Club of the Week

[SueB]

Editing to add an index to all the Clubs of the Week. These links bring up the single post I wrote up for each club. Scroll through the entire thread to see the comments and information posted by others:

INDEX

-Catanzaro (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2566469&postcount=1)
-Livorno (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2592319&postcount=7)
-Messina (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2641923&postcount=13)
-Palermo (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2668492&postcount=15)
-AlbinoLeffe (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2706143&postcount=30)
-Padova (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2742624&postcount=32)
-Como (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2780192&postcount=33)
-Foggia (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2822394&postcount=36)
-Ascoli (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2951676&postcount=56)
-Salernitana (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3343491&postcount=71)
-Cremonese (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3450988&postcount=73)
-Treviso (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3992755&postcount=110)
-Rimini (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4247887&postcount=124)
-Mantova (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5437440&postcount=139)
-Pescara (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11447067&postcount=144)
-Spezia (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11498107&postcount=150)
-Pisa (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11543618&postcount=155)
-Licata (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11607693&postcount=157)
-Avellino (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11679610&postcount=167)
-Venezia (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11741033&postcount=168)
-Taranto (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11850093&postcount=181)
=================================================

Last off-season, I started an "Italian word of the day" thread. After doing some research for another thread, I thought it'd be cool to learn about some more about other smaller clubs, so I'm going to start a "Club of the Week" thread. I'd do one every day, but I need to do *some* real work once in a while. Anyway, since this was the club that started it, this week's Club of the Week is US Catanzaro 1929.

Catanzaro recently earned promotion to Serie B for the first time since 1990. They'd spent most of the last 10 years in Serie C2, before getting a special promotion to C1 last year after losing in the promotion playoff (I believe they took the place of one of the teams that got re-promoted to Serie B, or perhaps a C1 club that couldn't meet financial requirements). They've played in Serie A on 3 occasions (1971-72, 1976-77, 1978-83). They have a passionate fanbase (as is typical in the South) - 20,000 fans turned out recently to celebrate their return to Serie B, and they led Serie C1 in attendance this season (avg 7198).

Location - Calabria on the "bottom" of the boot, next to the Ionian Sea. Colors - red and yellow ("giallorossi")

Interesting bit of trivia - Catanzaro took Milan's spot in Serie A when Milan and Lazio were relegated to Serie B for a match-fixing scandal in 1980.

Sources and Links -

www.us-catanzaro.it (Official Site)

www.ilcatanzaro.it (Unofficial Site)

http://sport.supereva.it/catanzaro1929 (another Unofficial Site - for a small club, there are a lot of unofficial sites)

www.rsssf.com (of course)

http://european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/attnita.htm (attendances)

Feel free to post any additional info - or questions - about this club, or suggest a new club for "Club of the Week", or even post your own "Club of the Week".

[bobarino]

Great Thread!

Nice and simple official website -- they are very excited about their promotion to Serie B.

[sardus_pater]

I remember catanzaro in serie A... the striker Massimo Palanca was their hero

http://www.us-catanzaro.it/images/hall_of_fame/massimo_palanca.jpg

I remember him as a talented striker a bit underachieving... you know, like Protti or Tovalieri.

[Catfish]

Sue,

Great thread. I love historical and cultural footie information. It paints a more detailed picture of life in Italy and more importantly the Italian football world. I really look forward to checking in every week over the summer and learning more about the various clubs that fill Italy.

[phillips10]

yes, this is a great thread idea...they have a nice little quaint stadium and the typical southern passion. I'm surprised they were able to stay in A from 78-83..

along those line I nominate Messina for a club of the week....they are on the verge of promotion to serie A and little is know about them...

[SueB]

Messina - another giallorossi - maybe ... you'll have to wait and see :). BTW, Arezzo beat Catanzaro 1-0 in the second leg of the "Serie C Supercoppa" last night. It was apparently a calm encounter with Arezzo already ahead 3-0 from the first leg - just another opportunity for the home fans to gather and celebrate the team's promotion.

[SueB]

This week's Club of the Week is AS Livorno. On Saturday, this small Tuscan club earned promotion to Serie A for the first time in 55 years. Currently second in Serie B, they have a darn good team this season with the 2nd- and 3rd-top scorers in Serie B, Cristiano Lucarelli and Igor Protti, as well as young defender Giorgio Chiellini, who would probably be starting with the U-21s in the European championships except that Livorno needed him for the final assault on promotion. With coach Walter Mazzarri rumored to be headed to numerous Serie A clubs, it'll be interesting to see what kind of a team they can keep together for next season.

