I began www.ViolaIE.com for my own benefit. I wanted to further the popularity of ACF Fiorentina in my own country; the United States. Why, you ask? I want the networks here to televise Fiorentina's matches. I want to walk into a soccer store and have more Serie A options for a shirt than just Juventus and the Milan clubs. I want Fiorentina to stage a summer U.S. tour... Every year. I want, I want, I want... So, yeah, it is all about me.
So, those are my goals. My wants. The only way I could think of to satisfy my own wants was to create what will become the greatest English-language website on the planet exclusively dedicated to one specific team. I'm not there yet; between an 11½ hour-a-day job, 4 daughters, my online retail business and spending at least some time with my wife; but I put as much into this as time allows me. My (pretty likely) goal is to be 'retired' from my regular job by November of 2007 and really turn this site into the site that I envision; an English-language www.fiorentina.it or www.fiorentinanews.com or www.firenzeviola.it ... The English-language Fiorentina fan's first daily stop for Viola news, rumors and commentary.
As a by-product of all of this I want to see Fiorentina become the most widely-followed Italian club outside of the happy peninsula. That, however, is a long way down the road.
As each World Cup rolls around soccer enthusiasm reaches a rare peak here in the United States. Millions of Italophiles, Italian-Americans and females (of whatever ethnicity) flock to the the banner of the Italian national team in huge numbers. The Cup ends and then what? It's so much of a chore to get Serie A news (especially for those who cannot read Italian) that the passion fizzles out and hibernates for another four years. Four years wasted, not watching the greatest domestic soccer league on the planet, the Italian Serie A. This site aims to change all of that, to allow the reader (and, hopefully, commenter) to really feel that he, or she, is an insider of one of the greatest clubs in Italian soccer history... Mighty Fiorentina!
The question begs to be asked... Why Fiorentina? What makes Florence's purple-clad team the one that you should follow?
- The first and simplest answer is this very website. No other Italian club will have English-language information so readily available. That's my pledge.
- Fiorentina has amassed 150 points over the last two Serie A seasons. They are a squad on the rise and the Big 3 (AC Milan, Internazionale and Juventus) know it. The Purple Scare has officially begun.
- Fiorentina has great people at all of the important places. We have a business-savvy, yet still passionate, chairman in Andrea Della Valle. We have Cesare Prandelli, widely considered to be one of the best young (49, as of this writing) soccer coaches in Italy. Our Sporting Director is the prophet, Pantaleo Corvino, the Macchiavelli of the 21st Century. And what better city for a Macchiavelli than Florence?
- Several exciting stars, in their primes, play for Fiorentina. From Mutu to Ujfalusi; from Dainelli to Frey.
- Fiorentina is loaded with the talented young players who will be starring at the 2010 World Cup. Italian players like Pazzini, Montolivo, Donadel, Gamberini and Lupoli seem destined to become super stars. But we also have several players from other nations who will be playing in South Africa. Players like Frey and Lepiller (France), Hable and Mazuch (Czech Republic), Avramov and Kuzmanovic (Serbia), Vanden Borre (Belgium) and Mutu (Romania). And more are arriving all the time because...
- Fiorentina has made a real commitment to stockpiling exciting young talent from around the world. Corvino is a genius at sniffing out future stars and he has the full backing of a well-financed club to put it all into motion. Coming soon; a world class soccer academy in Brasil to solidify our position as a world soccer power far into the future.
- The greatest fan base in Italy and one of the greatest on the planet. The tifosi are passionate and loyal and always keep our home matches entertaining and truly advantageous.
Stay with me and enjoy the ride as I make this site into a valuable resource for Fiorentina fans the world over. Whether you saw Antognoni in person or are new to Italian soccer and just want to find a team to latch onto; being a Fiorentino is a very good thing and I hope to make it a richer experience for all of my visitors.
Alè Viola!
Nick Puglia
03August2007
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