LigaTurf Legend at the Stadio del rugby Arturo Sciavicco, Messina, Italy

Against a stunning backdrop

Although the words "Italy" and "sports" immediately bring football to mind, sports in Italy offer so much more than that: rugby, for instance. Today, Italy’s national men's rugby union team – the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) – is considered Europe’s sixth strongest team. The sport’s strongholds are Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, and the capital, Rome. But rugby also enjoys great popularity in southern Italy, such as in Messina. The local club, Messina Rugby, plays in Serie B, Italy’s second-highest league. The men’s team holds its home games at the Stadio del rugby Arturo Sciavicco, which was renovated in 2020 and offers a breathtaking view of the Strait of Messina – the narrow stretch of water between Mainland Italy and the island of Sicily. It’s no wonder that Messina is referred to as the Gateway to Sicily. The rugby field at Via Sperone Alto has been equipped with Polytan’s LigaTurf Legend, our proven powerhouse in terms of performance. With its multi-shape filament cross-section, this football turf ensures optimal recovery properties. The unique technology guarantees an outstanding playing experience, evidenced by numerous certifications according to various international standards. The specially designed cross-section also achieves ball roll and playing characteristics similar to natural grass. A visually pleasing appearance is created by the wider filaments combined with the bi-colour design, giving the pitch a fresh and natural look. Through extensive lab tests, we have proven the high durability of the filaments, ensuring the exceptional and increasingly demanded sustainability of the turf system, which is equally suitable for football and rugby. Polytan’s LigaTurf artificial turf remains one of the most frequently FIFA-certified football turf systems, which we continuously develop further. Around the field, we used LigaGrass Pro, our textured artificial turf system. It also features a bi-colour design, making it a perfect visual match for the LigaTurf Legend. Apart from the men’s team in Serie B, the Stadio del rugby Arturo Sciavicco is also used by the U18 team as well as the women’s rugby team (“Lo Sport si tinge di Rosa”). Additionally, the stadium supports members of the “Rugby per Tutti” initiative, which aims to make rugby accessible to everyone, with a special focus on marginalized groups like juvenile offenders or minors in foster care. We are particularly proud that our surfaces in Messina also support this social dimension of sport, striving to counteract all forms of discrimination and racism, and promoting inclusion, integration, and equality for all sports enthusiasts.