Italian Football League (IFL) is the top level American football league in Italy established in 1980.
The annual final play-off game to determine the league champion is called the Italian Bowl, that awards, for American football, the title of "champion of Italy" and the scudetto.[3]
Background
Spaghetti Bowl, American football bowl game played in Florence, Italy, on 1 January 1945
In Italy, the first American football game took place in Genoa on 27 November 1913 when the teams of the USS Connecticut and USS Kansas faced each other, two of the 14 ships of the American Great White Fleet temporarily docked in the Ligurian port during an exercise cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. USS Connecticut won 17–6.[4]
After this sporadic appearance, American football returned to Italy with the Allied troops during World War II. American football followed the advance of the US units from the south to the north of the Italian peninsula. On 23 November 1944, a touch football match was played at the Stadio della Vittoria in Bari, between the Playboys and the Technical School.[5] The trophy, called the "Bambino Bowl", was won by the Technical School 13–0 in front of an audience of 5,000.[6]
A little over a month later, the Spaghetti Bowl[7] was held in Florence in front of 25,000 people on New Year's Day 1945 between the Bridgebusters (representatives of the Twelfth Air Force) and the Mudders (United States Army North), who they won 20–0.[8] Although probably other matches were played in those years of which no documentation remains, the first in peacetime, took place in Trieste, the last territory liberated from the Nazi-Fascists, in January 1948. The match was organized by the Trieste United States Troops and saw the SP'S prevail over D Company by "three touchdowns" (then 21–0).[9]
History
Legnano Frogs celebrate victory after winning the XV Italian Bowl in 1995
In the 1970s teams formed and played in Italy. The first American football championship organized in Italy, which was never recognized by the federation, took place in 1977 and was won by the Tori Torino [it].
Among the games played in the 1970s there was the first official match played between Italian American football teams in preparation for the first championship officially recognized by the federation; played on 24 June 1978 at the Stadio Carlo Speroni in Busto Arsizio, it was won 36–0 by the Rhinos Milano over the Gallarate Frogs.[10]
In 1980 the first official American football league in Italy was established and crowned a champion.[11] This championship did not include a final and was won by Lupi Roma [it]. However, the title of first champions of Italy was recognized to the Lupi only in 2016.[12]
The Italian league (Series A) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, was one of the first leagues in Europe to sign professional import players and coaches from the US. The league had good popularity in the early years especially the late 1980s and early 1990s with reported attendance of nearly 20,000 fans for a Series A league final championship game in that time period.[13] American Football in Italy has had ups and downs since that time but has always had a competitive league with different lower levels playing below the Italian Football League (IFL).
The new IFL was founded in 2007, taking over previous league's significance called (National Football League Italy).[14] The league was born as a result of the escape of several of the best clubs of the old championship organized by the Italian federation, such as Milano Rhinos, Parma Panthers, Bologna Doves and Bolzano Giants. However some of the historic Italian clubs have not joined the new league and continue to participate in different tournaments organized by other federations.
In the following years a lot of teams moved to the Federazione Italiana di American Football [it] (the federation the IFL belongs to)[15] and most of the biggest teams are now again part of the IFL that is the First Division or in the other two divisions.
The Bergamo Lions have won the most Italian Bowl league championships winning 12 finals.
On Saturday, July 1, 2023, Italian Bowl XLII will be played at the Glass Bowl Stadium on the campus of The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA. This will mark the first Italian Football League Championship held outside of Europe. The Parma Panthers won the game played in front of nearly 10,000 fans and televised in the USA.
† defunct
♦ due to league expansion the Napoli team can play the 2015 IFL season and is not relegated to the second division
‡ Roma Grizzlies won the second division championship and earned the right to play the 2015 IFL season[16]
Italian Bowl
Italian Bowl is the annual final play-off game of the Italian Football League (IFL) to determine the league champion. It is the game that awards, for American football, the title of "champion of Italy" and the scudetto.[3] Until 2014 the championship game was called Italian Super Bowl
The scudetto, a decoration having the colors of the flag of Italy which is sewn onto the jersey of the Italian sports clubs that won the highest level championship of their respective sport in the previous season.
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