News You Can Use – IFL Edition #5
- Pasquale Basile
- Dec 5
- 9 min read
This fifth issue of our monthly magazine dedicated to Italian football has a lot on the table, from the National Tackle team's final match of the calendar year to the presentation of the new Italian Football League.
There's a lot of news to report, especially regarding the IFL sidelines, with both confirmed players and new arrivals.
Italy loses against Canada in Milan, losing the first Gridiron Nations Championship
On November 9th, Italy and Canada took to the field at the Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan for the second game of the Gridiron Nations Championship.
After the Azzurri's triumph in Krefeld in the third-place match of the European Championship against Germany, a game also counting towards this tournament, the Azzurri needed a victory to mathematically secure their title in the tournament. However, that didn't arrive, as the Canadians prevailed 20-17 in a tight game.
The home team took the lead with a 25-year-old field goal by William Testa, kicker for Bergamo Lions, which was immediately tied by a 42-yard kick by Canadian Adam Preocanin early in the second quarter.
The North Americans took the lead with a running touchdown by Jamel Lyles before halftime, but in the second half, Ryan Minniti, who also recorded a one-handed interception, tied the score.
After another Lyles touchdown, Andrea Volonnino scored early in the fourth quarter on a pass from Luke Zahradka, tying the score once again.
Midway through the final quarter, the Canadians regained the lead with another field goal from Adam Preocanin. Testa attempted to tie the score at the end, but his 42-yard field goal missed the post, sealing Canada's triumph in Milan.
Despite a better roster than the one they lost in Cagliari, the Azzurri were held to a draw in a tight and evenly matched game until the very end.
It's worth noting that Canada's roster featured James Fleurissaint, the only opposing player to have played for an Italian team after last year's experience in Savona with the Pirates.
Three more players have decided to retire from the Blue Team after this game: Simone Perego, who has also decided to retire from American Football, Skorpions’ Davide Vuolo and Marines’ Giacomo Insom, who will continue their career.
The following week, the Canadian team won in Bochum against Germany 25-10, winning the first edition of the tournament.
No team will be promoted from IFL2 this year
At the beginning of November, FIDAF released the results of the registration process for teams wishing to advance to the next season.
Among the teams that applied, only Doves Bologna were granted their application, moving up from the Nine Football League to IFL2 in 2026.
As we will see later in the article, no teams have applied to play in the Italian Football League next year, with the situation remaining largely unchanged.
All, or almost all, of the teams that played in the top flight last year have been confirmed for next season, with further details to be released soon.
FIDAF confirms the teams for the 2026 IFL and IFL2
The FIDAF and the Italian Football League have announced the teams that will compete in the first two divisions next year.
Unlike the previous season, the number of teams will be reduced from twelve to ten, with Lions Bergamo and Pirates Albisola not returning to the IFL and opting for a relegation to IFL2.
Elephants Catania, reigning IFL2 champions, will not advance to the next step and will once again play in the Second Division.
Another new feature will be the single round robin, with all teams playing each other only once during the Regular Season.
The playoff format is still unclear, but it could be the same as last year, with the top two teams advancing directly to the semifinals and the teams ranked third to sixth competing in the Wild Card Round.
In IFL2 three teams (TFU Pisa, Grizzlies Roma and Chiefs Ravenna) will not come back, while Castelfranco Cavaliers, Nine Football League defending champions, have decided to not play in Second Division next year, unlike Doves Bologna, the only team that will make the jump from Third to Second tier.
FIDAF presents the new IFL and the future of the Blue Team
The new IFL season was presented in Rome on November 28th, along with the format and the date of the final, the 2026 Italian Bowl.
As previously announced, the format will include ten teams and a single group, with all teams playing each other only once.
The championship will begin the weekend of February 28th - March 1st, with the weekend of April 4th - 5th being a collective bye week for the Easter holidays.
The Regular Season will conclude on May 31st, while the Wild Card Round will take place on June 13th - 14th, with the third- to sixth-place teams competing to see who will advance to the semifinals against the top two teams a week later.
