ACR Messina facts for kids
Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina S.r.l. is a football club from Messina, Sicily, Italy. They play in Serie C, which is the third level of professional football in Italy.
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| Full name | Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina S.r.l. | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Giallorossi (Yellow-red) Biancoscudati (White-shield) |
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| Founded | 1900 as Messina F.C. 2017 as A.C.R. Messina |
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| Ground | Stadio Comunale San Filippo-Franco Scoglio, Messina, Italy |
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| Capacity | 38,722 | ||
| Owner | AAD Invest Group | ||
| Chairman | Stefano Alaimo | ||
| Head coach | Simone Banchieri | ||
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Contents
The Story of ACR Messina
Early Days of Football in Messina
The club's story began in 1900 when Messina F.C. was founded. For most of its history, the team played in the lower Italian football leagues. They last played in Serie B in the 2007–08 season. Before that, they spent three years in Serie A, Italy's top league.
In July 2008, Messina faced money problems and had to leave professional football. They then joined an amateur league called Serie D.
Messina has played in Serie A five times in total. Their first time was in the 1960s, and their second was in the 2000s. Their best finish ever was 7th place in the 2004–05 season.
How Messina F.C. Started (1900-1939)
The idea for Messina Football Club came from Alfredo Marangolo. He returned to Sicily in August 1900 after studying in London, England. Football was becoming very popular in Britain at that time.
Messina Football Club was officially started on December 1, 1900. Marangolo had help from an Anglican reverend named Charles Bousfield Huleatt.
Marangolo had also met Ignazio Majo Pagano, who started a club in Palermo a month before Messina. The first ever Sicilian derby (a match between two local rival teams) was played between Messina and Palermo on April 18, 1901. About 1,000 fans watched the game, which Palermo won 3–2.
A friendly rivalry grew between the two Sicilian clubs. They created a competition called the Whitaker Challenge Cup. Messina won their first trophy in 1905, beating Palermo 3–2. They won it again the next year with a 2–1 victory.
A big earthquake hit Messina in 1908, causing a lot of damage and sadly, many deaths. This also affected the club greatly. Charles Bousfield Huleatt, players Frank John Carter and Walter Oates, and financial supporter George H. Peirce were among those who died.
Football started again in Messina the next year. Arthur Barret Lascelles used his own money to keep the sport going in the city. By 1910, his money ran out, and the club closed. Another club, Società Ginnastica Garibaldi Messina, briefly took its place. However, it also closed because of World War I.
After World War I, a new club called US Messinese was formed. They played in the Coppa Federale Siciliana, a championship for Sicilian teams. Messina finished as runners-up.
The club played in the Italian Football Championship in 1921–22. This was the first time clubs from Sicily joined the national championship. Over the next few years, different Messina clubs merged. In 1922, Umberto I Messina joined US Messinese, changing its name to US Messinese Umberto I. This new team then merged with Messina Sporting Club to form Messina Football Club.
In 1924, FC Messina closed, and its players joined the reformed US Messinese. This team reached the semi-finals of the International League in 1924–25.
Messina was promoted to Serie B for the 1932–33 season. They stayed in Serie B for six seasons. During this time, they had a strong local rivalry with Calcio Catania.
Rebuilding After the 1940s
In 1940–41, AC Messina closed down. The next season, a club called US Peloro 1906 changed its name to US Mario Passamonte. They wanted to join Serie C in Messina's place, which they did the following season.
All football in Italy stopped for World War II. After the war, in 1945, several clubs merged. AS Messina was formed to represent the city. However, some players and officials started a rival club called Giostra Messina. Both teams reached the finals of the Southern League.
The Rise of A.C. Riunite Messina
In 1947, AS Messina and Giostra Messina joined together to form Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina, often called AC Riunite Messina.
The 1950s started well for Messina. They won the Serie C championship. In their first season in Serie B, they avoided being sent down to a lower league. Messina continued to do well in Serie B throughout the 1950s.
In the 1962–63 season, Messina won the Serie B championship for the first time in their history! It was a very close race, decided on the last day.
