What an incredible project this has been – designing and equipping a 1000 m2 gym for the Italian national rugby team to use for their strength training camp. It was a true honor to realize this gym for one of the Six Nations teams, “gli Azzurri”. We loved the opportunity and the challenge and did not hesitate to take up the partnership.
When the representatives of the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) contacted us about the project, we must confess, that it was a dream come true for us. Especially our engineers had long been dreaming of equipping a gym for a sports team on this level, where they could take advantage of all of our custom-made options to make the gym a true “home” for the team.
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The FIR Team gave us a solid outline of what they desired of their gym, but the KingsBox team in charge of this project, led by the head of marketing Petra and Simon, one of our engineers, decided to take the project much further. They’ve decided to take full advantage of our custom-made options to maximize the functionality, practicality, and outlook of the gym.
They gave special thought to how to include more practical solutions for the training of the whole team so that the setup would be as convenient for them as possible. They also gave special attention to the whole outlook of the gym and how to add design details to create that special atmosphere of team synergy and camaraderie.
When designing the main training structure, Simon sought inspiration from American college sports teams’ gyms, recognizing they are the experts in creating team spirit. First, he imagined a rack that would enable 4 people to train squats at the same time, but instead of having 5 individual racks, he decided to connect them in one large structure. The idea of this is that the individual players’ training is connected into one team working for a common goal, together. He felt this would add to the team’s sense of unity, and we believe the custom gym did just that.
He used custom-made bumper storage structures to connect the racks into one whole. This is practical in more ways than one. First, it allows the users to store all the bumpers they need during the training, right there beside the squat stations. At the same, Simon made sure, that there would be more than enough room for the players to move in and out of the squat stations, even if they were training at full capacity, 4 players per rack. And lastly, besides holding the bumpers, it also features custom boards with the Italian Rugby Federation logo on them, to strengthen the sense of belonging to the national team.
The end result is an 18,5 m long structure that offers 20 squat stations that can be used simultaneously. With all the beautifully customized design detailing, the structure is truly impressive to look at. It is the first thing that catches your eye when you walk into the gym and it immediately lets you know you’ve walked into Italian National Rugby team territory.
Naturally, the structure is Savoy blue, matching the team’s signature color. However, to add something special, Petra and Simon decided to customize small details as well as the rig attachments in a beautiful gold color. The two colors in unison really bring the structure and the whole gym to life.
“The gold details really pop out on the dark blue and black structure and lift it up. They give that special “Royal” look. We wanted to make sure the team feels special when they train on it. They are among the best in the nation and should train on the best equipment available and know it.”
(Simon)
Creating the custom boards for the rig in so many colors was a first for us, but we took up the challenge since we wanted them to be perfect for the final result. We wanted the FIR logo in full color with the addition of gold detailing to really make it pop. We ended up with 7 layered custom boards amplifying the visual impact of the gym. They only add to the whole structure’s massiveness which we hope will inspire the team and intimidate the opponents if they happen to walk into their gym.
In addition to the custom boards with the FIR logos, we also personalized wooden lifting platforms under each of the training stations which brought the whole structure together. We did this so the athletes have a visual reminder at each step of their training that they are a part of the national team.
The result is, as their strength coach said: breathtaking, and will surely help motivate the team when they are working here.
The coach had some specific requests and we are happy that we could deliver the desired equipment: our Royal Hip Thrusters and Viper extensions, enough adjustable benches for everyone, and pulley systems for targeted strength training. We’ve also added some push sleds for speed and acceleration work that they can do inside the gym on their custom blue sprint track.
Because the team now has a beautiful custom gym of their own, it will help boost morale and bring the team together. Training in this custom space, where at every step they are reminded of their common goal to win for the national team, will help keep the team motivated. The coach will be able to not only work on their strength skills but also their comradery since the entire team will be able to train together. This not only brings the team together but also strengthens their bond as teammates.
According to their strength coach:
“The new gym will help with our team spirit, for 2 two reasons. First, just the fact that the whole team will be able to train together at the same time. It will create this positive strength training mood. And second, this is the first time that the national team has the equipment, the structure especially, at this level, to train on. The functionality and the whole outlook… This will definitely positively influence the team.”
(Michele Colosio)
It was a true joy to watch the team walk into their new gym for their first training. You could see their enthusiasm for the new equipment and the pride they’ve felt. They were practically bursting with energy and we hope they feel like that every time they walk into their gym. The team’s electric energy in the gym was contagious and we left feeling incredibly energized from such a successful project.
Both the Italian National Rugby team and KingsBox are filled with young and ambitious energy with the desire to grow. As they’ve said, what truly convinced them to partner with KingsBox on their new gym, was the enthusiasm with which we presented the custom and personalized solutions we were prepared to make for them. When they saw the gym we imagined for them, they did not want to go with standard solutions anymore.
We hope that the finished result will motivate the team to work hard and that the results will help them win on the field. We know for whom we will be rooting for when the games begin!