AC Reggiana 1919 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Reggiana

Full name	Associazione Calcio Reggiana S.r.l.
Nickname(s)	I Granata (The Maroons) Regia (local dialect for Reggiana) Teste Quadre (Square Heads) from an ancient Poems
Founded	25 September 1919; 106 years ago (1919-09-25)
Ground	Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore
Ground Capacity	21,584
Owner	Romano Amadei (65% of club shares); Carmelo Salerno (30%); Giuseppe Fico (5%)
Chairman	Carmelo Salerno
Manager	Davide Dionigi
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Associazione Calcio Reggiana, often called Reggiana, is a professional football club from Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The club was started in 1919. It has been reformed twice, in 2005 and 2018, after facing financial problems.

Reggiana currently plays in Serie B, which is the second-highest football league in Italy. The team is known as i Granata, meaning "the Maroons," because maroon is their main team color. The club has played in Serie A, Italy's top league, seven times. Their last time in Serie A was during the 1996–97 season.

Club History

How Reggiana Started

The first football game in Reggio Emilia happened in 1909. It was an exhibition game. Later, the first football clubs appeared. Reggio Football Club, formed in 1912, became the main local team. They played in Promozione, which was the second Italian league back then.

In 1914, some members left Reggio F.C. and started a new club called Juventus F.C. These two teams played against each other in the 1914–15 Promozione season. When Italy entered World War 1 in May 1915, many young players joined the army. This caused a break in local football.

On September 25, 1919, a group of former players decided to create a new local club. This group was led by Severino Taddei, who used to play for Reggio F.C. They used Juventus’s old field, Campo Mirabello. They also used the colors of Reggio F.C., which were maroon and blue. This new club was named Associazione Calcio Reggiana.

Reggiana's Early Years (1919–2005)

The club, first known as A.C. Reggiana, played in Italy's First Division in the 1920s. More recently, they played in Serie A in 1993–94, 1994–95, and 1996–97. Their best finish was 13th place in the 1993–94 Serie A season. During that time, their famous goalkeeper was Cláudio Taffarel from Brazil. He later won the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Reggiana 1919 (2005–2018)

In July 2005, the club faced financial difficulties. Its ownership was transferred to a new group, which renamed it A.C. Reggiana 1919.

In the 2007–08 Serie C2 season, the team finished first in their group. This earned them a direct promotion to Lega Pro Prima Divisione (which used to be called Serie C1). Reggiana also won the 2008 Supercoppa di Serie C2. This was a competition for the winners of the Serie C2 groups.

In 2016, former American baseball player Mike Piazza bought the club. After the 2017–18 season, his family decided not to register the team for the next Serie C season. This meant the club lost its professional status.

Reggio Audace F.C. (2018–2020)

On July 31, 2018, a new club was formed in Reggio Emilia. It was called Reggio Audace F.C.. This name honored an older club from the 1910s where Reggiana's founder, Severino Taddei, used to play. Local business owners from Reggio Emilia owned the new club. They hired Mauro Antonioli as the new coach. The club was accepted into the 2018–19 Serie D league.

The club quickly moved up the leagues. They were promoted to Serie B after being allowed into Serie C because other clubs had financial problems. They then won the 2019–20 Serie C playoffs. This meant they returned to Serie B after 21 years, achieving two promotions in a row.

Reggiana 1919 (2020–Present)

On July 28, 2020, the club changed its name back to A.C. Reggiana 1919.

Team Colors and Badges

The team's home jersey is granata, which is a shade of maroon. This is why they are nicknamed "Granata" or "Regia." However, their shorts are usually dark blue. The club's badge traditionally shows an orange football. Around the football, it says "Associazione Calcio Reggiana" with a maroon border.

Home Stadium

Reggiana played all its games at Stadio Mirabello until 1994. Then, they moved to a new, modern stadium. This stadium was first known as Stadio Giglio. It is now called Stadio Città del Tricolore. The stadium was later bought by another football club, U.S. Sassuolo Calcio.

Reggiana Fans

Like in other Italian cities, the "ultras" fan groups became popular in the 1980s. Reggiana also saw these passionate supporters grow. When Reggiana was playing in Serie B, and the local basketball team, Cantine Riunite Reggio Emilia, was in Lega Basket Serie A, young people in the city formed these fan groups. They would gather every Sunday to support their teams.

The main group of Reggiana fans in the "Curva Sud" was "Ultras Ghetto." They were known for their amazing displays and cheers. Since the late 1990s, the main fan groups have been "Teste Quadre" and "Gruppo Vandelli." These groups sit in the East Stand of the stadium. Reggiana fans have always traveled in large numbers to away games. A record 10,000 fans went to Milan in 1994.

