Glass Bowl in Toledo set to expect 12,000+ fans for the Italian Bowl

| American Football | 07/01/2023

Today, the long anticipated Italian Bowl will take place in the Glass Bowl stadium in Toledo, Ohio, Saturday, July 1 between the Parma Panthers and the defending champion Firenze Guelfi.

A significant media campaign by the FIDAF (Italy’s football governing body) has attracted coverage from media outlets both regionally and internationally. The players from Parma and Firenze were even taken on a tour of the NFL Hall of Fame by NFL legend and former Detroit Lion Calvin Johnson.

The choice of location however has drawn some criticism as it takes the biggest game of the Italian Football League’s season halfway around the world, away from the fans who have supported it all year. Despite this, the Italian Bowl has already sold over 12,000 tickets and is expected to far exceed that with on-the-door sales.

Guelfi quarterback Andrea Fimiani commented of the momentous occasion for the young Italians:

‘We arrived in Toledo on Tuesday, but this still doesn’t feel real. Every one of us dreamed about playing in the US at least once in our life, and on Saturday this dream will come true.’

Daniel Mackenzie is a Press Association graduate who works in journalism and communications in the third sector. Daniel began playing football for the London Warriors and Team Great Britain and has since played across Europe.