Category: IFL
Watch the 2024 IFL Draft
IFL: A COMBINE AND DRAFT TO SEAL THE PARTNERSHIP WITH ROME CITY INSTITUTE
It was announced a year ago during a press conference, and now the partnership with Rome City Institute takes another leap forward with the direct involvement of its student-athletes in the Italian Football League (IFL), the top-tier Italian tackle football league. On November 15, a Combine will evaluate players, followed by a live-streamed Draft on November 22, during which the 12 IFL teams will select their preferred athletes in true American style.
On December 15 of last year, during a press conference at the prestigious College Life Italia – Rome City Institute headquarters at Link Campus University in Rome, the FIDAF revealed details of a partnership with the Roman institution of higher academic learning. The partnership aims to engage both Italian and American student-athletes in a program that combines top-level sports with education. The agreement is designed to create an educational program for international students who wish to study in Italy while also playing American football and/or flag football. It also aims to offer an alternative educational path for Italian student-athletes and to develop a strategy to promote and enhance visibility in the United States of FIDAF-organized activities in Italy.
From theory to practice, last weekend a team from Rome City Institute made its official debut in the Italian Flag Football Cup. In the next two weeks, two significant events will mark the start of the IFL season, Italy’s premier tackle football league. On November 15, starting at 12:00 PM at the Rome City Center on Via di Santa Maria Mediatrice in Rome, a Combine will be held in the presence of managers and coaches from the 12 IFL teams competing in the 2025 season. Selected American student-athletes from the Institute will participate. On November 22, a hybrid event in true American style (with live streaming) will host the Draft, following classic NFL rules: the last-ranked IFL team will pick first, with selections proceeding in reverse order of ranking. All selected athletes, trained in the American system, will be added to the IFL rosters alongside the three international players allowed by league regulations.
In the coming weeks, all participating players will be introduced on social media with dedicated profiles, and fans will be able to attend the Combine, which will take place according to the schedule and format to be announced.
“There is a lot of excitement within our Federation,” commented FIDAF President Leoluca Orlando. “We are all driven by a strong desire to continue growing and to offer our members opportunities that extend beyond playing sports. This partnership aligns with that mission, and the chance to interact with the academic world and organizations like College Life and Rome City Institute is highly motivating for all of us. We intend to make the most of this opportunity.”
“We are thrilled to take the field as a partner of the Italian Federation of American Football, a sport followed by millions of fans across Europe and the world, a discipline rooted in merit and tactical vision,” explains Stefano Radio, President of Rome City Institute and College Life Italia. “Our group shares the same values, enabling American student-athletes to experience Italy and compete with our sports federations, while also helping Italian students access American colleges. It’s a bridge connecting two continents with the philosophy of prioritizing young people and supporting cultural internationalization to reach broader sporting horizons.”
Per informazioni:
Barbara Allaria
Press & Communication Officer
0331-770343 / 338-6541305
press@fidaf.org
FIDAF – Italian Federation of American Football
c/o CONI – Palazzo H – Piazza Lauro de Bosis 15 00135 Rome (RM)
+39 06 3272 3221 | ufficiostampa@fidaf.org | http://www.fidaf.org
Italian Bowl XLIV is Coming Back to Toledo in 2025
Press Conference – Ravenna – June 27, 2024
PRESS CONFERENCE – RAVENNA, JUNE 27
On June 27th at 11:30 AM, a Press Conference will be held in the Sala Preconsiliare of the Municipality of Ravenna to present the finals of the Italian Senior Tackle Championships, all scheduled at the B. Benelli Stadium in Ravenna on the following dates:
- XLIII ITALIAN BOWL – Saturday, June 29
- XXIV NINE BOWL – Friday, July 5
- XXX SILVER BOWL – Saturday, July 6
The conference will also be an opportunity to present the second Fidaf-IFL Business Forum, scheduled for Friday, June 28 in Bologna, under the patronage of the Municipality of Bologna, Unioncamere Emilia-Romagna, and the Chambers of Commerce of Bologna, Ferrara, and Ravenna, in collaboration with RGP Northwest Ohio.
Italian Bowl features (American) football, international cuisine and more
US Consulate Press Conference
XLII Italian Bowl is coming to Toledo!
The Italian Football League Championship Is Coming To America For The First Time
ATLANTA, GA – A historic event for Italian and European American football will take place this summer as the University of Toledo’s Glass Bowl Stadium will host the XLII Italian Bowl. The 42nd installment of the Italian Football League (IFL) championship will be played in the United States for the first time ever on July 1, 2023.
“Taking the IFL final to Toledo in the United States, where the game originated, has the hallmarks of an epic adventure for Italian American football,” said FIDAF Deputy Vice President Fabio Tortosa. “We are grateful to have this extraordinary opportunity for growth as it will positively impact the entire Federation as well as the two teams in the final.”
The week leading up to the championship game will be packed with Italian-themed events, including the Taste of Italy Restaurant Week, Toledo Night Market and Festival, Youth Football Camps, and more. There will also be a Mayor’s Cup, featuring a football skills competition between several mayors in northwest Ohio and Michigan, including Toledo mayor, Wade Kapszukiewicz.
“The IFL final, and all that comes with it, will facilitate more exchanges and greater understanding between different cultures, further cooperation, and more positive interactions for thousands of people.” said Kapsukiewicz.
Award-winning sport marketing firm, The Aspire Group (Aspire), is managing all digital and social media marketing for the XLII Italian Bowl, defining, creating, and executing across all platforms. Aspire will also drive ticket sales through direct email marketing.
“Aspire is excited to help bring such an exciting event to Toledo.” said Aspire Strategy and Marketing Manager, Jake Martin. “Our company has strong ties to the University of Toledo, and we are eager to utilize our expertise in email and social media marketing to drive enthusiastic fans from around the world to this unique championship game.”
All tickets on sale now at theitalianbowlusa.com/tickets. Tickets start at just $15 for general admission and $30 for reserved seating at the University of Toledo’s Glass Bowl Stadium. Club level tickets, which offer premium indoor seating and a buffet, start at $50.
A limited number of private suites are also available. Please utilize the Visitor Interest form for all suite inquiries.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for all updates on the XLII Italian Bowl.
About The Aspire Group
The Aspire Group is an award winning sports and entertainment marketing firm, named as a top employer in the industry by both Forbes and Front Office Sports. Globally recognized for innovative consulting, ticket sales, and partnership services, Aspire created the outsourced ticket sales niche, revolutionizing with its first Fan Relationship Management Center (FRMC) at Georgia Tech in 2009. Over the past 15 years, more than 300 collegiate and professional sports properties have trusted Aspire to drive revenue, attendance, and enterprise-value growth through the combination of strategic consulting and research, sales and service training, and best-in-industry fan relationship management.
