Safilo Is the Main Sponsor of Petrarca Rugby

The Petrarca Rugby Team is opening the 2003/2004 season with very important news: Safilo has decided to sponsor Petrarca Rugby, backing its sports and training project.

For Petrarca, this is a highly prestigious venture that will allow it to create a competitive team and promote important projects among young people.

Safilo President Vittorio Tabacchi stated, 'Safilo has always believed in sports as a means of communication and as a social phenomenon, and over the past several years it has significantly increased sponsorship activities on various levels and in different disciplines, including world motorcycle racing, professional cycling and skiing, achieving important results. Rugby is a new sport for us, one in which the competitive spirit has maintained its original meaning, tied to competition rather than business. Petrarca is not only a strong and well-known team, but it also supports these values and promotes them among young people, a segment towards which Safilo is very sensitive. In addition, Safilo and Petrarca Rugby are united by strong ties to the Padua area, where both groups are based and operate.'

Petrarca's management is extremely satisfied with the agreement, particularly outgoing president Andrea Rinaldo, who on July 1 stepped down after seven years in office to make way for the new president, Fulvio Lorigiola Rinaldo commented, 'We are honored by Safilo's participation in the sports and educational project of Petrarca Rugby. It has inspired us to achieve great athletic objectives and perfect the development of the Club as well as the sports movement in Italy and Europe. We are grateful to Safilo for the trust they have placed in us and we will do our best to be worthy of this on the field.'

The two-year sponsorship agreement includes a renewal option. The team will be committed in three areas (Super 10, European Cup and Italian Cup) that also represent a major international showcase. The season will start on August 20 with athletic tests, beginning later than usual due to the fact that the World Championship will be held in Australia in October. Thus, the start of the Super 10 championship will be postponed until early November.