Italian Volleyball League

The Italian Male Volleyball League is structured in several levels of importance; the highest of them is SuperLega (former Serie A1). Since the early 1980s, many among the best volleyball players in the world play in Superlega and the overall level of competition is considerably high.

Italian Volleyball League
Current season, competition or edition:
2020-21
SportMen's Volleyball
Founded1946
No. of teams12
Country Italy
Most recent
champion(s)		Cucine Lube Civitanova
TV partner(s)Rai Sport
Sky Italia
Official websitewww.legavolley.it

Structure

As of 2016–17 season, the Italian volleyball championships are parted in this way:

  • SuperLega (highest level, 13 teams, no relegations);
  • Serie A2 (second level, 12 teams, one promotion and no relegations);
  • Serie B (third level, 14 teams in 9[1] rounds)
  • Serie C, organized by regional committees
  • Serie D, organized by regional committees
  • Prima Divisione, organized by provincial committees
  • Seconda Divisione, organized by provincial committees
  • Terza Divisione, organized by provincial committees.

SuperLega
Picture taken during a volleyball match in Trento.

SuperLega is the highest level club competition in Italian professional male volleyball. It is organized by Federazione Italiana Pallavolo (FIPAV) and Lega Pallavolo Serie A. It was known as Serie A between 1946 and 1977, then as Serie A1 until 2014.

Since 1982, the championship consists of two phases:

Just in few occasions relegation playouts were disputed.

History

Volleyball made its first appearance in Italy after the end of World War I. In 1929 a Federazione Italiana Palla a Volo (FIPV) was founded. During the 1930s several tournaments were organized by youth or workers movements within fascist associations like GIL and OND.[2]

Crowd attending a volleyball match in Cuneo.

After the end of World War II and the overthrow of fascist regime, a new association, called Federazione Italiana Pallavolo, were founded in 1946. Later that year the city of Genoa hosted the first official male championship.[2]

Quickly volleyball became popular in northern regions like Piedmont, Lombardy and especially Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany: clubs based on Ravenna, Modena, Parma, Bologna and Florence regularly won all the championships for more than thirty years. By the 1970s outsider clubs from centre-south cities (Rome, Catania) were more competitive.

In the 1980s the growth of Italy men's national volleyball team led volleyball to a peak of a popularity. After a period in which Turin's CUS and Parma's Santal dominated, great entrepreneurial companies (like Fininvest in Milan, Montedison in Ravenna and Benetton in Treviso) decided to support and invest in volleyball, equipping strong teams which often won European and Intercontinental trophies. During the 1990s and 2000s decades, Serie A1 was by far the best volleyball league in the world, due to the simultaneous presence of all Italian's golden generation members and even all the best foreign players from all over the world (Netherlands, Brazil, Cuba, Russia etc.). All along 1990s, Italian teams dominated all European club competitions and Serie A1 was called "the NBA of volleyball".[3][4]

Situation

Today Serie A1 is called Superlega, it's not the NBA of volleyball anymore, but it's still one of the most difficult and competitive leagues in the world. Italian volleyball is diffused all over the country but, as a consequence of the enormous popularity of other disciplines (football above all) in big cities, it finds its highest popularity in medium-to-large cities.[5]

1936–1941 (OND tournaments)

These tournaments were organized by the National Recreational Club (Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro).[6]

  • 1936: Azogeno Vado Ligure
  • 1937: Azogeno Vado Ligure
  • 1938: Torti Alessandria
  • 1939: Azogeno Vado Ligure
  • 1940: not held
  • 1941: Lanerossi Schio

