Italian federation announces CFL-Italian Combine athletes
The Italian Federation of American Football, FIDAF, has announced the names of the 26 athletes taking part in the historic CFL-Italian Combine scheduled for January 25 at the Guelfi Spots Center in Florence, Italy.
The combine in Italy is one of a series of CFL Global Combines to be held throughout Europe, Mexico, and Japan and designed to assess and measure the size, speed, athletic ability and football skills of top players from outside Canada and the United States who have aspirations of playing professionally in Canada.
The international combines will be attended by representatives of the CFL league office along with the new Director of Global Scouting, Greg Quick. The top players will be invited to Toronto from March 26-28 for the 2020 CFL Combine which will feature international prospects competing alongside their young Canadian counterparts from U SPORTS, the NCAA and junior football. The league’s biggest scouting event will be followed by two separate drafts in the spring – one for global players and one for Canadians.
In 2019, the CFL featured designated ‘global players’ from countries outside the U.S. and Canada on its nine member clubs – a first for the league. Next season, the number of global players per team will grow from up-to-three to as many as five.
As the CFL continues to deepen its international footprint and introduce new pathways for Canadians to play, it has also partnered with the leading gridiron football federations and leagues in Austria, Great Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, and Sweden, and is in discussions with others.
The 26 players attending the combine in Italy includes four Austrians joining the 22 Italian athletes.
A total of eight players from the Italian champion Milano Seamen will be participating as well as four from Austria’s Dacia Vienna Vikings. The Firenze Guelfi (from Florence) have two players as do the Mastini Verona. Another nine Italian teams are represented with one player each including top teams, the Parma Panthers and Lazio Ducks.
| Name | Position | Team |
| Antolini Alessio | OT | Mastini Verona |
| Balogh Leon | DE | Dacia Vienna Vikings |
| Buccellato Claudio | DE/TE | Seamen Milano |
| Bouah Jordan | WR | Seamen Milano |
| Calbucci Tiberio | LB | Warriors Bologna |
| Dalle Piagge Lorenzo | DE edge/LB | Seamen Milano |
| De Savino Andrea | WR | Mad Bulls Barletta |
| Elmi Pietro | WR | Rhinos Milano |
| Felli Matteo | Kicker/Punter | Panthers Parma |
| Fimiani Andrea | QB | Guelfi Firenze |
| Gagliardi Giacomo | DE/LB | Mida Achei Crotone |
| Giuliani Osawe Destiny | DL | Redskins Verona |
| Gobbo Edoardo | Lineman | Mastini Verona |
| Kappel Christopher Amadeus | Kicker | Dacia Vienna Vikings |
| Khay Kevin | LB | Seamen Milano |
| Mattana Mirko | OL | Sirbons Cagliari |
| Milanovic Aleksandar | OT/OG | Dacia Vienna Vikings |
| Molla Xhelian | DE/DT | Lancieri Novara |
| Nicola Claudio | DL | Seamen Milano |
| Perego Simone | DL | Seamen Milano |
| Pozzebon Tommaso | WR | Ducks Lazio |
| Santagostino Gianluca | WR | Seamen Milano |
| Seck Tamsir | WR e Returner Spec. | Giaguari Torino |
| Timotijevic Igor | DT/DE | Seamen Milano |
| Vitti Damiano | WR | Guelfi Firenze |
| Yannick Mayr | WR | Dacia Vienna Vikings |
Combine Schedule (subject to change)
9:00am – Registration (Check-in)
9:30am – CFL Presentation
10:15am – Circuit – Video Shot (& Headshot), Height & Weight, Hand & Arm Measurements, Vertical Jump, Bench Press
11:00am – 40’s, Short Shuttle, 3 Cone Drill, Broad Jump
12:00pm – Positional Drills & One on One’s
12:00pm – OL/DL Drills
12:10pm – OL/DL One on one’s
12:25pm – QB, RB/LB Drills
12:35pm – RB/LB One on one’s (Pass Protection & Routes)
12:50pm – WR/DB Drills
1:00pm – WR/DB One on one’s
1:15pm – Special Teams Drill
1:30pm – Long Snappers/Punters/Kickers
1:50pm – Closing comments – Combine Complete
The Combine will be livestream by FIDAF TV.
