The legend Giusi Malato has presented her new creation: here is the Rari Nantes Jonica Catania

There are stories that never really end. They change shape, they change the playing field, but they continue to live in the water. This is where Giusi Malato, a legend of world water polo, starts again, having decided to transform her experience into a new sports project: the birth of Rari Nantes Jonica, a women's water polo club ready to debut in the women's Serie B championship of water polo. The first match is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 at 8:30 PM against Brizz at the “Francesco Scuderi” pool.

An beginning that smells of the future, but also of tradition. Because when a champion who has written indelible pages with the Setterosa decides to get back in the game, it is not just about founding a team; it is about igniting a new generation of athletes. The new adventure starts from Catania, the club trains and will play at the “Francesco Scuderi”. Here, Rari Nantes Jonica is taking its first steps with a clear goal: to build a solid project, train young players, and bring the women's movement back to the levels that Sicily deserves. Giusi Malato is not just a symbolic name in Italian water polo. Now that same experience becomes guidance and vision for a new sports path. "We had the need to give space to girls who had no space at Ekipe and to carry on this sport that is dying – said Giusi Malato – The numbers are discouraging; before in Catania there were 3 A teams, another 3 in Palermo, 1 in Messina, 1 in Augusta, and 1 in Syracuse. Now the situation is complex, but we want to create a new reality with great sacrifices." "There is a need to revitalize the women's sector – said Sergio Parisi, Sicilian president of Fin – in a region where women's water polo has, at times, surpassed men's, so this new reality is welcome, and I am happy that it is being carried forward by a person like Giusi Malato."

The Jonica will participate in the national B championship, in a group of 4 teams that includes the Sicilian and Sardinian teams: Jonica Catania, Brizz Acireale, Atlantide Cagliari, and Promogest Cagliari. Giusi Malato is the president and coach, but it seems that the surprises are not over yet. "The girls have asked me to go in the water with them as well, we'll see. The goal is to help the young ones grow and aim for promotion to A2 through the playoffs with a project that we are solidifying." The captain is Clelia Sanfilippo, and the team is made up of girls from Sicily and one from Lombardy in Milan who has embraced Giusi Malato's project. The youngest is 10 years old, the oldest 23. "The formula states that the first team from each group goes directly to the playoffs, while the second goes to the playoffs against the second team from the Lombardy group," Giusi concluded.

The idea is clear: starting from Serie B to build a competitive reality step by step, with great attention to the youth sector and the technical growth of the athletes. The Jonica project is not just a new entry into the championship. It is a strong signal for Sicilian women's water polo, a movement that has produced great talents over the years and is now seeking new energy. And when a champion like Giusi Malato leads the project, the water in the pool is not just a playing field; it becomes the place where a new story begins.