LA NOSTRA TRADIZIONE: HISTORY OF THE ULTRAS FORTE DEI MARMI FROM 1976

Francesco Consigli, the author answers my questions on the book and the fans scene in this small seaside town in Tuscany. The book is an extraordinary collection of historical information and photographs of the ultras movement in Forte dei Marmi since 1976.

• How did the idea come about, to create such a magnificent project and write a book on the history of the ultras in Forte dei Marmi?

The idea of writing a book was born 5 years ago together with Alessandro Carducci, remembering our history and all the years spent on the terraces, we were convinced that it was possible to make a book.

• The book is very beautiful, full of information and photographs, it is not easy to collect such an amount of one or the other. Who helped the author put the book together.?

In addition to Francesco Consiglio, the author, Alessandro Carducci and Daniele Galleni collaborated. The support of the graphic designer Flavio Mornelli was also important.

• How long did it take to gather information, materials, prepare the book itself?

Writing the book and putting together all the material took us 10 long months

• How many copies have been printed?

All together 500 copies were printed, at the moment only 100 copies remain to be sold. We are very happy with the success of our book.

• Was it funded with the group's resources or did you have sponsors?

To print the book resources from the SGR and Vecchia Guardia 1976 groups were used partly, we also had numerous sponsors as well.

• I noticed that the Libraccio bookshop offers the book La nostra tradizione. What are the other official sources to buy the book?

The book can be purchased by sending us an e-mail to lanostratradizione@virgilio.it or online on the Amazon or IBS Feltrinelli portals.

• What did you want to say with the title Our tradition? Were there any other ideas on how to name the book?

Initially the idea was "Forte dei Marmi Ultras" but we wanted to give a title that would represent the whole community of Forte dei Marmi rather than just the Curva. For us, hockey is not just a sport to follow, but a tradition.

• Hockey is not one of the most popular sports, its popularity cannot even be compared to football, basketball or Formula 1. Why has there been such strong support for hockey in Forte dei Marmi?

In Forte dei Marmi hockey is religion, because it has united the whole city. Since the 60s and 70s our small town could deal with large provincial cities such as Florence, Rome, Bari and then Novara, Vercelli, Salerno, etc. without forgetting the European matches with great sports clubs, famous all over the world such as FC Barcelona, Benfica, FC Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Liceo Deportivo La Coruna ... for a small town of 6,000 inhabitants it is a pride.

• In 2021 it will be 45 years since the first ultras showed up for hockey matches in Forte dei Marmi. This is an extraordinary time. How did the scene itself develop in this period?

This year we are celebrating 45 years, a very long period for a small group like ours. The support began with the boys from Vaiana (a small fraction of Forte dei Marmi), then the boys from the city center joined them. The construction of the new Palasport in 1982 was also very important. In addition to the historic groups, since 2014 we also have an ultras Section from Milan.

• Was there ever an interest in supporting football in Forte dei Marmi?

The football team is followed by the traditional public but not by the Ultras. In Forte dei Marmi the ultras support only the hockey team.

• You have won championship titles, what else can you achieve in this sport? How popular is hockey in Italy?

Forte dei Marmi is a small town but 4 times we were Italian Champions, also reaching a European Champions League semi-final in 2016 and two European Cers Cup semi-finals (equivalent to the Europa League of football) in 1986. and in 2014. Hockey is popular in small towns while it is absent in big cities like Milan, Rome, Turin, Naples etc.

• Are there other ultras groups in the hockey championship?

Other important Ultras hockey groups are in Valdagno, Lodi, Follonica, Viareggio, Bassando del Grappa, Vercelli, Monza and Breganze. In the past they also had a great fan base in Novara and Giovinazzo.

• Last year was terrible from the point of view of fans of any sport and 2021 looks like it could be the same. What can be done in these moments, how is the group maintained?

2020 was a terrible year for the ultras groups. We meet every month to maintain the group, to socialise and to talk about future goals.

• What are your goals in 2021 and in the near future?

Now we are just waiting to be able to return, in our own way, to the Palazzetto dello Sport to support our favorite team.