Viareggio, 14 June 2024 – He passed away at the age of 73 at the Opa in Massa where he was hospitalized, Raffaele Zemmimeritorious Fisr coach and figure of great importance in the world ofhockey on track. After having played in his youth in the then Viareggio skaters club, he specialized as a goalkeeper coach and in that capacity he collaborated with numerous clubs and was part of the staff of the senior and youth national teams. It can be said that it was thanks to him that the role of hockey goalkeeper was also valorised in Italy; practically all the extreme defenders of the last 40 years have passed through his hands; one name for everyone, Leonardo Barozzi whom Zemmi had followed first at the CGC, then in the national team.
“At the beginning of the 70s – remembers Francesco Martini, head of the youth sector of the CGC Viareggio – we played together at the Pino on the roof in the first Spv. We then met again at the Hockey Viareggio where he had played before interrupting the activity and dedicating himself to training goalkeepers. The first were Massimo Farioli and Gianluca Grossi who both became European youth champions. From there he moved on to take care of the goalkeepers of the senior national teams with Giovambattista Massari”.
In the area he has collaborated with various companies: in addition to the CGC, the reborn SPV and Forte dei Marmi. In recent years he had embraced the Camaiore Rotellistica project. In this regard, Elia Guidi, who is responsible for the youth sector at Rotellistica, remembers him like this: “For us he was a very important figure. He collaborated with our association for the last five years and trained all the goalkeepers in our youth sector , also taking care of the first team is a big loss for us and we will remember it every time we go on the track.”
To those who asked him why hockey goalkeepers once matured late and now no longer, Zemmi replied: “Simple, because once upon a time no one cared about training goalkeepers, in fact it was often the least gifted who were put between the goalposts. Since they have been followed seriously, in Italy we have among the best goalkeepers in the world.” Raffaele Zemmi’s body, after being exposed to the Green Cross, an association of which he was a collaborator, will be cremated today. Our editorial staff sends our editorial’s heartfelt condolences to the family.
Giulio Arnolieri