For their first season ever in Serie A (1963–64), Messina's team included players like Morelli, Brambilla, and Clerici. Their first Serie A game was on September 15, 1963, a 3–1 loss to Sampdoria. The first half of the season was tough, with only two wins. But they improved a lot in the second half, winning 7 games. They even beat big teams like Juventus (1–0) and Fiorentina (1–0). This helped them stay in Serie A, finishing 14th.
The next season in Serie A was not as lucky. They were sent down to Serie B, finishing 17th. Still, they had some great moments, like a 1–0 win against Roma. They also beat Lazio 4–0 on the last day of the season.
Messina couldn't get back to Serie A right away. After three seasons in Serie B, they were relegated again. After several years in Serie C, they went down to Serie D in 1972–73. But they bounced back quickly, winning the Serie D championship and getting promoted to Serie C. In 1979, Serie C2 was created, and Messina joined it.
By 1983, Messina won the Serie C2 championship. They had a future star player named Salvatore Schillaci. The club was doing well again. They almost got promoted to Serie B in 1985, finishing third. The next season, they won Serie C1 and were promoted back to Serie B.
The 1980s were good for Messina in Serie B, with finishes in seventh and eighth place. In 1989, Schillaci was sold to Juventus. Three seasons after he left, Messina lost their spot in Serie B and went down to C1. More financial problems followed. In 1993, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) stopped all professional football for Messina due to money issues.
The club then played in amateur leagues like Sicilian Promozione and Sicilian Eccellenza until 1998, when it was dissolved.
A New Start: A.S. Messina (1993-1999)
Fans and the club felt the decision to stop professional football was unfair. In the summer of 1993, A.S. Messina was founded. Their goal was to bring the giallorossi (yellow-reds) back to professional football.
They played in the Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti (an amateur national championship) for four seasons. They finished high in the first three seasons. However, in 1996–97, they finished last and were sent down to the Sicilian Eccellenza league.
In the 1998–99 season, they were relegated again to Sicilian Promozione and then dissolved.
From U.S. Peloro to F.C. Messina Peloro (1994-2008)
In the summer of 1994, a new club called U.S. Peloro was formed from a merger of two other teams. They played two seasons in Sicilian Eccellenza. In 1996, they were promoted to Campionato Nazionale Dilettanti (Serie D). In 1996, this club played in the same league as A.S. Messina.
In July 1997, the club changed its name to Football Club Messina Peloro. In just a few seasons, this club quickly moved up the Italian league system. They were promoted to Serie C2 as champions in 1997–98. In 2000, they were promoted to Serie C1. They then fought hard and won promotion to Serie B after play-offs. In less than ten years, Messina had climbed back up from the lower leagues.
After two seasons in Serie B, a local businessman named Pietro Franza took over. In 2003–04, Messina returned to Serie A under coach Bortolo Mutti. The club had not been in Italy's top league for 40 years, since 1965.
Many people thought Messina would struggle in Serie A during the 2004–05 season. But they surprised everyone with great results! They beat both Milan clubs: AC Milan 2–1 at their stadium, and later Internazionale at home for the first time ever. The winning goal against Inter was scored by Rafael in injury time.
Messina avoided relegation all season and finished in seventh place. This was just one spot away from qualifying for the UEFA Cup, a big European competition. Also, during this time, for the first time, Messina players were called up to the Italy national football team. Alessandro Parisi was called up in 2004, and Carmine Coppola in 2005.
Even with this success, Messina was still in danger of being relegated at the end of the season due to money issues. But they managed to stay in Serie A. In the 2005–06 season, Messina couldn't repeat their amazing performance. Coach Mutti was replaced by Giampiero Ventura. They seemed to be mathematically relegated after losing a derby match to Reggina 3–0. However, due to a big scandal in Serie A in 2006, Messina avoided relegation to Serie B, even though they finished 18th.
Messina started the 2006–07 season with Bruno Giordano as coach. But he was replaced in January 2007 by Alberto Cavasin because of poor results. In April, Cavasin was also fired, and Giordano was brought back. Giordano's second time was even worse, with four losses in four matches. With Messina near the bottom of the table, Giordano was fired again in April and replaced by Bruno Bolchi. Messina was relegated at the end of the season.
