Italian Volleyball League
# Italian Volleyball League

The Lega Pallavolo Serie A is structured in several levels of importance; the highest of them is SuperLega (formerly 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. Nowadays, the SuperLega is widely considered the best league in the world.

## Structure

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

* SuperLega (highest level, 12 teams);
* Serie A2 (second level, 14 teams);
* Serie A3 (third level, 28 teams);
* Serie B (fourth level, 14 teams in 9 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

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:

* a round-robin tournament (regular season) which picks out the clubs admitted to the second phase and the teams destined to relegation;
* a playoff tournament, which assigned the trophy.

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.

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.

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".

### Situation

Today Serie A1 is called SuperLega and 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.

### Champions

**1936–1941 (OND tournaments)**

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

* 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)**

| 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 | 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 |

### Teams

The following teams compete in the SuperLega during 2022–23 season:

| Team | 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 | 3,400 |
| 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

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).

## Sponsor

* 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
