Volata
Encyclopedia
Volata is a ball game that was developed in fascist Italy
as a substitute for association football and rugby union
. It was played by eight-man sides to rules that were a hybrid
of those for football and handball
.
Football was quite popular in Spain
, Italy
and Germany
when fascists came to power in each of these countries during the 1920s and 1930s. However, at the time football was still very much identified as an English game, since the rules for the game had been formalized in 19th century England
, and the first organized sporting teams and associations originated there. Although fascists idealized the sport for its contribution to physical fitness, they wished to distance themselves from its English roots. In Italy, there was an attempt to elevate Volata above the Anglophone sports of football and rugby union. This game was created by the national secretary of the Fascist Party, Augusto Turati
, supposedly based on a form of football played in classical times, such as harpastum
, and therefore indigenous to Italy. Starting in the late 1920s over 100 Volata clubs were formed into a league.
Although enjoying some initial popularity thanks to the steadfast support of Fascist sporting and cultural organizations, volata never caught on in football-mad Italy and in 1933 the effort was officially abandoned, and all references to it expunged from party records. In the end, the invention of the game proved more damaging to rugby union's popularity and place in Italian sporting culture. Indeed, the enduring popularity of football caused Mussolini to completely change his attitude toward football and Italy hosted the 1934 World Cup
, which was won by the hosts.
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
as a substitute for association football and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. It was played by eight-man sides to rules that were a hybrid
Hybrid sports
A hybrid sport is one which combines two or more sports in order to create a new sport, or to allow meaningful competition between players of those sports....
of those for football and handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
.
Football was quite popular in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
when fascists came to power in each of these countries during the 1920s and 1930s. However, at the time football was still very much identified as an English game, since the rules for the game had been formalized in 19th century England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and the first organized sporting teams and associations originated there. Although fascists idealized the sport for its contribution to physical fitness, they wished to distance themselves from its English roots. In Italy, there was an attempt to elevate Volata above the Anglophone sports of football and rugby union. This game was created by the national secretary of the Fascist Party, Augusto Turati
Augusto Turati
Augusto Turati was an Italian journalist and Fascist politician.Born in Parma, after moving to Brescia as a young man, Turati worked on newspapers and became one of the editors at the liberal Provincia di Brescia; he attended law classes, but never graduated...
, supposedly based on a form of football played in classical times, such as harpastum
Harpastum
Harpastum, also known as Harpustum, was a form of ball game played in the Roman Empire. The Romans also referred to it as the small ball game. The ball used was small and hard, probably about the size and solidity of a softball...
, and therefore indigenous to Italy. Starting in the late 1920s over 100 Volata clubs were formed into a league.
Although enjoying some initial popularity thanks to the steadfast support of Fascist sporting and cultural organizations, volata never caught on in football-mad Italy and in 1933 the effort was officially abandoned, and all references to it expunged from party records. In the end, the invention of the game proved more damaging to rugby union's popularity and place in Italian sporting culture. Indeed, the enduring popularity of football caused Mussolini to completely change his attitude toward football and Italy hosted the 1934 World Cup
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
, which was won by the hosts.