Date: 18/9/13
The Federazione Italiana Rugby Football League is convinced our rugby league movement is growing visibly, David Massitti says “Last season we have got a lot of important numbers – says the federal chief executive – and I personally found the finals thrilling, which was played between Gladiators Roma and Falchi Pian Del Bruscolo (Pesaro).
I believe that, for the level of play that we have seen at Acquacetosa, it was the best game of rugby league ever played in Italy. Among other things, the match was played with excellent public support, characterized by the presence of many “experts” (professionals or well-known Rugby people in Rome) and people of great competence who appreciated the event of the Final Four.
In our league, furthermore, was the presence of the strong team of Frosinone Bisonti, a team that plays within the prison of Frosinone. An experiment of great social significance that has filled us with pride, “Not only with our Championship.â€
Last season was also one of progress (within our youth program) at Civitavecchia and Avezzano , for the newly formed National Under-17 (development program from north to Sicilia) – highlights Massitti – a further sign of the structural growth of our movement.
Among other things, on the occasion of the appointment of abruzzo, a health problem to one of the boys on the field occurred and our medical staff together with the rescue supported and promptly revived. I take this opportunity to publicly congratulate also the entire structure of the medical personal of FIRFL where there are people of high professionalism. “
Just from the National FIRFL we will have to start as the season is coming. “We need to continue to grow steadily – says Massitti – trying to take new steps forward with both the League and the Italian Cup that will return from next spring and throughout the summer.
We will also have the honor of organizing international meetings with our national program (and more junior selections) both in Italy and abroad: all signs of the growing international consideration of our movement. Another that will be launched , finally, projects related to schools and social aspects, this time at an international level , always with young people because we consider of primary importance for this participation to our discipline.â€
In closing Massitti says “do not forget the difficulties of “coexistence” that there has been in recent times. There’s another movement of rugby league in Italy that has strongly resented us and which was not possible with any form of dialogue and democratic unification. We have been accused unjustly that we do not want reunification. We now have irrefutable evidence that we were not the ones that really did not want to reunite. We have many times contacted international bodies, showing total openness to a reunification process based on democracy and reunification on real work in the territory: too much we were ignored. We, therefore, will continue on our way and then the CONI (Italian Olympic National Committee) will decide who will have the necessary requirements as an institution to advance the discipline of rugby a 13 (in Italy).â€
