Since 1996 Francesco Venza is the general manager ofOrlandina Basket and he also served as advisor to the National Basketball League. Present at the celebrations of the centenary of the Fip in Messina, the appreciated white-blue manager stressed the value achieved by the champion team: “I believe that all possible and imaginable adjectives have now been used for Capo d’Orlando. A very long history, characterized by countless sporting achievements, photographs the ability to know how to get up in a short time and reach even a European dimension. A level of basketball never reached by any Sicilian basketball club: of this we are and will always be proud of it “.
Venza at the 2017 Basketball Champions League draw
The season just passed for the paladins was totally disputed without the supporters who have always represented one more man. A great regret, in the hope that soon the fans can return to the PalaFantozzi: “We played on March 7 of last year the last match with the sports hall open. In the summer there was fear of the restart of the activity bound to the presence of the public in the arenas and instead the fans were out for the whole season. Objectively, basketball without an audience cannot be played. So I ask myself a question: was it better not to play? We have carried out the championship in a very strange year and now we hope to be able to return to a normal situation as of next September ”.
The empty PalaFantozzi, a constant for over a year
The development of young people represents a corporate belief and diktat that is yielding large dividends to the club which, thanks to the crisis, cannot find the economic resources of the recent past: “For three years we have been at the top of the special ranking for the minutes of use reserved for athletes under. Especially in the ranking of the national sector dedicated to youth selections we get very positive rankings. It is a corporate necessity that we have been able to turn into our strength. When I collected the personal recognition I emphasized it because we are a fairly small territory and significantly squeezed in terms of resources in the last 23 years of activity carried out entirely at the highest level. This situation leaves you with a considerable weight on your shoulders: since 2012 the economic situation has worsened and the last year and a half there pandemic crisis greatly aggravated the picture. What we do is continue to consolidate without major worries in the A2 series and then later we will make our assessments. At the moment, between licenses and other conditions, we cannot repeat a participation in that top flight played for well seven seasons“.
The Orlandina mascot in a pre-race (photo Roberta Fazio)
The dg is very clear on what is the solution to follow to definitively exit the pandemic and be able to return to experience the sporting world as in the past: “The vaccination plan it is fundamental not only for sport but for all the productive activities of the country. The restart of the nation is at stake and therefore at the wheel of all sports in absolute. We have seen that the companies affected by Covid have had major problems at the time of the recovery. In Serie A2 the striking cases were those of Rieti e Orzinuovi and lately San Severo: this has resulted in the postponement of the playout which will start no earlier than 10 June to allow everyone to compete in the best way “.
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