Italy vs Sweden game on July, 27th for the 15th IFAF anniversary!

On July 27, Palermo will host a historic match between Italy and Sweden. The game was organized to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the IFAF founding.



IFAF (The International Federations of American Football) was formed in 1998 in Italy and, currently, is composed of 64 member nations on six continents (North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania).



The kickoff will be at 9pm on Cus (Universitary Sports Center) Palermo Stadium.



Palermo is a symbolic location for the game. In 1998, the FIDAF President and mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, did oversee the birth of IFAF. With him, there was Alberto Di Dio, now permanent honorary member of board IFAF, named at Vienna in 2011. Now, he is a member of board and he keeps an effective relationship, founded on mutual respect and friendship, with the current IFAF President, the swedish Tommy Wiking, who attended the first meeting.



Also, in 1999 Palermo hosted the first IFAF world championship (and Leoluca Orlando was honorary president of championship board), while Sweden will host the 2015 edition. In 1999, Sweden won the match against Italy 38-12. Italy and Sweden had previously met twice more, in 1993 (Italy won 9-0) and in 1997 (Sweden won 23-3). On July 27, the Blue Team (as the italian team is known) will have a good opportunity to compete against a big opponent immediately before the European Championship Group B which will be held in September in Milan.



Above all, it will be an important match for American Football in itself, because Italy and Sweden are two decisive countries in the growth and world spread of a great not only American sport.



Source: FIDAF