1946–today (FIPAV tournaments)
2007–08 Itas Diatecc Trentino's celebrative gonfalon.
SeasonChampionsRunners-up
1946Robur RavennaBorsalino Alessandria
1947Robur RavennaBorsalino Alessandria
1948Robur RavennaLega Navale Vercelli
1949Robur RavennaFerrovieri Parma
1950Ferrovieri ParmaRobur Ravenna
1951Ferrovieri ParmaRobur Ravenna
1952Robur RavennaMultedo 1930 Genova
1953Minelli ModenaMultedo 1930 Genova
1954Minelli ModenaAvia Pervia Modena
1955Minelli ModenaCrocetta Modena
1956Crocetta ModenaMinelli Modena
1957Avia Pervia ModenaSestese Sesto Fiorentino
1958Ciam ModenaAvia Pervia Modena
1959Avia Pervia ModenaCiam Modena
1960Avia Pervia ModenaCiam Modena
1961Ciam ModenaAvia Pervia Modena
1962Interauto ModenaCiam Modena
1962–63Avia Pervia ModenaCiam Modena
1963–64Ruini FirenzeSmalteria Ghirlandina Modena
1964–65Ruini FirenzeParma
1965–66Virtus BolognaRuini Firenze
1966–67Virtus BolognaSalvarani Parma
1967–68Ruini FirenzeSalvarani Parma
1968–69ParmaMinganti Bologna
1969–70Panini ModenaRuini Firenze
1970–71Ruini FirenzePanini Modena
1971–72Panini ModenaRuini Firenze
1972–73Ruini FirenzeLubiam Bologna
1973–74Panini ModenaLubiam Bologna
1974–75AricciaTorino
1975–76Panini ModenaKlippan Torino
1976–77Federlazio RomaPaoletti Catania
1977–78Paoletti CataniaFederlazio Roma
1978–79Klippan TorinoPanini Modena
1979–80Klippan TorinoPaoletti Catania
1980–81Robe di Kappa TorinoPanini Modena
1981–82Santal ParmaRobe di Kappa Torino
1982–83Santal ParmaRobe di Kappa Torino
1983–84Robe di Kappa TorinoSantal Parma
1984–85Mapier BolognaPanini Modena
1985–86Panini ModenaTartarini Bologna
1986–87Panini ModenaSantal Parma
1987–88Panini ModenaMaxicono Parma
1988–89Panini ModenaMaxicono Parma
1989–90Maxicono ParmaPhilips Modena
1990–91il Messaggero RavennaMaxicono Parma
1991–92Maxicono Parmail Messaggero Ravenna
1992–93Maxicono ParmaMisura Milano
1993–94Sisley TrevisoMediolanum Milano
1994–95Daytona Las ModenaSisley Treviso
1995–96Sisley TrevisoAlpitour Traco Cuneo
1996–97Las Daytona ModenaSisley Treviso
1997–98Sisley TrevisoAlpitour Traco Cuneo
1998–99Sisley TrevisoCasa Modena Unibon
1999–00Piaggio RomaCasa Modena Unibon
2000–01Sisley TrevisoAsystel Milano
2001–02Unibon ModenaSisley Treviso
2002–03Sisley TrevisoKerakoll Modena
2003–04Sisley TrevisoCopra Asystel Ventaglio Piacenza
2004–05Sisley TrevisoRPA LuigiBacchi.it Perugia
2005–06Lube Banca Marche MacerataSisley Treviso
2006–07Sisley TrevisoCopra Berni Piacenza
2007–08Itas Diatec TrentinoCopra Nordmeccanica Piacenza
2008–09Copra Nordmeccanica PiacenzaItas Diatec Trentino
2009–10Bre Banca Lannutti CuneoItas Diatec Trentino
2010–11Itas Diatec TrentinoBre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
2011–12Lube Banca Marche MacerataItas Diatec Trentino
2012–13Itas Diatec TrentinoCopra Elior Piacenza
2013–14Lube Banca Marche MacerataSir Safety Perugia
2014–15Itas Diatec TrentinoParmareggio Modena
2015–16DHL ModenaSir Safety Perugia
2016–17Cucine Lube CivitanovaDiatec Trentino
2017–18Sir Safety PerugiaCucine Lube Civitanova
2018–19Cucine Lube CivitanovaSir Safety Perugia

Serie A2

Serie A2 is the second highest level club competition in Italian professional male volleyball. It is organized by Federazione Italiana Pallavolo (FIPAV) and Lega Pallavolo Serie A. It was created in 1977 by splitting the previous Serie A in two tiers (Serie A1 and Serie A2).

See also
  • Italian Volleyball Supercup
  • Best Player in Serie A1

References
  1. http://www.federvolley.it/news/serie-b-ufficializzati-i-calendari
  2. "". www.coni.it.
  3. "Dietro il calcio sport da godere". La Repubblica. 20 September 1992. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  4. "Bravi e ricchi, il volley all'italiana". La Repubblica. 11 March 1997. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  5. "Volley, quando vince la provincia". sport.it. 30 April 2004. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  6. "". www.coni.it.

Sources
  • Almanacco Illustrato del Volley - 1987, Panini Edizioni, Modena, 1986
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