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 Italy's top professional volleyball league for men. It's like the "major league" of volleyball in Italy! The highest level of this league is called SuperLega.
Since the 1980s, many of the world's best volleyball players have come to play in the SuperLega. This makes the competition very exciting and tough. Today, the SuperLega is known as one of the best volleyball leagues in the entire world.
Contents
How Italian Volleyball Leagues Work
The Italian volleyball championships are organized into different levels. Think of it like different divisions in sports. Here are the main ones:
- SuperLega: This is the highest level, with 12 teams competing.
- 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.
There are also lower levels like Serie C, Serie D, Prima Divisione, Seconda Divisione, and Terza Divisione. These are organized by local committees.
SuperLega: Italy's Top Volleyball League
SuperLega is the top competition for professional men's volleyball clubs in Italy. The Federazione Italiana Pallavolo (FIPAV) helps organize it.
The league has had different names over the years. It was called Serie A from 1946 to 1977. Then it became Serie A1 until 2014, when it changed to SuperLega.
Since 1982, the championship has two main parts:
- A regular season: All teams play each other. This helps decide which teams go 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 knockout style tournament to win the championship trophy.
The 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, many tournaments were held by youth and worker groups.
After World War II, a new organization called Federazione Italiana Pallavolo (FIPAV) was founded in 1946. Later that same year, the city of Genoa hosted the very 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, Parma, Bologna, and Florence won most of the championships for over thirty years. By the 1970s, teams from central and southern cities like Rome and Catania also started to become 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 by far the best volleyball league in the world. This was because all the best Italian players and top foreign players from countries like Netherlands, Brazil, Cuba, and Russia played there. In the 1990s, Italian teams won almost all European club competitions. People even called Serie A1 "the NBA of volleyball"!
SuperLega Today
Today, Serie A1 is known as SuperLega. It is still one of the most challenging and competitive volleyball leagues in the world. Volleyball is played all over Italy. While football is super popular in big cities, volleyball is especially loved in medium-sized and large cities across the country.
SuperLega Champions
Here are the champions of the Italian volleyball league since 1946, organized by FIPAV:
| 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 and Stadiums
The following teams are competing in the SuperLega for the 2024–25 season:
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | Allianz Milano | Allianz Cloud Arena | 5,420 |
| CVA | Cucine Lube Civitanova | Eurosuole Forum | 4,000 |
| GRO | Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina | PalaSavelli | 3,600 |
| 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 | Cisterna Volley | 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 men's volleyball in Italy. It is also organized by FIPAV. This league was created in 1977 when the original Serie A was split into two levels: Serie A1 (now SuperLega) and Serie A2.
League Sponsors
Over the years, different companies have sponsored the league. Here are some of them:
- 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
Images for kids
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Crowd attending a volleyball match in Cuneo.
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2007–08 Itas Diatecc Trentino's celebrative gonfalon.
See also
In Spanish: Liga Italiana de Voleibol para niños
- Italian Volleyball Supercup
- Best Player in Serie A1
