There is weight – and action – behind the words of the President of the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR). That long-term strategy is in full view this month as the city of Parma, fast becoming the heartland of women’s rugby in Italy, hosts of the inaugural Women’s Summer Series. It’s a landmark event that is hoped could end up benefiting the women’s game across the globe.
“At FIR, we’re fully committed to actively supporting our own pathway, both for the men and women,” says Innocenti, whose 42 caps for his country included captaining them at the first ever Rugby World Cup in 1987. “We successfully hosted the U18 Men’s Six Nations Festival in Parma earlier in the spring, and when the opportunity came to host the Women’s Summer Series we thought it was fully consistent with the way we want to be creating the rugby stars of tomorrow.”
For Innocenti, these new competitions offer a stepping stone from age grade to senior rugby that until recently had been missing. As he puts it: “They’re key, both for the players who are exposed to a high-level environment – which is crucial for their pathway – and for our personnel who are developing their organisational skills.”
In fact, according to Innocenti, the benefits extend beyond the immediate field of play. These events attract new volunteers and draw in the local community, very much cultivating the ‘rugby family’ on a consistent basis. Those very same people will have been heartened to see how well Italy’s young players have performed so far in the Women’s Summer Series, with wins against Scotland and Ireland thrilling fans at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi ahead of Sunday’s final round of matches.
“If you look at the women’s game only few years back, having an elite U20s international competition taking place in Italy would have been hard to believe,” says Innocenti, who became FIR President in March 2021. “Today, Italy’s hosting a superbly-organised competition and the six main European rugby unions are sending some incredibly skilled and promising young athletes to compete in it.
“I’m currently in the Southern Pacific with the men’s senior team, but I didn’t miss a second of our women’s U20 teams on YouTube. I’m very pleased with what I’ve seen and, more generally, by the quality of rugby on display in Parma.”
Julie Paterson, Chief of Rugby for Six Nations, has praised the FIR for its “instrumental” role in bringing the Women’s Summer Series to life, adding: “The introduction of the first ever Six Nations Women’s Summer Series is a hugely significant moment for the women’s game. Critical to the development of the women’s game is giving players, coaches, and match officials opportunities to gain experience in a structured international environment. “Parma, and the facilities provided by the Italian Federation, delivered the perfect environment for the six teams, and huge thanks must go to their team for hosting the new tournament and delivering an incredible experience for the visiting Unions.”
In broad terms, women’s age grade rugby is in its infancy, so the Women’s Summer Series is in many respects a milestone in its journey. Innocenti agrees. “The women’s game is evolving so fast that it’s frankly tough to believe Italy wasn’t competing in the Six Nations eighteen years ago. The game has a lot of margin for evolving both on and – mostly – off the pitch, and these competitions are a great tool for supporting that growth.”
The fruits of the FIR’s labour when it comes to its pathway were there for all to see earlier this year across both the men’s and women’s Guinness Six Nations. Alyssa D’Incà was a standout for her country (not least in claiming the Try of the Championship award), while Tommaso Menoncello was named Guinness Player of the Championship. “If you look at some of our most exciting young players, and those two are just the most obvious examples, they both came through the FIR pathway,” Innocienti explains. “And the same can be said for the most brilliant stars featuring for the other Unions in the Championships. Pathways are vital for the future of elite international rugby across the globe.”
Whilst Innocenti sees the benefits competitions like the Women’s Summer Series can bestow on players with regards to high performance, he also reflects on the unquantifiable positives rugby provides. “Firstly, I do hope everybody will have an everlasting memory of their days spent in Parma: a beautiful city with a sound rugby heritage,” he says of the city which is home to the Zebre men’s and women’s franchises. “The bonds that rugby creates, especially between young people, are invaluable wherever the sport may take them.
"Not all the players competing this month will wear the senior team jersey, but all of them will cherish forever the days spent in Parma with their coaches, referees and teammates, and that’s the amazing legacy with which we want them to leave our country and the competition.”
