Women’s field hockey, Butterfly Roma wins the first championship in its history

Internationality and trust in the youth sector. These are the ingredients at the basis of the winning project of the Roman sports club Butterfly hockeywhich in 2023 achieved the first championship in its history thanks to the splendid season of elite women’s field hockey team. The Butterfly girls beat the Ferrini Cagliari Polisportiva in the first leg (3-1) and in the second leg (4-0) of the final played in Pisa on 10 and 11 June. The women’s lawn title had been missing in the capital since 2011, won on that occasion by the young women of Libertas San Saba. For Butterfly Hockey this is the second success in a row, after the Italian Super Cup won by the men’s sector in the 2021/22 season. A success that the butterflies want to repeat, given the imminent engagement in the Super Cup final against Lorenzoni from Bra.

The protagonists of the Scudetto victory

The victory in the final certifies the triumphant season of Buttrefly Roma, which finished in first place with five points ahead of Polisportiva Ferrini. The protagonists of the first leg and return matches were the Argentine national team Victoria Granatto, silver medal at Tokyo 2020, awarded as the best player and the Italian-Argentine Clara Ramon, best scorer with 5 goals. A victory that goes beyond individual prizes, made possible by the commitment of the whole team.

The secrets of the success of Butterfly Hockey

Butterfly Hockey, founded in 1996 by Marco Grossi together with his wife Rita Esposito, trains at the Giulio Onesti Sports Center in Rome, in the Acqua Acetosa area. Over the years the company has distinguished itself for the great involvement of the youth sectors, in a growth project that starts from the under 8 for both sectors, male and female. A constructive and dynamic environment, also from a cultural point of view, thanks to the inclusion in the team of boys and girls from other countries, who are usually in Rome for study or work reasons. This is the case of the German Judith Bock and the Dutch Myrthe Hagemans, two of the interpreters of the Scudetto victory. The credit for the success also goes to the former national team coach Gianluca Cirilli, now coach of the men’s and women’s first team, who totally nailed the choice of staff.

Field hockey increases the popularity of the sport

Field hockey as we know it today originated in England in the 19th century under the label of “gentlemen’s sport”. A difficult brand to eradicate, especially abroad. In Italy it is increasingly accessible, but still too little practiced, which is why Butterfly Hockey has chosen to involve middle school kids from the north quadrant of the capital, including Settembrini and Montessori, precisely to introduce the very young to a discipline still unknown to most. Curious is the story of the goalkeeper, Giulia Bianchini, who defended the posts of the winning team of the Scudetto. The young woman was discovered right at school, when she was 15 years old, by Marco Grossi, president of the club and physical education teacher, during a soccer game in the gymnastics hour at the high school. Her skill with the ball has been adapted to the hockey goal, where you can also use your feet to repel the puck.