Italian Volleyball League facts for kids
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| Sport | Volleyball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1946 |
| Administrator | FIPAV |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Country | Italy |
| Confederation | CEV |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Sir Safety Perugia (2023–24) |
| Most titles | Modena Volley (12 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Rai Sport |
| Streaming partner(s) | Volleyball TV |
| Sponsor(s) | Credito Emiliano |
| Relegation to | Serie A2 |
| International cup(s) |
|
| Official website | legavolley.it |
The Lega Pallavolo Serie A is the top professional volleyball league in Italy. The highest level of this league is called SuperLega. Since the 1980s, many of the world's best volleyball players have played in SuperLega. This makes it one of the strongest and most exciting leagues globally. Today, many people consider SuperLega to be the best volleyball league in the world!
Contents
How Italian Volleyball Leagues Work
The Italian volleyball championships are organized into different levels. Think of it like a ladder, where teams can move up or down based on how well they play.
Here are the main levels:
- SuperLega: This is the highest level, with 12 teams competing. It's where the best players and teams play.
- Serie A2: This is the second level, with 14 teams.
- Serie A3: This is the third level, with 28 teams.
- Serie B: This is the fourth level, with many teams divided into different groups.
- Serie C and Serie D: These are organized by regions in Italy.
- Prima Divisione, Seconda Divisione, and Terza Divisione: These are organized by smaller areas called provinces.
SuperLega: Italy's Top Volleyball League
SuperLega is the most important club competition for professional male volleyball in Italy. It's managed by the FIPAV and the Lega Pallavolo Serie A. Before 2014, it was known as Serie A1.
Since 1982, the championship has two main parts:
- A regular season: Teams play against each other in a round-robin tournament. This helps decide which teams will move on to the next stage and which teams might move down to a lower league.
- A playoff tournament: The best teams from the regular season compete in a playoff to win the championship trophy.
A Brief History of Italian Volleyball
Volleyball first appeared in Italy after World War I. In 1929, the first Italian Volleyball Federation (FIPV) was created. During the 1930s, some tournaments were organized by youth and worker groups.
After World War II, a new federation, the Federazione Italiana Pallavolo, was founded in 1946. That same year, the city of Genoa hosted the first official men's championship.
Volleyball quickly became popular in northern Italy, especially in regions like Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. Teams from cities like Ravenna, Modena, and Parma won many championships for over thirty years. By the 1970s, teams from central and southern cities, like Rome and Catania, also became strong competitors.
In the 1980s, the Italy men's national volleyball team became very successful. This made volleyball even more popular! Big companies started to invest in volleyball teams, helping them become very strong. These teams often won European and international trophies.
During the 1990s and 2000s, Serie A1 was known as the best volleyball league in the world. This was because it had all the amazing Italian players of that time, plus the best foreign players from countries like the Netherlands, Brazil, Cuba, and Russia. People even called Serie A1 "the NBA of volleyball" because it was so exciting and competitive!
SuperLega Today
Today, Serie A1 is called SuperLega. It's still one of the toughest and most competitive volleyball leagues anywhere. Volleyball is played all over Italy. While other sports like football are very popular in big cities, volleyball is especially loved in medium-sized and large cities.
SuperLega Champions Through the Years
Here are the teams that have won the Italian volleyball championship over the years.
Early Tournaments (1936–1941)
These tournaments were organized by the National Recreational Club.
- 1936: Azogeno Vado Ligure
- 1937: Azogeno Vado Ligure
- 1938: Torti Alessandria
- 1939: Azogeno Vado Ligure
- 1940: not held
- 1941: Lanerossi Schio
Official FIPAV Tournaments (1946–Today)
| Season | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Robur Ravenna | Borsalino Alessandria |
| 1947 | Robur Ravenna | Borsalino Alessandria |
| 1948 | Robur Ravenna | Lega Navale Vercelli |
| 1949 | Robur Ravenna | Ferrovieri Parma |
| 1950 | Ferrovieri Parma | Robur Ravenna |
| 1951 | Ferrovieri Parma | Robur Ravenna |
| 1952 | Robur Ravenna | Multedo 1930 Genova |
| 1953 | Minelli Modena | Multedo 1930 Genova |
| 1954 | Minelli Modena | Avia Pervia Modena |
| 1955 | Minelli Modena | Crocetta Modena |
| 1956 | Crocetta Modena | Minelli Modena |
| 1957 | Avia Pervia Modena | Sestese Sesto Fiorentino |
| 1958 | Ciam Modena | Avia Pervia Modena |