Anyway, back to their "storia":

Founded - 1915 (professionalized in 1929)
Colors - maroon ("amaranto")
Biggest rivals - Pisa
Location - Livorno is the largest port city in Tuscany and, as such, was of great importance historically when the di Medicis ruled from Florence.
It is located on the west coast of Italy, some 60 miles west of Florence and
a couple hundred miles north of Roma. It is a popular point of embarcation via ferry to the islands of Corsica and Elba.

Interesting trivia - after winning promotion to Serie B two years ago, Livorno hired Roberto Donadoni as their coach, who led them to a 10th-place finish in the league before moving to Genoa.

Livorno's greatest moment was finishing second in Serie A in 1942-43, just one point behind the great Torino club of that era. It was the first of five straight Scudetti for "Il Grande Torino". After the fifth one, the Torino team was wiped out in a plane crash in May 1949. That was also the last year Livorno was in Serie A. Until now.

In 1991, Livorno failed to meet the financial requirements for participation in the league (Serie C2, at the time) and spent two seasons out of the professional ranks, returning to C2 in 1993. They lost in 2 playoffs (including once on away goals to Castel di Sangro in 1995 and on PKs in 1996) before getting promoted to C1 in 1998, then lost in two more playoffs before getting promoted to Serie B in 2002. From being out of the league to Serie A in 11 years is a rise only Fiorentina wouldn't envy.

Links -

www.livornocalcio.it (inconveniently, it's not working at the moment, but it was the other day)

www.forzalivorno.it (unofficial)

[NickyViola]

My mother is from Viareggio (in Tuscany, on the coast) and the reason I began following Fiorentina years ago is that they were the only Tuscan team regularly in Serie A. I would follow some of the other Tuscan teams; Viareggio, Livorno, Siena, Pisa, Empoli; if it were easier to get calcio news here in the states. My daughter wanted to follow a Pugliese (because of our surname) squad along with Fiorentina a couple of years ago so we latched onto Lecce.
Anyway... Back to Livorno... The first match I ever saw in Italy was a Livorno home game back in the early 1980's when I was a boy. I came back to the States and wanted to be a Livorno fan but, pre-internet, it was pretty much impossible to get Livorno news so I began following the Viola.

Nick

[bobarino]

I spent last March in Livorno visiting my wife's family. Beautiful seaside town just a hop, skip and a jump to Pisa. 3 hours NW by train from Roma. They are very excited about their promotion. I'll definitely catch a match there next season. Thanks SueB!

The Italian liquere Tuaca is made there. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend you partake (over ice is nice).

[GianPaolo]

What's this weeks club of the week?


_____________________
GianPaolo
http://www.comune.palermo.it/images...ermo_Calcio.gif

[SueB]

You'll just have to wait and see :D I haven't had a chance to do any research yet. Tonight or tomorrow ....

[panicfc]

Sue,

what a great thread. Kudos to you and a little reputation boost.

[SueB]

This week's Club of the Week is FC Messina Peloro srl.

Along with Palermo, they will be the first two Sicilian clubs to play in Serie A in over 20 years (since Catania in 1983). I chose Messina because they are the smaller club and more unlikely story. They started the season with 0 wins in their first 7 games and were dead last in the table. They then changed coaches, hiring Bortolo Mutti and under him, things turned around immediately. They won their next 3 games and went unbeaten in their next 7, and shot up the table like a rocket, finally guaranteeing promotion in Week 45.

Location - Messina is in the northeastern tip of Sicily, directly across from the mainland. It is best-known as the entranceway into Sicily with countless ferries running to and from Reggio Calabria every day. There COULD be a bridge connecting to the mainland, but then, that would put all the ferry companies out of business, so that hasn't happened.

Colors - Red and yellow (another "giallorossi")

Biggest Rivals - Catania and Reggina. I'm sure there is some rivalry with Palermo, but my impression is that it is stronger with those other two. I could be wrong ...

History - The club's origins reach all the way back to 1900 although numerous clubs have merged and folded over the years, so it's hard to say exactly when the club was "founded". There have been: AC Messina (1929-47), ACR Messina (1947-1993), AS Messina (1993-97), and (currently) FC Messina Peloro. Until this year, a club from Messina (ACR) had only played in the top flight for two seasons - in 1964, when they finished 14th (barely surviving), and the next season when they finished 17th (and were relegated).

