On the evening of Saturday 27 April, ASD Rugby Lyons learned of the resolution of the Federal Council which provides for the blocking of relegations from the Serie A Elite Men for the current season, a provision which concerns the Juventus club to the extent that Sitav Rugby Lyons will take part in the top championship Italian also in the 2024/2025 sports season.
The Juventus President Guido Pattarini commented on the solution approved by the federal question as follows: “Beyond the obvious satisfaction derived from the news for our club, it is significant that the line carried out by the clubs has been listened to and accepted: since the beginning of the season all the presidents of the clubs they had expressed opposition to the project of bringing the Serie A Elite to eight teams, a concept then expressed repeatedly in the various meetings with the Federation. We are also very satisfied with the confirmation of the reform of the lower leagues, with the new Serie A1 with 10 teams which will make the newly promoted teams in the top league more competitive. Over the years we have gone through it like other teams, with the current system the jump in category was too clear and this season it was Vicenza who paid the price, who deserve a second opportunity at the top of Italian rugby to consolidate and compete on equal terms with everyone, which we hope will happen more and more in the future.” “For our part – continued Pattarini – the relegation suffered this season smacked of mockery given the numbers collected this season. We equaled our club’s points record in the top Italian championship, set previously when the championship consisted of 10 teams and therefore with two more games. The team’s efforts were evident and deserved a better finish. Now that we have certainty about our future we can look forward with greater serenity to plan the next season, which will constitute an important new challenge for our entire family.”
Below, we report the press release from the Italian Rugby Federation regarding today’s Federal Council.
The FIR Federal Council, meeting on Saturday 27 April via video conference, resolved to block relegations for the current season in the Serie A Elite and Serie A Men’s Championships, with the consequent remodeling of the 2024/25 Men’s Championships. The decision was taken by the governing body of Italian rugby at the conclusion of an in-depth process of consultations and discussions with the clubs and the main stakeholders, with the aim of guaranteeing the movement the best competition opportunities and maximum consistency with the federal technical project. Based on the resolution adopted by the Council, the 2024/25 Elite Men’s Serie A will be made up of ten teams, thus maintaining promotion from Serie A for the 2023/24 season, the final phase of which will begin with the semi-final round next May 19th. Similarly, the blocking of relegations from Serie A to Serie B will lead to an expansion (active link to Federal Press Release no. 1) of the second national division from the current thirty-six teams to the forty expected for 2024/25. Finally, the 2023/24 Serie B will keep the number of promotions towards the 2024/25 Serie A unchanged, qualifying the first place in each of the four groups for the higher category, while the play-out phase between the four last places in each group will determine the relegation to Serie C of the only loser of the final round. Promotions from Serie C unchanged, Serie B 2024/25 will consequently be expanded to fifty participating teams.
