Here are the schedules of the leagues. It starts on Sunday, Oct. 1, with a double challenge at the "Bruno Bianchi"

The 2023/2024 season is just around the corner, and Federnuoto has released the schedules for both the men's and women's Serie A1 league, set to commence on Sunday, October 1st. Meanwhile, the format for the men's top league will differ from the previous season. The 14 teams will face off in a first-round group comprising 13 matchdays.

Subsequently, the top 7 teams in the partial standings will enter the Scudetto group, while teams ranking 8th to 14th will compete in the Relegation group, with their accumulated points retained. After an additional 6 matchdays (for a total of 20 regular-season matches), the top four teams in the Scudetto group will compete in playoff semifinals, while the 5th, 6th, 7th, and the top team in the Relegation group will vie for qualification in the Euro Cup.

All playoff and play-out matches will consist of three games, with the decisive match taking place at the home of the better-placed team. To put it simply, the format returns to that of the 2021/2022 season, with the aim of streamlining a tournament sandwiched between two important international events. Specifically, the European Championships in Netanya, Israel, scheduled from January 3rd to January 16th, 2024, and the World Cup in Doha, Qatar, from February 2nd to February 18th, 2024, serve as preludes to the much-anticipated Olympic Games in Paris.

The format for the women's Serie A1 remains largely unchanged, with the 10 teams competing in a round-robin format with home and away matches, totaling 18 regular-season games. Only the top four teams in the standings will advance to the Scudetto playoffs, unlike the top six in the previous season.

Turning our attention to the schedule: In the men's Serie A1, the Samer & Co. Shipping-sponsored team will kick off at "Bruno Bianchi" on Sunday, October 1st, facing Distretto Ecologici. Starting from the second round, matches will return to Saturdays (October 7th) with an away game against newly promoted Roma Vis Nova. On Wednesday, October 11th, the first midweek match of the season will be held at home against Quinto Genova. On November 8th, a big match at Mompiano against An Brescia, followed by Ortigia Siracusa's visit to "Bruno Bianchi" on November 11th. The first phase will conclude on December 12th, followed by the start of the Scudetto and Relegation groups on February 24th, 2024. Playoffs and play-outs will commence on May 1st, 2024. "The schedule looks reasonable at the beginning," analyzes coach Daniele Bettini, "with some manageable home games and more challenging away fixtures. However, we must be wary of the format that requires everyone to start strong to avoid losing points that could become crucial for the second phase. I believe it will be a competitive league, excluding Recco, with at least four or five teams battling for playoff spots."

The orchette will also start at home (always on Sunday, October 1st) against Como Nuoto. On Saturday, October 7th, there will be an away game in Padua for the Triveneto derby, followed by a trip to Rapallo on October 14th. The first-round group will conclude on November 25th with the "Bruno Bianchi" facing newly promoted Locatelli Genova. The final regular-season round will be on April 27th, 2024, followed by playoffs and play-outs. "We need to be ready," explains the coach of the women's team, Paolo Zizza. "We have Como at home, and it would be crucial to start on the right foot before facing the challenging away matches in Padua and Rapallo. Last year, we had a tougher schedule, especially at the beginning. This time, we'll try to leverage our greater experience to try to move up the standings right away."