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
