“I believed that it would be great, but it was much more than great, it was amazing to see live,” Rancati said. “This is something I think I will realize much more in the next few days, for now this is just an inspiration for me. I still can’t believe it but it’s so great,” Rancati said.

 

Rancati first watched an Arena Football game on television in 1990 during his honeymoon in America. Rancati said on the message boards, “even though we have spent some dark moments nothing will ever scratch my passion, our passion for the AFL.”

 

Rancati joined the ArenaFan message boards on January 1st, 2001 and is an active participant on the forums today. Despite not having a team in the same continent as him Rancati has developed countless friendships with fellow fans of the AFL. 

 

“The message boards are the best way to communicate and interact between us fans. With all of the information about the league it’s just a great way to stay connected with friends,” Rancati said. 

 

Rancati certainly had the longest journey of any fan who attended ArenaBowl 32, traveling over 7,000 miles to attend the game. Rancati left from Italy and flew to New York City, then went to Baltimore to meet with fellow ArenaFan member Scott Napier, and then they drove to Albany. 

 

Rancati’s trip was funded by a GoFundMe page promoted on ArenaFan’s message boards and social media. ArenaFan members across the country pitched in whatever they could to help a fellow fan see his first game. The Arena Football league contributed $500 to the GoFundMe and were a driving factor in getting Rancati to the game. Scott Napier also generously contributed and helped with the logistics of the trip.

 

“I just want to say thank you so much guys. I appreciate it so much. If possible, I certainly will support you as you have for me. I hope that my foreign language is enough to say that I’m thankful for them giving me this chance after all these years,” Rancati said.

 

Rancati attended the AFL award ceremony on Saturday night, meeting and interacting with commissioner Randall Boe and Soul quarterback Dan Raudabaugh to name just a few of the AFL personalities Rancati met. It was also Rancati’s first time meeting ArenaFan media relations director Tim Capper, despite the two interacting on the message boards for years.

 

The speed of the game and how hard the players hit each other amazed Rancati. He was also surprised to see how the players of both teams interacted with each other - friends despite competing for a championship. 

 

Rancati doesn't currently have a favorite AFL team but was a Utah Blaze fan previously. The GoFundMe campaign was headlined by a picture of Rancati in his Utah Blaze jersey standing on a street in Italy.  

 

“I love Tommy Grady and Ron James as well as Rob Keefe and Matthew Sauk. It was a franchise who despite not being around for a long time gave a strong footprint on the league,” 

 

“At the moment I root for every team because I really hope they have success and give more possibilities to the league. I think that this was the best ArenaBowl for this year because it was a great game,” Rancati said.

 

After an Arena Football filled weekend Rancati traveled home to Monza having officially seen an AFL game in person. I asked him if he’d be back for another game soon and he said, “I think so because it’s impossible to stay away. It was even more than I expected.”

Harrison Brown is a college student who has been covering Arena Football since he was 12 years old and has been with ArenaFan since 2014. Harrison was a captain of the varsity football team during his senior year of high school and went on to play one season of Division III football in Massachusetts. Harrison has worked for two indoor football teams, in 2018 he was the Director of Player Personnel for the Jersey Flight and in 2016 he was the Color Commentator for the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets. You can follow Harrison on twitter @HarryBrownRusso.