos Milano Giants Bolzano 44–18 Stadio Dino Manuzzi, Cesena
XXXVII2017 Scudetto3.svg Milano Seamen Rhinos Milano 37–29 Stadio Romeo Menti, Vicenza
XXXVIII2018 Scudetto4.svg Milano Seamen Giants Bolzano 28–14 Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma
XXXIX2019 Scudetto5.svg Milano Seamen Firenze Guelfi 62–28 Stadio Breda, Sesto San Giovanni
-2020No season played because of the COVID-19 pandemic
XL2021 Scudetto5.svg Panthers Parma Milano Seamen 40–34 (OT) Stadio Leonardo Garilli, Piacenza
XLI2022 Scudetto.svg Firenze Guelfi Milano Seamen 21–17 Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna
XLII2023 Scudetto6.svg Panthers Parma Firenze Guelfi 29–13 Glass Bowl, Toledo, OH
XLIII2024 Scudetto7.svg Panthers Parma Firenze Guelfi 38–26 Stadio Bruno Benelli, Ravenna

Number of Italian Bowl victories

VIII Eurobowl in 1994, Lions Bergamo vs. London Olympians. Italian teams that have won the Eurobowl have been Frogs Legnano (1989) and Lions Bergamo (2000, 2001 and 2002) Bergamo Lions vs London Olympians, Eurobowl 1994.jpg
VIII Eurobowl in 1994, Lions Bergamo vs. London Olympians. Italian teams that have won the Eurobowl have been Frogs Legnano (1989) and Lions Bergamo (2000, 2001 and 2002)
VictoriesTeamSeasons
12 Lions Bergamo 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
7 Panthers Parma 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2023, 2024
6 Frogs Legnano 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995
5 Milano Seamen 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019
5 Rhinos Milano 1981, 1982, 1983, 1990, 2016
1 Firenze Guelfi 2022
1 Giants Bolzano 2009
1 Pharaones Milano 1992
1 Giaguari Torino 1991
1 Warriors Bologna 1986
1 Doves Bologna 1985
1 Lupi Roma 1980

Geographical distribution of Italian Bowl winners

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Enrico Mambelli è il nuovo Presidente della Italian Football League Archived 2015-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "Enrico Mambelli Presidente". Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Francesco Pastorelli (PD): "I Guelfi Firenze campioni d'Italia di football americano"" (in Italian). 4 July 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  4. ↑ Massimo Foglio, L'Europa lunga un piede, p. 14 - ISBN 1-4810-2028-5
  5. ↑ Massimo Foglio, L'Europa lunga un piede, p. 67 - ISBN 1-4810-2028-5
  6. ↑ Bambino Bowl Archived 22 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Massimo Foglio, L'Europa lunga un piede, p. 69 - ISBN 1-4810-2028-5
  8. ↑ Spaghetti Bowl
  9. ↑ TRUST Football
  10. ↑ "La storia" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  11. ↑ "Football Americano. La squadra del primo Scudetto in Italia torna a vivere" (in Italian). Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Roma campione del football 36 anni dopo. L'emozione del qb Volterra: "Noi, i pionieri dei touchdown italiani"" (in Italian). Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  13. ↑ "Football Americano" (in Italian). Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  14. ↑ "New Era annuncia la partnership con la Italian Football League" (in Italian). Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  15. ↑ "Football americano" (in Italian). Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "I Grizzlies sbranano gli Elephants - Sport Locale - iltempo". Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
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