This week, we speak to Ferrara Bulls left shooter, Antonio Notarangelo, 27, who tells us all about his tchoukball career and what his hopes are for the upcoming EWC in Radevormwald.

The world of tchoukball is just a “beautiful little family where everyone knows everyone”, old and new players give their all on the court and there’s always the chance to take incredible opportunities, commented Notarangelo about Tchoukball. However, unlike many players, Notarangelo hated the sport in the beginning, as it was all that many of his friends ever spoke about. A couple of years later, he was asked to team up with them for the Rimini Beach Tchoukball Festival in 2008. A holiday with sport on the beach, a few parties and great friends – what more could a young Italian want? It turns out, Notarangelo had a whale of a time and not only off the court; he’d begun to fall in love with tchoukball. After another year of Rimini and closely following the Ferrara teams results and progression, he couldn’t say no when he was asked to join their training. Nine years later, he’s still there and has found his true passion.

Tchoukball provides players with some incredible memories. Whether that’s your very first win with a national team or experiencing the true family spirit at a gala dinner, there are truly unforgettable moments. For Notarangelo, he can’t decide on just one favourite moment. His first win in 2011 in an Italian championship with Ferrara takes top spot alongside an incredible victory over the "unreachable and unbeatable" Taiwanese team in Geneva Indoors 2017.

Since starting tchoukball, he feels that the skill level has gone up a long way, specifically in the shooting ability as players now have more range and power to their shooting. He thinks that the next step for shooters will be to develop the use of being able to shoot equally well with both the left and the right-hand which will ultimately make defending more difficult – although, saying that, he would like to convert to be a defender in the future.
Unfortunately for Antonio’s girlfriend, she has to share him with his partner in tchoukball crime Manu Coppola. Their mutual passion for and addiction to the game meant they spent many an hour together watching YouTube videos and trying to spot and copy the secrets of the top players. Playing in different teams opposite each other on the pitch, it was the perfect opportunity to challenge one another and prove who was the better player.

At the end of the day, tchoukball is not like any other sport. Naturally, players are competitive and want to try to win, but much more importantly, it really is a big family who support one another. For Notarangelo, he enjoys every minute of being a part of it, commenting that: "Tchoukball is based on a charter of values that everyone should have and share".