Friendships and Rivalries

Reggiana fans have good and friendly relationships with supporters from:

• Genoa (they are like twin clubs)
• Cremonese (they are like twin clubs)
• Vicenza (they are like twin clubs)
• Pisa
• Carrarese
• Greenock Morton (from Scotland)

The main rival teams are:

• Parma, their games are called the Derby dell'Enza
• Modena, their games are called the Secchia Derby
• Sassuolo
• SPAL
• Spezia
• Bologna
• Piacenza

Famous Players

Some well-known players who have played for Reggiana include:

Youth Academy

Reggiana has a strong history of developing young players. They have a training ground with 16 football pitches. These pitches are located near the club house. The youth teams play their games at Stadio Mirabello, the Agosti training ground, or smaller fields in the local area.

The academy has helped many players become professionals. Some notable players who came from Reggiana's youth system include:

Current Players

First Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Edoardo Motta 4 DF Paolo Rozzio (captain) 6 MF Leo Štulac (on loan from Palermo) 7 FW Manuel Marras 11 FW Cedric Gondo 13 DF Andrea Meroni 16 MF Tobías Reinhart 17 DF Lorenzo Libutti 27 FW Matteo Maggio 29 MF Oliver Urso 31 DF Mario Sampirisi 80 FW Natan Girma

No. Position Player 87 DF Yannis Nahounou 90 MF Manolo Portanova 99 GK Alex Sposito DF Simone Bonetti DF Andrea Bozzolan DF Giacomo Cavallini DF Andrea Papetti DF Diego Stramaccioni MF Damiano Basili MF Massimo Bertagnoli MF Francesco Vallarelli

Reggiana 1919 Youth Team

No. Position Player 12 GK Matteo Donelli 18 FW Edoardo Cavaliere 19 GK Simon Esosa Aibangbee

No. Position Player 65 DF Federico Paterlini 70 GK Lorenzo Rubboli

Coaching Staff

Manager	Davide Dionigi
Assistant manager	Lorenzo Sibilano
Technical coach	Giuseppe Liperoti
Match analyst	Hiroshi Komatsuzaki
Fitness coach	David Morelli
Fitness coach	Giacomo Ceci
Assistant fitness coach	Mattia Fantuzzi
Fitness trainer technical	Alessandro Spaggiari
Goalkeeping coach	Marco Bizzarri
Team manager	Michele Malpeli
Head of medical staff	Dott. Stefano Bondi
Club doctor	Dott. Massimiliano Manzotti
Physiotherapist	Remigio Del Sole Filippo Torricelli Gabriele Di Paola
Kitman	Matteo Ferri

Updated to match played 5 April 2025
Source: AC Reggiana Website

Club Management

Honorary President and majority shareholder	Romano Amadei
Chairman and CEO	Carmelo Salerno
Vice-President	Giuseppe Fico
Vice-President and Director of Operations	Vittorio Cattani
Director of Football	Marcello Pizzimenti
Assistant of Director of Football	Francesco Panfili
Head of Recruitment	Haris Louris
Academy Director	Pietro Lodi
Head of Commercial Area	Luca Tedeschi
General Secretary	Nicola Simonelli
Head of Media and Marketing	Alessandro Marconi
Press Officer	Andrea Montanari
Digital Media Manager	Marcello Tosi
Social Media Manager	Chiara Bonomo

Updated to match played 1 July 2019
Source: Reggio Audace Website

Team Managers

One of the team's most famous coaches was Carlo Ancelotti. He later coached many top clubs. These include AC Milan, Juventus, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli, and Everton. He returned to Real Madrid after that.

