Get an in-depth look into our newest recruit: Davide Rodari.
Born in Switzerland, a stone’s throw away from his hometown across the Italian border, Davide Rodari comes from both Italian and Dutch descent, but relocated to England at the age of 16 to embark on a career that soon blossomed into a successful livelihood within the beautiful game.
Having grown up in Novara, Italy, Rodari’s footballing journey began in a number of youth setups in his homeland, starting out at Italian giants Inter Milan where he played alongside the likes of Andrea Pinamonti, who now plays for Sassuolo in Serie A. He then moved on to Novara and Pro Vercelli, before crossing the border back to Switzerland with a switch to Lugano, and was then followed by his move across Europe, settling on the South Coast of England.
Davide has proclaimed himself that the decision to make the move to a new country while still a teenager was made in an attempt to better himself, and to grow as a person away from his family. Initially studying a Level 2 Fitness Instructing course at East Sussex College in Hastings, he played youth football at Eastbourne Borough alongside his studies before joining Hastings United in February 2017, seeing him link up with Chris Agutter for the first time. The striker debuted in a 2-1 win over Corinthian-Casuals on the opening day of the 2017/18 season, having settled into life at the Pilot Field during the backend of the previous campaign, and enjoyed a successful maiden season with the U’s, being rewarded with a new one-year deal ahead of 2018/19 after scoring 15 goals.
Perhaps the highlight of his early Hastings career came when he smashed home eight goals in one game, a major contribution to a 12-3 win over East Grinstead Town in the Alan Turvey Trophy, and he subsequently continued his fine form for the club by notching a total of 41 goals across his first spell at the club, while amassing 89 appearances. He saw his contract extended for the 2020/21 season as a result of his superb streak in front of goal, but being surely destined for bigger things, Rodari soon jumped into the Football League with a move to Crawley Town in January 2021, stepping up a whopping three divisions.
Given a baptism of fire for his first outing for the Red Devils; an FA Cup clash with Championship side AFC Bournemouth, he was unable to help the club secure an upset, but went on to make 13 appearances across the remainder of the 2020/21 season, making a relatively consistent step up from the Isthmian League, and scored once in a 4-1 defeat against Bolton Wanderers, while playing alongside two current and former Sutton players in Ashley Nadesan and Harry Ransom.
He later returned to non-league on loan with a switch to Worthing, scoring an impressive four goals in five games to renew his excellent goalscoring reputation, and was subsequently recalled by his parent club in order to facilitate a move to Dorking Wanderers, who were playing at a higher level.
Davide played a handful of times in Surrey before embarking on a third loan move away, this time at Dartford having impressed on trial during pre-season, before returning to Worthing in time for the Rebels’ Sussex Senior Cup triumph, playing 60 minutes in the final before being replaced by fellow current Sutton man Mo Dabre; both contributing alongside Liam Vincent to a 0-0 draw with Bognor Regis Town that preceded an 8-7 win on penalties at the AMEX Stadium. He also helped them gain promotion to the National League South for the first time, firing home five goals as they won the Isthmian Premier League title under Adam Hinshelwood.
After his temporary spell at Woodside Park came to an end, Rodari departed Crawley at the expiry of his contract in May 2023 and opted to reunite with Agutter and Hastings, going on to enjoy two incredibly productive seasons. He notched 61 goals in all competitions as the U’s secured successive top half finishes in the Isthmian Premier League, led by Agutter and his staff who took over with the club battling relegation. His form across a further two years on the South Coast included nearly 40 goals in one season, a tally which saw him break a Hastings record in the process, and unsurprisingly resulted in him earning a move back up the non-league pyramid after notching another 18 last term, joining National League South side Hampton & Richmond Borough last summer.
He went on to score four goals in his first six games for the Beavers; all of them coming in wins for Alan Julian’s side as they triumphed in four of their first six games of the 2025/26 season, before injury has since limited Rodari to just seven starts in total. This has coincided with a downward slope in form the club, now under the leadership of Alan Dowson, who are yet to win with the striker not in the side, and hover just a point above the drop zone in the sixth tier.
And they will now have a Rodari-shaped hole to fill up front, with the 26-year old deeming a return to full-time football, as well as a third reunion with Agutter, as too good to turn down, making another jump up midway through the campaign with a move that will see him turn out at the highest level of his career since Crawley.
