The Florentine team qualifies for Eurocup 3 by winning the qualification tournament in France.

The first time in history for a Tuscan team.

The Menarini Volpi Rosse team has now crossed the border and is on their way to Europe. The Florentine team will be the first wheelchair basketball team to represent Tuscany on an international level in the Eurocup 3.

An absolute debut in Europe in an official, international tournament of the Iwbf, the European Wheelchair Basketball Federation. The extraordinary result this young, Florence-based team brought home was part of the qualification tournament that took place over the weekend in Chalon-Sur-Saône, in Burgundy (France). Being able to take part in this tournament was also thanks to the team’s constant and exponential growth that allowed the team - just in its second year in Serie A - to be high enough in the ranking to take part in the European qualification matches.

Moreover, the Menarini Volpi Rosse team was left undefeated after the games played in France, first they defeated their opponents Elan Chalon (France), then the Belgians Roller Poulls and, finally, the Israeli team of Maid El Karam. In addition to which the team, just a few days later, went on to beat the Belgian team Roller Poulls in the final.

“This is an incredible result and a source of great satisfaction for the team – declared the President of the Volpi Rosse Menarini, Ivano Nuti - We faced our European debut with a sense of humbleness and openness that our young team also displayed on court. This approach allowed us to achieve a historical result, not only for the team, but for the entire Tuscan wheelchair basketball movement".

The French tournament, where the Volpi Rosse team not only bore the name of Menarini but also represented the  ‘Pegasus’ for the Tuscan Region and the ‘Giglio’ (lily), ensign of the city of Florence, came at the end of a season of great results for the team. “Out of a total of seventeen matches between the league and Europe - concluded Nuti - we won twelve. In the league we finished fifth and came in sixth in terms of goal difference after the play-off against Padua. Whilst we were beaten at home, we won the away match which made us the only team to defeat the Venetian team at home".

“The result acheived by the Volpi Rosse is a source of great pride for Menarini - added Lucia and Alberto Giovanni Aleotti, shareholders and members of the Menarini Board of Directors - The spirit and commitment dedicated by the team on court every day are the foundation of such important results and represent, in the best possible way, the values that have always characterised our Company. Congratulations to the young players - concluded Lucia and Alberto Giovanni Aleotti - they are a true example to follow, not only in sport but in everyday life”.