Birth of the Serie A1 Super League
The Board of Directors followed by the Volleyball League Assembly met in Bologna. President Diego Mosna introduced what will be the goals of the Serie A1 Superlega, and its new league formula based on licenses and not anymore on a the system of promotion and relegation.
The Superlega license will be given to all the teams that earned the right to be in the Serie A1 in 2014-15. As for 2015-16, the winner of the A2 will be able to present its application to ask for a license, having the additional possibility of a wild card. The latter could be asked by the loser of the A2 playoffs final.
The license will be valid for 4+2 years: at the end of the third season, the League and the Federation will decide whether to extend it for another two years, after the fourth, to make it six overall, the maximum duration of a license.
The license can be revoked through a control system in three various areas over a two-year period, including penalties:
1) League position (a penalty for whom finishes in the last two places)
2) Compliance with financial obligations
3) The percentage of sits occupied during games (due to reach 80% with less than 20% of free tickets. The crowd capacity will remain at 2000 spectators until the 2017-18 season, when it will increase to 3000.
There will be a bonus (which could cancel out a penalty) if a club reach the following targets:
1, Direct participation into the youth championships Under 13 (or U14), 15, 17 or 19 (or Junior League)
2, Merchandising activity
3, Presence in hospitality room
4, A minimum annual threshold of 80.000 YouTube contacts (other ‘social’ parameters are being studied)
The deadline for submission of documents to the Admission committee is June 18, 2014. The deadline to buy sport rights of another club is June 11.
The FiPAV, vice president Bruno Cattaneo and councilor Francesco Apostoli took part in the meeting. They announced the participation into next season’s A2 of Club Italia, composed of Junior players.