• 1919–20: Severino Taddei
• 1920–22: Karl Stürmer
• 1922–23: Felice Romano
• 1923–24: Karl Stürmer
• 1924–25: Severino Taddei
• 1925–26: Ottorino Bojardi
• 1926: Karl Stürmer
• 1926–28: Vilmos Zsigsmond
• 1928–29: Anton Ringer
• 1929–30: Severino Taddei
• 1930–34: Regolo Ferretti
• 1934–35: Mora Maurer
• 1935–37: Italo Rossi
• 1937–39: Giuseppe Valenti
• 1939–1942: János Vanicsek
• 1942: Luigi Bernardi and William Ruozi
• 1942–43: Alfredo Mazzoni
• 1943–44: Regolo Ferretti
• 1945–46: Felice Romano
• 1946–47: Bruno Vale
• 1947: Alcide Violi
• 1947–48: Angelo Mattea
• 1948–49: Piero Ferrari
• 1949: Bruno Arcari
• 1949–52: Giuseppe Antonini
• 1952: Vittorio Malagoli
• 1952–53: Guido Masetti
• 1953–54: Alcide Violi
• 1954–62: Luigi Del Grosso
• 1962: Angelo Piccioli
• 1962–63: Renato Martini
• 1963: Vittorio Malagoli
• 1963–64: Giancarlo Cadé
• 1964–65: Dino Ballacci
• 1965–70: Romolo Bizzotto
• 1970–74: Ezio Galbiati
• 1974: Giampiero Grevi and Giovanni Galbiati
• 1974–75: Tito Corsi
• 1975–76: Carmelo Di Bella
• 1976: Bruno Giorgi
• 1976–77: Mario Caciagli
• 1977–79: Guido Mammi
• 1979–80: Franco Marini
• 1980–83: Romano Fogli
• 1983: Giovan Battista Fabbri
• 1983–84: Lauro Toneatto
• 1984–86: Franco Fontana
• 1986: Giancarlo Cadé
• 1986–88: Nello Santin
• 1988: Marino Perani
• 1988–94: Giuseppe Marchioro
• 1994–95: Enzo Ferrari
• 1995: Cesare Vitale
• 1995–96: Giorgio Ciaschini and Carlo Ancelotti
• 1996: Adelio Moro and Mircea Lucescu
• 1996–97: Francesco Oddo
• 1997–98: Franco Varrella
• 1998–99: Attilio Perotti
• 1999: Franco Varrella
• 1999: Angelo Gregucci and Fabiano Speggiorin
• 1999–00: Giorgio Rumignani
• 2000: Gigi Maifredi
• 2000–01: Claudio Testoni
• 2001–02: Salvatore Vullo
• 2002: Lorenzo Mossini
• 2002–03: Adriano Cadregari
• 2003–04: Antonio Sala
• 2004: Adriano Cadregari
• 2004–05: Bruno Giordano
• 2005–06: Luciano Foschi
• 2006–09: Alessandro Pane
• 2009–10: Loris Dominissini
• 2010–12: Amedeo Mangone
• 2012: Lamberto Zauli and Salvatore Lanna
• 2012–13: Lamberto Zauli
• 2013: Luigi Apolloni
• 2013: Lamberto Zauli
• 2013–14: Pierfrancesco Battistini
• 2014: Marcello Montanari
• 2014–16: Alberto Colombo
• 2016–17: Leonardo Colucci
• 2017: Leonardo Menichini
• 2017: Massimiliano La Rosa and Andrea Tedeschi
• 2017–2018: Sergio Eberini
• 2018–2019: Mauro Antonioli
• 2019–2021: Massimiliano Alvini
• 2021–2023: Aimo Diana
• 2023–2024: Alessandro Nesta
• 2024–2025: William Viali
• 2025–present: Davide Dionigi

Club Chairmen

• 1919–1923: Giuseppe Cassoli
• 1923–1925: Vittorino Palazzi Trivelli
• 1925–1928: Giovanni Bonini
• 1928–1930: Renato Bertolini
• 1930–1931: Mario Muzzarini and Franco Fontanili
• 1931–1932: Enrico Bottazzi
• 1932–1936: Marcello Bofondi
• 1936–1937: Giuseppe Pietranera
• 1937–1938: Eugenio Bolondi
• 1938–1939: Giovanni Marzi
• 1939–1941: Giovanni Robba
• 1941–1942: Alberto Ferrari
• 1942–1943: Antonio Alessio
• 1943–1945: Regolo Ferretti
• 1945–1946: Carlo Visconti and Mario Curti
• 1946–1947: Carlo Visconti
• 1947–1948: Mario Dallaglio
• 1948–1951: Renato Simonini
• 1951–1955: Enzo Dal Conte
• 1955–1956: Gianni Landini
• 1956–1965: Carlo Visconti, Gino Lari and Giorgio Degola
• 1965–1979: Carlo Visconti
• 1979–1982: Franco Vacondio
• 1982–1988: Giovanni Vandelli
• 1988–1993: Ermete Fiaccadori
• 1993–1994: Gianfranco Morini
• 1994–1995: Luciano Fantinel
• 1995–1996: Loris Fantinel
• 1996–2001: Luciano Ferrarini
• 2001–2002: Federico Spallanzani
• 2002–2004: Chiarino Cimurri
• 2004–2005: Federico Spallanzani
• 2005–2009: Vando Veroni
• 2009–2010: Clarfiorello Fontanesi
• 2010–2015: Alessandro Barilli
• 2015–2016: Stefano Compagni
• 2016–2018: Mike Piazza
• 2018–2020: Luca Quintavalli
• 2020–present: Carmelo Salerno

Club Achievements

Reggiana has won several important titles throughout its history:

• Serie B
  • Winners (1): 1992–93
• Serie C
  • Winners (7): 1939–40, 1957–58, 1963–64, 1970–71, 1980–81, 1988–89, 2022–23
• Serie C2
  • Winners (1): 2007–08
• Supercoppa di Serie C2
  • Winners (1): 2008

See also

In Spanish: Associazione Calcio Reggiana 1919 para niños