Nada Vallone

Managing Strategically in the Italian Tambourin Federation

Why the manager of a sports organization, in every level, should know and study elements and dynamics of national and international sports system?

In sports world, many people working in management and organization still believe that personal experience and personal knowledge can be able to produce a self-management model and to achieve the different goals of their organizations.

This setting is less and less possible: even in Italy, the fast evolution of the sports system require to develop management like business models of the entertainment industry, increasing innovation and creativity.

The new management logic is important for traditional sports organizations and even more for new sports.

For this reason, that’s why we must know that to achieve good results and to achieve the efficiency of the management of a sports organization is necessary to study the organizations, their systems and their structures.

We also know that the voluntaries of Italian sport are working people and they operate in different roles in the various levels of Italian sports system: they have not an economic interests but they do it for personal satisfactions.

Therefore we must forget the old management model of the clubs, where volunteers weren’t experts: administrators must know their accountability and their own risks.

They are also responsible for management of public contributions.

They must know legislative changes, economic and cultural rights of the sports sector.

It is very important to improve the skills for management of sporting association, for management of sports facility, for success of sporting event.

To achieve these goals it’s necessary put best attention in training programs.

Organising a major sport event in Italian Tambourin Federation

 

Tambourin is a Sport that unites several disciplines, and is organized by the FIPT (Federazione Italiana Palla Tamburello):

  • Tambourin Open (practiced on open-air grounds since 1896, 1st Italian Championship);
  • Tambourin Wall (played in open air as well, but with an high wall on the long side of the field);
  • Tambourin Indoor (established in 1937, in Italy, which became a popular sport to be played during the winter season in 1987);
  • School Tambourin (to be played in gyms too, for students);
  • Tambeach (originated in Ragusa, Sicily – Italy, where the first tournament was held over 40 years ago, in 1969).

Most FIPT’s club play Tambourin Open and Tamburin Wall (in Northern Italy), few clubs play the Tambourine Indoor (all over the territory) and very few play the Tambeach (in Sicily and from 2015 in Sottomarina di Chioggia, near Venice).

In Europe, Tambourin open is played in France (from the end of 1800 too, as in Italy). That’s why FIPT and FFJBT (the French tambourine Federation) established as Founding Members the International Federation (FIBaT) in Sanremo (Italy) on 25 October 1987 to promote this sport.

In the early 1900s, many people played for fun with the tambourine on the Italian beaches, without an official regulation.

Only in 1969, more than 40 years ago, in Cava D’Aliga (Ragusa, Sicily) a tournament has taken place with a first regulation. From there, Tambeach gradually spread from the coast of Ragusa to the neighbouring areas of Modica, Donnalucata, Pozzallo, Scoglitti, Vittoria, Caucana and in the near Catania.

This regulation, with some modifications, became the official rules of the first Italian championship, played in 1996 during the celebration for centennial anniversary of Tamburello, where was organized a tournament which included Outdoor Tamburello, Indoor Tamburello and Tambeach. It was here that Tambeach gained official acknowledgment and the rules and regulations of the game were officially established but year after year (21!) the sport has been practiced only in some countries over Europe:  Germany, Hungary, San Marino, Lithuania, Spain and Catalonia. Only Catalonia and Hungary organize International Tambeach tournaments, but without International agreement with FIBaT, and no one organizes National Championships.

Due to its ancient tradition and culture, so widespread along the Italian coasts, Tambeach has been the pioneer of beach sports for many years. In fact, beach sports are far more “recent”: since 2000, when beach volleyball was included in the Sidney Olympics program, many other beach sports such as beach tennis, beach soccer, etc. have been gaining increasing popularity all over the world.

Since it is firm belief of the author that Tambeach might represent an opportunity for the Clubs,  fans and payers, the present case study will  focus on the design, organization and implementation of the procedures to be put in place for the organization of an European Tambeach event, with the overarching goal of giving a major push and visibility to the discipline, thus setting a landmark for its future development and widespread diffusion: a big opportunity to modernize FIPT and one of her disciplines to become a major summer and leisure entertainment sport.

 Author:

Nada Vallone

Secretary General

Italian Tambourin Federation

Contact:

FIPT c/o CONI – Largo Lauro de Bosis, 15 – 00135 Roma

nada.vallone@gmail.com

 
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