Grottazzolina in Bologna

“There’s an awareness of the important progress we’ve made, which, while keeping our feet firmly on the ground, isn’t a point of arrival because we want to consolidate ourselves.” Rossano Romiti, president of Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina, is in Bologna where the Serie A clubs are gathering for three days. On the agenda: the transfer window, the schedule draw, and various seminars under the aegis of the Volleyball League. If a year ago, Yuasa Battery experienced this event as a debutante at the grand royal ball of the Super League, this time the situation is different because the extraordinary 2024-25 championship is still the subject of discussion and celebrations. Romiti adds: “It’s a great pleasure to receive compliments from fellow presidents and managers for the season we’ve just concluded, for our prodigious survival after a first half of the season with only defeats. The messages are multiple: even in the worst moment, marked by so many defeats, we didn’t distort the project, we didn’t disintegrate, we kept the team on track. We’ve proven something, in short, everyone recognizes it. With so many presidents—I’m talking about the A2 clubs—we’ve been connected for many seasons, competing on the pitch, and battling off it to grow the movement. They see us as a model: the Grottazzolina model. This morning at breakfast, a colleague from the north said to me: ‘Romiti, do you know I’m taking inspiration from Grottazzolina in managing the first team, engaging the local community, and developing the youth sector?’