| 1959 | Avia Pervia Modena | Ciam Modena |
| 1960 | Avia Pervia Modena | Ciam Modena |
| 1961 | Ciam Modena | Avia Pervia Modena |
| 1962 | Interauto Modena | Ciam Modena |
| 1962–63 | Avia Pervia Modena | Ciam Modena |
| 1963–64 | Ruini Firenze | Smalteria Ghirlandina Modena |
| 1964–65 | Ruini Firenze | Parma |
| 1965–66 | Virtus Bologna | Ruini Firenze |
| 1966–67 | Virtus Bologna | Salvarani Parma |
| 1967–68 | Ruini Firenze | Salvarani Parma |
| 1968–69 | Parma | Minganti Bologna |
| 1969–70 | Panini Modena | Ruini Firenze |
| 1970–71 | Ruini Firenze | Panini Modena |
| 1971–72 | Panini Modena | Ruini Firenze |
| 1972–73 | Ruini Firenze | Lubiam Bologna |
| 1973–74 | Panini Modena | Lubiam Bologna |
| 1974–75 | Ariccia | Torino |
| 1975–76 | Panini Modena | Klippan Torino |
| 1976–77 | Federlazio Roma | Paoletti Catania |
| 1977–78 | Paoletti Catania | Federlazio Roma |
| 1978–79 | Klippan Torino | Panini Modena |
| 1979–80 | Klippan Torino | Paoletti Catania |
| 1980–81 | Robe di Kappa Torino | Panini Modena |
| 1981–82 | Santal Parma | Robe di Kappa Torino |
| 1982–83 | Santal Parma | Robe di Kappa Torino |
| 1983–84 | Robe di Kappa Torino | Santal Parma |
| 1984–85 | Mapier Bologna | Panini Modena |
| 1985–86 | Panini Modena | Tartarini Bologna |
| 1986–87 | Panini Modena | Santal Parma |
| 1987–88 | Panini Modena | Maxicono Parma |
| 1988–89 | Panini Modena | Maxicono Parma |
| 1989–90 | Maxicono Parma | Philips Modena |
| 1990–91 | il Messaggero Ravenna | Maxicono Parma |
| 1991–92 | Maxicono Parma | il Messaggero Ravenna |
| 1992–93 | Maxicono Parma | Misura Milano |
| 1993–94 | Sisley Treviso | Mediolanum Milano |
| 1994–95 | Daytona Las Modena | Sisley Treviso |
| 1995–96 | Sisley Treviso | Alpitour Traco Cuneo |
| 1996–97 | Las Daytona Modena | Sisley Treviso |
| 1997–98 | Sisley Treviso | Alpitour Traco Cuneo |
| 1998–99 | Sisley Treviso | Casa Modena Unibon |
| 1999–00 | Piaggio Roma | Casa Modena Unibon |
| 2000–01 | Sisley Treviso | Asystel Milano |
| 2001–02 | Unibon Modena | Sisley Treviso |
| 2002–03 | Sisley Treviso | Kerakoll Modena |
| 2003–04 | Sisley Treviso | Copra Asystel Ventaglio Piacenza |
| 2004–05 | Sisley Treviso | RPA LuigiBacchi.it Perugia |
| 2005–06 | Lube Banca Marche Macerata | Sisley Treviso |
| 2006–07 | Sisley Treviso | Copra Berni Piacenza |
| 2007–08 | Itas Diatec Trentino | Copra Nordmeccanica Piacenza |
| 2008–09 | Copra Nordmeccanica Piacenza | Itas Diatec Trentino |
| 2009–10 | Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo | Itas Diatec Trentino |
| 2010–11 | Itas Diatec Trentino | Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo |
| 2011–12 | Lube Banca Marche Macerata | Itas Diatec Trentino |
| 2012–13 | Itas Diatec Trentino | Copra Elior Piacenza |
| 2013–14 | Lube Banca Marche Macerata | Sir Safety Perugia |
| 2014–15 | Itas Diatec Trentino | Parmareggio Modena |
| 2015–16 | DHL Modena | Sir Safety Perugia |
| 2016–17 | Cucine Lube Civitanova | Diatec Trentino |
| 2017–18 | Sir Safety Perugia | Cucine Lube Civitanova |
| 2018–19 | Cucine Lube Civitanova | Sir Safety Perugia |
| 2019–20 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2020–21 | Cucine Lube Civitanova | Sir Safety Perugia |
| 2021–22 | Cucine Lube Civitanova | Sir Safety Perugia |
| 2022–23 | Itas Trentino | Cucine Lube Civitanova |
| 2023–24 | Sir Safety Perugia | Vero Volley Monza |
SuperLega Teams
Here are the teams that played in the SuperLega during the 2022–23 season. The map shows where each team is located in Italy.
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | Allianz Milano | Allianz Cloud Arena | 5,420 |
| CVA | Cucine Lube Civitanova | Eurosuole Forum | 4,000 |
| SIE | Emma Villas Aubay Siena | PalaEstra | 5,500 |
| PIA | Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza | PalaBanca Sport | 3,800 |
| TAR | Gioiella Prisma Taranto | PalaMazzola | 3,100 |
| TRE | Itas Trentino | BLM Group Arena | 4,000 |
| PAD | Pallavolo Padova | Kioene Arena | 3,400 |
| PGA | Sir Safety Susa Perugia | PalaBarton | 5,000 |
| CIS | Top Volley Cisterna | Palazzetto dello Sport | 3,000 |
| MOD | Valsa Group Modena | PalaPanini | 3,000 |
| MZA | Vero Volley Monza | Arena di Monza | 4,000 |
| VER | WithU Verona | AGSM Forum | 5,200 |
Serie A2: The Second Tier League
Serie A2 is the second highest level of professional male volleyball in Italy. It was created in 1977 when the original Serie A league was split into two parts: Serie A1 (now SuperLega) and Serie A2. Teams in Serie A2 compete to earn a spot in the SuperLega.
League Sponsors Over Time
Over the years, different companies have sponsored the Italian volleyball league. Here's a list of some of the main sponsors:
- 1989–91: Wuber Salumi
- 1991–95: Acqua Boario
- 1995–97: Kraft
- 1997–99: La Trentina
- 1999-03: LG Electronics
- 2003–10: TIM
- 2010–12: Sustenium Plus
- 2012–13: Linkem
- 2013–14: UnipolSai
- 2013–: UnipolSai – Del Monte – Mikasa
- 2021–: Credem Banca – Del Monte – Mikasa – Italtelo
See also
In Spanish: Liga Italiana de Voleibol para niños
- Italian Volleyball Supercup
- Best Player in Serie A1