The Italian Bowl will be played in Ferrara, at the Paolo Mazza Stadium, on July 4th as part of the Italian Bowl Weekend, a three-day event that will also feature the IFL2 (July 3rd) and Nine Football League (July 5th) finals.
The press conference also discussed the future of the Italian national team ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Starting next year, athletes called up to the Flag Football Blue Team will not be eligible to play for the national tackle team, so they can prepare for the first major pre-Olympic event, the World Cup in Dusseldorf next year, where both the men's and women's national teams will compete.
According to the new national team project, there will be two training camps per month to best prepare the athletes for the events leading up to the next Summer Olympics.
IFL Draft 2025
A few hours after the presentation of the new Italian Football League, the second edition of the IFL Draft took place, again conducted in collaboration with the Rome City Institute.
Seventeen players, some of whom were already present last year, will have the opportunity to play for Italian Football League teams and study in our country, as is done in American college football.
The first overall pick in this year's draft was DL Grant Daniels, from Vicksburg High School in Michigan.
Four players will return to the Italian league after being selected again by IFL teams: Logan Hansen, who played in Liguria last year with the Albisola Pirates and will play for the Ferrara Aquile this year; Parker Richardson, who returns to the Ancona Dolphins; Isaiah Dunn, who played in Rome last year with the Marines and was also selected by the Ferrara Aquile; and Will Reed, who will return to the Legnano Frogs.
Here is the official list of players selected, who will once again be treated as Homegrown Players by the league and the federation this year:
IFL Draft 2025 – Round 1
#1/Warriors Bologna – Grant Daniels (DL, Vicksburg High School, Michigan)
#2/Lazio Marines – Garrett Wilson (WR, Grinnell College, Iowa, NCAA Div.III)
#3/Aquile Ferrara – Logan Hansen (OL/DL, Pirates Albisola, IFL 2025)
#4/Rhinos Milano – Andrew Priore (DB, Union College, New York, NCAA Div.III)
#5/Giaguari Torino – Gavin Thomas (DL, St.Francis University, Pennsylvania, NCAA Div.I FCS)
#6/Skorpions Varese – Tarrin Haws (OL/DL, Evanston High School, Wyoming)
#7/Panthers Parma – Samuel Thornhill (LB/RB, Rock Springs High School, Wyoming)
#8/Frogs Legnano – Mikey Hunt Jr. (DB, IMG Academy, Florida)
#9/Dolphins Ancona – Parker Richardson (DB/LB, Dolphins Ancona, IFL 2025)
#10/Guelfi Firenze – Terry Davis (LB, Lakeland High School, Idaho)
IFL Draft 2025 – Round 2
#1/Warriors Bologna – Caleb Berry (RB/WR, California Lutheran University, California, NCAA Div.III)
#2/Lazio Marines – Patrick Ohanesyan (DL, Sioux Falls Lincoln High School, South Dakota)
#3/Aquile Ferrara – Isaiah Dunn (WR, Lazio Marines, IFL 2025)
#4/Giaguari Torino – Austin Hosier (K/WR, Arkansas Tech, Arkansas, NCAA Div.II)
#5/Skorpions Varese – George Perry III (LB, North Penn High School, Pennsylvania)
#6/Frogs Legnano – Will Redd (LB, Frogs Legnano, IFL 2025)
#7/Dolphins Ancona – Jadiel Perez (RB, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, New Jersey)
Italy gets a new franchise in European Football
Before the waters have calmed down in European football, EFA have announced a couple of new teams for the 2026 season, one of these is being located in Milan.
After two years of absence, European Football comes back to Italy with a fresh identity and a new name, as Seamen can’t be used because it was used in the European League of Football in 2023 and 2024.
There have been rumors for months about an Italian franchise returning to European football, and those voices have finally been confirmed.
Furthermore, the Seamen's promise to return to the field after a year's hiatus has been honored, although the navy blue team will remain outside the project, while still supporting this new initiative.
