Goodbye Aironi

[danit]

Aironi are dead, axed due to financial problems

a new franchise will take their place next season

details will follow

 

[Conal]

not that surprised to be fair

intrigued to who or what will replace them

 

[SelimNiai]

Spent big but didn't get the results to make it work, opposite to Treviso

 

[danit]

intrigued to who or what will replace them

it's still unclear if the new franchise will be entirely operated by FIR or if it will be supported by private funds, let alone the town where it will be based

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Do you think the FIR will push to have the new franchise placed in either Rome or Milan?

 

[Feicarsinn]

One would imagine that the FIR will try to get a team based in Rome, just like they did when they actually got the two sides into the league.

The whole situation is a mess and will only serve to set Italian rugby back another year or two. Whatever the new team, it'll be at least two seasons before they're competitive and with the bulk of their players likely to come form Aironi, it could take longer than that still.

 

[danit]

Do you think the FIR will push to have the new franchise placed in either Rome or Milan?

in Milan only if a big spending entreprise will take control, otherwise it's likely the FIR will opt for Rome

The whole situation is a mess and will only serve to set Italian rugby back another year or two. Whatever the new team, it'll be at least two seasons before they're competitive and with the bulk of their players likely to come form Aironi, it could take longer than that still.

couldn't agree more

 

[psychic duck]

yes the most likely is Rome I've heard

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

The whole situation is a mess and will only serve to set Italian rugby back another year or two. Whatever the new team, it'll be at least two seasons before they're competitive and with the bulk of their players likely to come form Aironi, it could take longer than that still.

Short term, yes it will set them back. Long term, I'm not so sure.

Less than 20,000 people live in Viadana so it's barely a factor as a media and sponsorship market. Over 4,000,000 people live in both Milan and Rome. Each of those cities have packed 80,000 spectators into stadia for Italy internationals. The potential for growth is far greater in both Milan and Rome.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Short term, yes it will set them back. Long term, I'm not so sure.

Less than 20,000 people live in Viadana so it's barely a factor as a media and sponsorship market. Over 4,000,000 people live in both Milan and Rome. Each of those cities have packed 80,000 spectators into stadia for Italy internationals. The potential for growth is far greater in both Milan and Rome.

Yeah, you're probably right. Aironi, as far as I remember, was picked largely due to the fact that it's in the heartland of Italian rugby, with Viadana, Rovigo, Calvisano, etc. all being from in or around there. However, as you pointed out, there's little potential for growth when you base a pro rugby team around that kind of model (in retrospect, Borders and Celtic Warriors could have served as an example.) Not surprising it went belly up.

 

[danit]

Yeah, you're probably right. Aironi, as far as I remember, was picked largely due to the fact that it's in the heartland of Italian rugby, with Viadana, Rovigo, Calvisano, etc. all being from in or around there. However, as you pointed out, there's little potential for growth when you base a pro rugby team around that kind of model (in retrospect, Borders and Celtic Warriors could have served as an example.) Not surprising it went belly up.

as a matter of fact, in addition to Treviso and Aironi project there was the Pretorians', based in Rome, but their financial outcome was so weak that they have aborted

the main issue actually is strictly financial, there's not that much money around and it ain't easy finding someone investing in a rugby side, I'm afraid the FIR will have to manage the situation by himself for a while

 

[danit]

FIR official press-release

"L’organo di governo del rugby italiano ha successivamente esaminato la situazione degli Aironi Rugby, ritenendo suo malgrado di non poter accettare le richieste economiche della franchigia â€" oltre quanto già messo a disposizione dalla FIR â€" per proseguire l’attività.

Il Consiglio ha pertanto disposto all’unanimità la revoca della licenza di partecipazione alla franchigia Aironi Rugby dal Rabodirect PRO12 al termine della stagione sportiva in corso.

E’ stato conseguentemente approvato un nuovo bando di partecipazione volto ad identificare una nuova entità sportiva per la partecipazione al Rabodirect PRO12.
Il bando, di imminente pubblicazione, prevede come termine ultimo per la manifestazione di interesse il 25 aprile 2012.

Il Consiglio ha altresì deliberato che in mancanza di adeguate candidature, la FIR per ottemperare agli impegni assunti nei confronti del Rabodirect PRO12, parteciperà temporaneamente con una squadra a gestione federale"

FIR examined AIRONI Rugby situation, choosing, unwillingly, not to accept the economic requests coming from the franchise - beyond the sum already agreed and put at their disposal - to proceed with the activity. Therefore, FIR Council unanimously decided to revoke AIRONI Rugby PRO12 participation licence, with effect from the end of the current season. As a consequence, the Council approved a new public tender aiming to identify a new sports organization to participate the PRO12. The public tender, which will be published in a very short time, will have a deadline on April 25.
The Council also decided that, in case any acceptable offer would be submitted, FIR will temporarily participate the league with a federal franchise to assure the engagment so as established with PRO12.

