The 11th edition of the Volley Land got off to an exciting start. The two-day event that hosts the Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega Final Four and the Serie A2 cup final is much more than those games. The doors of this giant sport centre, the Mediolanum Forum, opened at 9am on Saturday morning with inside a whole world to discover with infinite fixtures for the fans like the “Volley Gallery” or the “Fun Area”.
The Italian Volleyball League Serie A, in collaboration with the FIPAV Committee of the Lombardy region and Milan, brought to the fans the best the volleyball planet has to offer. Super stars of the game, Serie A clubs, supporters and sponsors have all been involved for the joy of the waves of fans enjoying the ride from one area to another, while the giants of Italian Volleyball were training amid rigorous silence in the temple of Milan’s volleyball.
LEARN AND PLAY WITH MAURIZIA
Accompanied by volleyball stars of the past and present, former setter Maurizia Cacciatori spent some time with the kids in the nine squash camps turned into mini volleyball courts. Among the many big names present, there was also setter Jack Sintini to teach the children the fundamentals of the game. Over 300 kids took part.
THE ANDREA LUCCHETTA SHOW
At the dawn of Volley Land, the first visitors stumbled across the personal show of “Crazy Lucky”. The former Italian international dispensed smiles to the fans, joked around with everyone, winked at the flashing cameras and gave big hugs in the federal hall.
VOLLEY LAND FACES
Adults and children were caught in the frame thanks to the maxiPolaroid to get a souvenir picture from their stay at the volleyball fair. Original shots with friends, tongues out, crazy celebrations with the animators for a special Instagram profile.
PADOVA GIANTS AT THE FORUM
Strolling around the Assago forum with regular stops at their stand and the many initiatives, there were also the Padova players, who are coming off a brilliant victory over Molfetta. There were many pictures for Enrico Lazzaretto, Marco Volpato and Sebastiano Milan.
FANS QUEUING AT THE ENTRANCE
The volleyball population gathered early at the entrance of the Forum full of expectations for the big games of the SuperLega semi-finals. They were also eager to discover all the various stands of the SuperLega and Serie A2 clubs. Among them, there were also non-profit associations like the Amref, the Giacomo Sintini Association and “We’ll never leave each other”, the association of Federica Lisi, extremely active in her mission to raise awareness among youngsters in the use of defibrillators in sport and in the schools. The stand dedicated to the Video Check was highly popular too. Success as well for the virtual game with true matches and the possibility to “capture” with a stop-motion picture the spikes of one’s friends.
THE MASCOTTE
The craziest volleyball mascots were on hand to catch the looks of the children. Captain Mister Banana was accompanied by the bear Tore and Johnny Potentino, who all enjoyed their time in games for baby fans like the “Volley Twister”.
WATCH OUT FOR THOSE TWO
The two lanky stars of Piacenza volley, Croatian spiker Marko Sedlacek and Serbian spiker Drazen Luburic were at the disposals of adults and children all morning.
360 degree Potenza video
A lot of fans visited the stand of Potenza Picena, Serie A2 champion last year. There were gadgets to win and a special virtual reality experience to live thanks to the 360° video. Coach Gianluca Graziosi, outside hitter Federico Moretti and four other players were there to greet the fans.
TOURAMENTS ALL DAY
What kind of volleyball fair would it be if there wasn’t the possibility to show off one’s potential on court? The young volleyball players took part in the tournaments organised at the Mediolanum Forum. In the first day, there were 45 Under 13 teams for a total of 230 players and 80 games, 22 Under 16 teams for 150 players and 60 games. A dozen of over 16 teams took part too, but we expect many more for the Sunday tournaments.
WOMEN VOLLEYBALL
While the countdown to the SuperLega semi-finals is on, there will also be a big game in women’s volleyball to follow in the Master Group Sport Volley Cup between Club Italia and Metalleghe Sanitars Montichiari.
DRIBBLING COURT SIDE
The special guest for the “Dribbling” show is Simona Rolandi, who will be sitting court side. The former volleyball star will give her insight on the popular sport program broadcasted on Rai 2. A striking view of the Volley Land was given between 1.25 and 2pm.