After a quiet Serie B season in 2007–08, Messina's chairman Pietro Franza announced he couldn't find anyone to buy the club. He gave up the club's Serie B spot, planning to join an amateur league. On August 1, 2008, Messina was confirmed to be in Serie D. In November 2008, the club was declared bankrupt.
A New Beginning: A.C. Rinascita Messina (2009-2014)
In March 2009, a businessman named Alfredo Di Lullo bought Football Club Messina Peloro. The club was renamed A.C. Rinascita Messina (rinascita means "revived"). The club changed owners a couple more times.
In June 2012, a group led by football manager Pietro Lo Monaco bought the club. Messina finished 4th in their group in the 2011–12 season and made it to the promotion playoffs. They won one round but were eliminated in the second. Finally, Messina became champions of their Serie D group and were promoted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, the fourth level of Italian football. After winning the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione/B title, the club was allowed to play in the unified 2014–15 Lega Pro season.
Back to A.C. Riunite Messina (2014-Present)
Since the summer of 2014, the club's name is Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina. In the 2014–15 season, the club was relegated to Serie D. However, they were allowed back into Lega Pro because of a sports fraud investigation involving other teams. Since 2015, Natale Stracuzzi has been the owner and president. The club failed to submit a required financial guarantee by July 5, 2017, and was removed from Lega Pro. A new club, A.C.R. Messina S.s.d. a r.l., was then allowed into the 2017–18 Serie D.
Under the ownership of Pietro Sciotto, Messina was promoted back to Serie C in 2021 as league champions. They have been playing in the Italian third tier ever since.
Team Rivalries
Messina's biggest rivals are Reggina. Their cities are very close, separated by the Strait of Messina. Matches between them are called Derby dello Stretto ("Derby of the Strait").
Other big rivals in Sicily are Catania and Palermo. Games against these teams are known as Sicilian derbies.
Fan Groups
In 1973, the first organized fan group (ultras) for ACR Messina was formed, called "Fedelissimi". In 1980, "Gioventù Giallorossa" started, changing the fan scene in Sicily. They even had sections in cities like Rome and Milan. Other groups like "Uragano CEP" (1982), "NOCS" (1983), "Fracidi" (1990), "Lions" (1997), "Semu Pacci" (2010), and "Area Ostile" (2024) were also formed.
When the club was in Serie A and Serie B, thousands of fans supported them. This number has gone down in recent years. Messina's home games have seen as many as 38,000 spectators, and 10,000 fans have traveled to away games.
Team Colors and Badge
The team's colors are yellow and red.
Current Players
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Players on Loan
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Famous Players
Many talented players have played for Messina over the years, including:
Salvatore Aronica- Emanuele Curcio
Julio César de León- Arturo Di Napoli
Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos- Antonio Nocerino
- Alessandro Parisi
- Igor Protti
Rahman Rezaei- Christian Riganò
- Salvatore Schillaci
- Marco Storari
- Salvatore Sullo
Atsushi Yanagisawa- Riccardo Zampagna
Marco Zoro
Ivica Iliev
Home Stadium
The club plays its home matches at the Stadio Comunale San Filippo-Franco Scoglio. This stadium has been their home since the 2004–05 season.
The stadium can hold 38,722 people. It is named after the part of the city where it is located. There have been ideas to rename it after former Messina manager Franco Scoglio or the Messina Saint Hannibal Mary Di Francia.
The old stadium, the Stadio Comunale Giovanni Celeste, which held 11,000 seats, is now used by S.S.D. Città di Messina, another team in the city.
Club Achievements
Messina has won several championships throughout its history:
- Serie B
- Champions: 1962–63
- Serie C
- Champions: 1949–50, 1985–86, 1931-32
- Serie C2
- Champions: 1982–83, 1999–00, 2013–14
- Serie D
- Champions: 1973–74 (Group I), 1997-98 (Group I), 2012–13 (Group I), 2020-21 (Group I)
- Sicilian Championship
- Winners: 1922-23, 1924–25
- Whitaker Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1905, 1906
See also
In Spanish: Associazioni Calcio Riunite Messina para niños