 

[greybeard]

So the dream is over.
It was always going to be a difficult season financially after the main sponsor â€" MPS, a big Italian bank â€" pulled out a month before the season started. They had intimated that their contribution would be smaller but not a complete “withdrawalâ€. The club president only found out when he telephoned them! (Two weeks ago the bank reported losses for 2011 of 4.7 milliardi!!!) Then in February the other major sponsor â€" Tonkita â€" also said goodbye. Both decisions due to their respective financial situations. Any club would have had difficulties in this situation.

While I agree that you can’t buy a (successful) team, Aironi did everything that the FIR asked them â€" getting back the overseas internationals and forging links with clubs throughout the north-west. In fact when FIR decided which two teams should partecipate in the Celtic, their proposals were approved unanimously â€" unlike Treviso who at first didn’t meet FIRs criteria.
With their financial diificulties Aironi asked FIR to up their 25% interest and were told unofficially that they would get more help (I read that the Irish, Scots and Welsh boards give around 45% funding to Celtic clubs). At the end this offer was laughable and Silvano Melegari no doubt feels very let down.

It’s going to be difficult for any team to put together a proposal with financial coverage in time for next season, especially given the present economic situation. Viadana had the sponsors, the facilities and the know-how; they had done miracles getting to where they were. If it’s true that you can’t buy a team, can you invent a club ? The irony is that FIR will probably have to fund an Italian team and it will cost them a lot more than repairing the Aironi’s wings. I see a farce coming. Unfortunately.

 

[Glasgow_88]

A shame that it never worked out for Aironi. I think Rome or Milan the next attempt by FIR.

Didn't the plans of a team in Rome fail because of money as well though before?

 

[greybeard]

I am sure that Dondi (FIR president) would like a team in Rome. When Aironi won approval the other team was a new Roman outfit called Praetorians who on paper looked to have all the requirements but on deeper inspection didn't have the financial cover and so Treviso managed to get in at the last moment. And this will be the problem for any team that wants to be in the Celtic; to find sufficient money in the arc of 6 mths is going to be difficult, especially during a recession. Rome obviously offers more potential than Viadana, but it's not a rugby area, and the crowds who came to the Olimpico during the 6 nations were made up of fans from all over the country. Roman teams have always come and gone and there are no Rome teams (or Milanese) even in Eccellenza, the top homegrown pro league. it's going to be a brave club that decides to take up the challenge wherever they are from.

 

[Melhor Time]

Good news for Italian rugby.

Viadana back in the Italian Championship will be good while Aironi being replaced by a big city team makes so much sense.

The history of the Celtic-Italian League makes two clear conclusions.

1. Don´t create teams use ones that fans can relate to.
2. Small town teams have it tough financially.

- Celtic Warriors
- Aironi
- Borders Reviers

Pretty good to be Irish in this regard.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Good news for Italian rugby.

Viadana back in the Italian Championship will be good while Aironi being replaced by a big city team makes so much sense.

The history of the Celtic-Italian League makes two clear conclusions.

1. Don´t create teams use ones that fans can relate to.
2. Small town teams have it tough financially.

- Celtic Warriors
- Aironi
- Borders Reviers

Pretty good to be Irish in this regard.

Well, the provinces gave us a bit if a advantage. Leinster, Munster, Ulster & Connacht had existed as rugby teams for about 100 years before pro rugby came about, albeit they had never been taken that seriously (they'd been provinces/kingdoms for thousands of years before that, but I digress). What with the GAA focusing on provincial championships and such, I think it was relatively easy for Irish fans to identify with the provinces early on and get behind them. This has been helped no doubt by success on the field too. These are advantages that Wales Scotland & Italy didn't have.

It's a tricky situation. On one hand, if you just make the big clubs into super clubs, you risk alienating fans of their rivals and driving them away from pro rugby (think Pontypridd & Cardiff). On the other hand, if you try to make up a new team there's every chance that no one will get behind it, as it doesn't really mean anything to them. This is especially true if the team is struggling on the field.

 

[Draggs]

What will happen to the Aironi players?
Vendetti would make a great signing for a Top14 club.

 

[psychic duck]

What will happen to the Aironi players?
Vendetti would make a great signing for a Top14 club.

they'll all be free agents,

quite a few I would imagine would sign for the Italian team who will replace them in the league

Treviso may also get a few, and also some to the Top 14 maybe

just in case Steve Tandy is reading this, please sign Sinoti Sinoti for the Ospreys, he's quality and is good enough for a better team and probably quite cheap as well, he would be a good #11 for next season

 

[welshglory]

Blues should try and sign a decent tighthead as well... even a 3rd div Italian is probably better than Andrews