Monday, 15 February 2021

SLEEPING GIANTS - ITALY

FC PRO VERCELLI 1892

FOUNDED 
1892 as a Sports Club. 
1903 as a Football Club. 
2010 reformed as US Vercelli Calcio 

GROUND CAPACITY 
5,500

LAST SEASON IN THE TOP FLIGHT 
1934/35 
 
MAJOR HONOURS 
Champions of Italy - 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1921 and 1922 

BRIEF HISTORY 
"Le Bianche Casacche" (The White Shirts) have won more Italian Championships than Lazio, Napoli and Roma albeit their last one was in 1922 before the Serie A was formed in 1929. The advent of professionalism and the rise of clubs from bigger cities of Milan and Turin saw a decline in their fortunes. In 1948 they were relegated from Serie B and they have played as far down as Serie B. 

In 2010 the original club were not allowed to compete in the league due to financial problems so folded - AS PRO BELVEDERE VERCELLI has been founded in 2006 as a merger of the AS TRINO CALCIO and PGS PRO BELVEDERE changed it's name to US VERCELLI CALCIO for the 10/11 season and then later acquired the trademarks and honours of the original club to carry on its heritage and history in the Italian game.

The club are currently in sixth place of Group A of Serie C so have a real chance of qualifying for the promotion play-offs. 

The City of Vercelli is in-between Milan and Turin in Northern Italy and has a  population of around 46,000. 


SOCIETA SPORTIVA CALCIO BARI (SSC BARI)

FOUNDED 
1908 
REFOUNDATIONS 
1924 
1928 
2018 

GROUND CAPACITY 
58,270 

LAST SEASON IN THE TOP FLIGHT 
2010/11 
 
MAJOR HONOURS 
NONE 

BRIEF HISTORY 
I think you could write about fourteen books on the history of football in the Southern Italian City of Bari there has been so many twists, turns, reformations and financial problems since the original club was formed in 1908. Many people in England will remember them signing David Platt in 1991 for £5.5 million which was a British Record for a number of years tied with Trevor Steven (Rangers to Marseille - August 91) and Paul Gascoigne (Tottenham Hotspur to Lazio - June 92)  - It was beaten when Andy Cole went from Newcastle United to Manchester United in for £7m in January 1995.  

After relegation from the top flight in 2011 the club stayed in Serie B until 2018 when they were excluded due to financial problems - the club were re-founded as SSC Bari in Serie D for the 18/19 season with film producer Aurelio De Laurentis through his company Filmauro becoming the owner. Filmauro are also the owner of Napoli who themselves had had to re-establish in 2004 in Serie C. 

SSC Bari were champions of Serie D Group I and currently play in Serie C. 

ASSOCIAZIONI CALCIO RIUNITE MESSINA (ACR MESSINA)

FOUNDED 
1900  
REFOUNDATIONS 
1947 
1993
1994 
1997
2009 
2014 
2017 

GROUND CAPACITY 
37,895 

LAST SEASON IN THE TOP FLIGHT 
2007/08 
 
MAJOR HONOURS 
NONE 

BRIEF HISTORY 
Messina last played in Serie A in the 06/07 season and finished as high as 7th in the 04/05 campaign.  After one season in the second tier in 07/08 season the club re-started in Serie D - The club was declared bankrupt by the Court of Messina in November 2008 and has since swopped ownership a number of times and in July 2017 failed to submit a surety for playing in Serie C so a successor club to the then 'Associazoni Calcio Ruunite Messina 1947 ' was formed to compete in Serie D. 

The club are not to be confused with FC Messina who also play in Serie D and were formed in 1969. 
CESENA FC

FOUNDED 
1900  
REFOUNDATIONS 
1947 
1993
1994 
1997
2009 
2014 
2017 

GROUND CAPACITY 
37,895 

LAST SEASON IN THE TOP FLIGHT 
2007/08 
 
MAJOR HONOURS 
NONE 

BRIEF HISTORY 
The original AC Cesena who had played in Serie A were bankrupted and folded in 2018. A phoenix club were formed 'ASD Romagna Centro Cesena and in 2019 renamed Cesena FC. The old club's last season in the top flight was in 14/15. The new club currently play in Serie C Group B. They played in the 76/77 UEFA Cup where they lost in the first round to German club Magdeburg. 

PALERMO FC

FOUNDED 
1900 
REFOUNDATIONS 
1907 
1920 
1941 
1987 
2019 

GROUND CAPACITY 
36,365 

MAJOR HONOURS 
COPPA ITALIA RUNNER'S UP 1974, 1979, 2011

BRIEF HISTORY 
Another Italian club to suffer from financial difficulties in recent times. Palermo were a regular fixture in the top flight during the 2000s - They achieved three fifth placed finishes and in the 05/06 UEFA Cup lost to Schalke 04 in the round of 16. 

The club were excluded from Serie B in 2019 due to financial irregularities and re-founded in Serie D.  They are currently in Serie C Group C.

US AVELLINO 1912

FOUNDED 
1912 
REFOUNDATIONS 
2009 
2018 

GROUND CAPACITY 
26,308 

BRIEF HISTORY 
Lupi (The Wolves) spent ten years in Serie A between 1978 and 1988. There best placed finish was in 86/87 when they finished 8th - they were relegated the season after and have never returned since. 

The club has had to to be reformed twice in 2009 and 2018 due to financial problems and currently place in Serie C. 

CALCIO FOGGIA 1920 SSD

FOUNDED 
1920
REFOUNDATIONS 
2004 
2012 
2019 

CAPACITY 
25,085 

MAJOUR HONOURS 
NONE 

BRIEF HISTORY 
Spent some seasons in the 60s and 70s in the top flight with its glory years being in the 1990s under coach Zdenek Zemen when Rossoneri from 91/92 they finished 9th, 12th, 9th and 16th when they were relegated in 94/95. As with many clubs they have been reformed due to financial problems - three times since 2000. They currently play in Serie C. 

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