ACR (for "Associazone Calcio Riunite") Messina experienced a decent run in Serie B in the 80s before getting relegated to C1 in 1991. In 1992, after a midtable finish in Serie C1, ACR Messina was forced from the professional league because of financial problems and were relegated to Serie D (this seems to be a common occurrence among small clubs). After coming close to re-entering C1 for three years, they were then relegated to the level BELOW Serie D ("Eccelenza"). However, another club - Messina Peloro - which was founded in 1997 - began enjoying better success. My Italian is not that great (and just try reading this: http://www.messinacalcio.net/storia.asp ), but it appears the two clubs eventually merged, hence the official name FC Messina Peloro. In 1998, they gained promotion to C2, in 2000 to C1, in 2001 to B, and in 2004 to A.

Stadium - This season, they played in the ancient Stadio Celeste (cap 12000) but will be moving to a brand new stadium for next season:
http://www.messinacalcio.net/stadio/images/stadio03p.jpg

Interesting tidbit - In 1988, ACR Messina's coach in Serie B was Zdenek Zeman (who has an interesting history in his own right) who is credited by some for launching the upward flight of the career of a young Sicilian who gained a bit of attention that season by leading the second division in scoring with 23 goals. The player - Toto Schillaci.

Sources -
http://www.mondomessina.it (official site)
http://www.messinacalcio.net (unofficial site)
http://www.messinacalcio.org/storia29.htm (I was so happy to find this page!)
http://www.zeman.org

[GianPaolo]

Here is Messina's emblem and jersey. http://www.portalino.it/banks/news/loghi_calcio/calcio_messina.jpghttp://www.acshirtcollection.it/italianclub/messina/messina02.jpg

[SueB]

This week's Club of the Week is Unione Sportiva Citta di Palermo.

Official Site - www.ilpalermocalcio.it
Good unofficial site - www.pianetarosanero.it

Colors - Pink and black ("i rosanero").

Location - Palermo, Sicilia. Palermo is the chief city on the island of Sicily and ranks 5th in population in the entire country (behind Roma, Milan, Turin and Naples).

History - Calcio has existed in the city of Palermo since 1897. Twice in its history, a Palermo club has been expelled from the league for financial reasons. In the first instance, in 1940, a merger with club Juventina allowed the club to regain entry into the league (in Serie C). In 1986, the city was actually without a soccer club for one season until the birth of US Citta di Palermo Spa, which began life in Serie C2.

Next season will be Palermo's 8th stint in Serie A. They've never lasted more than 5 years consecutively at the top level and have never finished higher than 7th position (accomplished in 1933). Three times, they have been relegated the year immediately following promotion to Serie A.

They've had more success in Serie B (4-time champions, including this season), but their greatest "successes" occurred in the Coppa Italia. On two occasions in the 1970s Palermo reached the finals only to lose both times in agonizing fashion - on penalties to Bologna and in extra time to Juventus. They did win the Coppa Italia of Serie C on one occasion, in 1993.

The club's official web site sums up the club's history like this:
"La storia del Palermo si può senza alcun dubbio definire tormentata, condita da inattesi e inebrianti trionfi e sconvolta da sofferenze a volte clamorose."

Which, translated roughly, says -
"The history of Palermo can without doubt be defined as tormented, flavored with unexpected and intoxicating triumphs and upset with suffering from sensational twists."

Interesting tidbit - Palermo has represented Italy successfully in a European competition! In 1960, they participated in the old "Mitropa Cup":-

http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/mit.html

That year, the tournament used an odd format, with 30 teams from 5 countries playing two-leg ties. The total points achieved by each country's participating teams were tallied, and the trophy was awarded to the country with the most points.

Palermo played Diosgyori of Hungary and split the home-and-home series. However, Hungarian teams dominated the other series and won the overall competition. Italy finished 4th.

[phillips10]

great work Sue, love the info on the 2 sicilian teams....looks like Messina built a nice little stadium...I'm sure Palermo will stay up, hope Messina can make a stay in the top flight as well....

[SueB]

Any suggestions for next week's club?

[GianPaolo]

Here is Palermo's old emblem, thier new emblem and one of thier jerseys.
http://www.comune.palermo.it/images/Logo_Palermo_Calcio.gifhttp://www.webrosanero.com/link/marchio33.gifhttp://www.acshirtcollection.it/palermogeocities/pal03white.jpg

[GianPaolo]

Any suggestions for next week's club?

How about Cagliari?

[SueB]

When/why did they change their emblem?