Since ELF and EFA have reached an agreement announced on November 26th, it is sure that the new italian franchise will play in the European League of Football next year
Habakkuk Baldonado makes history in Canada winning the 2025 Grey Cup
Former Lazio Marines player Habakkuk Baldonado won the 112th edition of the Grey Cup, the Championship Game of the Canadian Football League, with his team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
His team has won the game 25-17 against the Montreal Alouettes, conquering the fifth title in franchise history, the first one in twelve years.
Baldonado finished the game with just two Solo Tackles, but he gave his great contribute during the season, forming part of a solid team.
After his Lazio Marines starting days in American Football, he traveled to the United States, playing first at Clearwater Academy International in Florida and then at Pitt University. Undrafted at the 2023 NFL Draft, he played the NFL Preseason with the New York Giants, before getting cut from the team before the start of the 2023 season.
Picked in the second round of the 2023 CFL Global Draft from the Roughriders, he then spent his pro career there.
He is the sixth italian born player, after Gino Berretta, Wally Buono, Peter Dalla Riva, Emilio Fraietta and Angelo Raffin to win the big prize in Canadian Football, and the first with experience in Italian football.
Legnano Frogs change HC, QB for the 2026 season
Frogs Legnano have decided to move on from both Luke Zahradka and Davide Donnini, QB and HC of the Lombardia team in 2025.
Donnini leaves the team after three years and a huge improvement last year, as the Frogs went on to lose in the playoffs semifinals against future champions Guelfi Firenze, while Zahradka leaves the team one season after coming back to Italy and Italian Football.
The team has already announced their replacements, as Cody Kent, former Straubing Spiders coach, will be the new Head Coach, and former Kuopio Steelers and Schwabisch Hall Unicorns QB Josh Taylor will join the team for the 2026 season.
Zahradka will join the new project presented by FIDAF as the QB1 of the new Flag Football National Team trying to compete to the L.A. Olympics in 2028.
IFAF reveals draw results for 2026 Flag Football World Championship
IFAF has published the results of the draws for the 2026 Flag Football World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany, part of the race for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles where just six teams will participate.
Italy will take part to both the men’s and the women’s tournament thanks to their results in this year’s european championship, as the men’s team won the tournament and the female Blue Team finished in seventh place.
In the men’s tournament Italy will share Group D with France, United Kingdom and Panama, while, in the women’s tournament, the Azzurre will play in Group A with Mexico, Germany and Slovenia.
Players and Coach Movements
Joe Tricario leaves Lazio Marines, joins 9FL team Crusaders Cagliari
Joseph Tricario, former Lazio Marines HC, will be the Head Coach of 9FL sardinian team Crusaders Cagliari.
Last year has replaced Sergio Scoppetta as the chief in command on the sideline for the team in Rome, but the season ended on a 3-7 record, out of the Playoffs.
The Crusaders are hungry for revenge after finishing the Regular Season immaculately (6-0) in Group C, only to be eliminated in the semi-finals of the Conference South against Legionari Roma.
As of now, Lazio Marines have not revealed the name of their new Head Coach for the 2026 season.
Former CEFL and AFL Champion Anthony Gardner joins Aquile Ferrara
Aquile Ferrara have announced Anthony Gardner as their new Offensive Coordinator for the 2026 season.
Gardner has a huge background in european football, playing in Slovenia, France and Austria as a QB during his playing career, winning the CEFL in 2013 with Ljubljana Silverhawks.
The Italian Football League is not a new challenge for him, as he played for Lazio Marines in 2013 and 2017.
Giaguari Torino confirm both HC and DC for next season
Giaguari Torino have decided to confirm Kurt Ramler and Juha Hakala, their Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator, for the 2026 season.
The black and yellow side has made the playoffs for the first time since returning to the IFL last year, losing in the wild card round against Legnano Frogs, but the huge effort made during the regular season convinced the management of the Piemontese team to confirm them for next year as well.
Skorpions Varese have a new Head Coach
Skorpions Varese have changed their HC, as per the Europlayers website. Scott Savoie, a former High School coach, will be the new Head Coach for the red and white side in 2026, even if the team has not confirmed the news on their social media pages.
He will replace former NFL QB Billy Volek in his first experience overseas. Varese did qualify for the Playoffs last year, losing in the Wild Card Round against Panthers Parma.
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