Football’s Italian story starts more than a century ago, with a Thanksgiving Day game in Genoa between the crews of the USS Connecticut and the USS Kansas. It was a one-off game, and decades passed before the sport returned in any organized way: first with Allied troops, in the Bambino Bowl in Bari and the Spaghetti Bowl in Florence, the latter drawing a crowd of 25,000, both played between 1944 and 1945; then through U.S. bases that kept the game alive into the 1950s and 196

On October 4th, at The Social Hub in Bologna, the Italian Football League began preparations for the upcoming 2027 season with a press conference and a league meeting that offered a preview of the league's new year. In the presence of the press and top figures in Italian football, the new season of the country's premier league was launched, featuring numerous new developments and the announcement of several partnerships. What new developments and challenges will the IFL fac

The Italian Bowl Weekend took place in Ferrara on July 4–5, 2026, with all three FIDAF senior football finals held at the same venue: the Paolo Mazza Stadium. Saturday saw action from the IFL2 and the IFL, while Sunday’s stage belonged to the Nine Football League - the third division of Italian football. Who won the three titles? Who were the standout players? What tone will the sport set for the coming year? 2026 Italian Bowl – Guelfi Firenze vs. Panthers Parma: Guelfi’s

With the Italian Bowl 2026—the 45th edition in Italian football history—just a week away, it is time to present awards to the top players of the season that is now drawing to a close. Ahead of the grand finale, the Italian editorial team at First Down Magazine is announcing its picks for the season's top players in Italian Football’s Top tier. The categories are: MVP (Most Valuable Player) OPOY (Offensive Player of the Year) DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year) MIP (Most Imp

1. Guelfi Firenze There are few words to describe this Saturday's performance by the Guelfi at home against the Rhinos Milano. It was a magnificent performance by the players coached by Fabrizio Bocci, who left their opponents with only crumbs. The Tuscans won the match as a team; there's no one name in particular to highlight, although the biggest compliments go to Karim Diop, a player from the youth team who scored his first IFL touchdown. In three weeks, the first test of

The Italian Football League finally returned last weekend, and it did so in style with three games, all played on February 28th. Rhinos Milano and Panthers Parma treated us to one of the best games played as of recent IFL history, finishing 58-56 for the Emilians after four overtimes. The defending champions, Guelfi Firenze, managed to return to the field with a strong victory against Giaguari Torino, who held firm for a half before succumbing 46-21. The first regional der

In Italy, once the NFL season is over, anticipation grows ever greater for the start of the Italian Football League. The Italian Football League, now in its forty-fifth edition, is ready to return at the end of February, as per tradition, with plenty of players and plenty of stars, both established and emerging, ready to battle it out on the Italian pitches. First Down Magazine, this year's Media Partner of FIDAF, will accompany you in this preview with the top names to fol

So much has happened in Italian Football during the last month, as the Italian Football League has started its Silly Season and the Blue Team, both in Tackle and in Flag Football, has achieved great successes and points of departure at both youth and senior level. There's as much meat on the fire in this issue as an Easter Monday or August 15th barbecue, so let's not waste any time and get into the third summary of Italian football brought to you by First Down Mag. ...

The Italian Football League has come to an end as Guelfi Firenze have beaten the Ancona Dolphins 49-14 to take their second Italian Bowl in the team’s history. With that, though, the offseason has just started. Right up until the start of the 2026 season in February, First Down Mag will inform you about all the movements in the IFL by all teams and around the league...

The IFL is approaching half way through the season, teams are starting to actually fight to make the playoffs, do not miss out on the action

Here is the Week 2 power ranking of the Italian Football League, checl out the ranking by division at the bottom of the article!

Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, has seen significant growth in Italy, from its early grassroots phase in the late