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; 105 years ago (1919-09-25)
Ground	Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore
Ground Capacity	21,584
Owner	Romano Amadei; Carmelo Salerno; Giuseppe Fico
Chairman	Carmelo Salerno
Manager	William Viali
League	Serie B
2023–24	Serie B, 11th of 20
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Associazione Calcio Reggiana, commonly referred to as Reggiana, is a professional football club based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The club was formed in 1919, reformed in 2005 (Serie C2) and 2018 (Serie D) after going bankrupt twice, and currently plays in the Serie B, the second tier of Italian football. Reggiana is known as i Granata ("the Maroons") in reference to the club's main colour: maroon.

The club was reformed twice after going bankrupt: in 2005 as Reggio Emilia Football Club, and in 2018 as Reggio Audace Football Club. On both occasions, the club regained the naming rights and the trophies of A.C. Reggiana via judicial auction. The club has participated in Serie A, the top tier of Italian football, seven times; their last appearance dates back to the 1996–97 season.

History

Formation

The first football game in Reggio Emilia was played under the roof of the old market in 1909, via an exhibition promoted by the local multi-sports association “Forti per Essere Liberi” (Strong to be Free). The first football clubs emerged subsequently in the coming years, with Reggio Football Club, formed in 1912, rising to prominence as the main local side due to its participation to Promozione, the then Italian second tier, divided into regional groups. In 1914, a group of Reggio F.C. members in disagreement with the presidency at the time decided to leave the club and form Juventus F.C. The two sides clashed in 1914–15 Promozione. The entry of Italy into World War 1 in May 1915 caused a vacuum in the local football scene, as many young players were drafted into the army and lost their lives in the war. On 25 September 1919, in the main town square (today's Piazza Prampolini), a group of former footballers, assembled by former Reggio F.C. footballer Severino Taddei, decided to form a new local club, using Juventus’ ground Campo Mirabello and Reggio F.C. colours (maroon and blue). The new club was formed as Associazione Calcio Reggiana.

A.C. Reggiana (1919–2005)

The club was originally founded in 1919 under the name A.C. Reggiana, and played in the Italian First Division for several seasons in the 1920s. More recently, it played in Serie A in 1993–94, 1994–95, and 1996–97. Their highest ranking was 13th place in the 1993–94 Serie A championship, where its main name was Brazilian goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel, who would go on to win the 1994 FIFA World Cup after the season.

A.C. Reggiana 1919 (2005–2018)

In July 2005, the sports title of A.C. Reggiana S.p.A. was transferred to a new investor, Reggio Emilia F.C. S.p.A., before being renamed as A.C. Reggiana 1919 S.p.A. soon after the start of the 2005–06 season.

In the 2007–08 Serie C2 regular season, the team finished first in Group B, and won direct promotion to Lega Pro Prima Divisione (formerly known as Serie C1 until that year) for the 2008–2009 season. Reggiana also won 2008 Supercoppa di Serie C2, a competition for three group stage winners of Serie C2.

The club was acquired by Italian-American former baseball player Mike Piazza in 2016. After the 2017–18 season, the Piazza family decided not to register the team in the 2018–19 Serie C season, leading the club to the loss of its sporting title and subsequent exclusion from the Italian professional leagues.

Reggio Audace F.C. (2018–2020)

On 31 July 2018, a new entity was formed in Reggio Emilia, called Reggio Audace F.C.. The name was given in honour of a precursor entity of the 1910s, where Reggiana founder Severino Taddei used to play before founding the granata club. The new club, whose ownership was the expression of local entrepreneurs from Reggio Emilia, subsequently announced former Ravenna manager Mauro Antonioli as the new gaffer of the newborn club, admitted into the 2018–19 Serie D. Two days later a three-year partnership was signed with Macron. On 20 August 2018 striker Nicola Luche became the first ever signing of the club.

The club gained promotion to the Serie B, after having been admitted by repechage to the Serie C due to vacancies left by bankrupt clubs in the third tier of Italian football and winning the 2019–20 Serie C playoff, returning to Serie B after an absence of 21 years, gaining subsequently two consecutive promotions.

A.C. Reggiana 1919 (2020–present)

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

Colors and badges

The team's home jersey color is granata (maroon), hence the nickname "Granata" or "Regia". However, the team's shorts are traditionally dark blue, and their badge has traditionally been an orange football surrounded by the text: "Associazione Calcio Reggiana " surrounded by a Granata border.

Stadium

Reggiana played all of its matches in Stadio Mirabello until 1994, when it moved to a modern arena, Stadio Città del Tricolore (a site previously known as Stadio Giglio). The stadium was subsequently bought by U.S. Sassuolo Calcio.

Fans

Like other Italian cities, the birth of the "ultras" phenomenon in the 1980s also affected A.C. Reggiana. With Reggiana battling for Serie B and Cantine Riunite Reggio Emilia competing in Lega Basket Serie A, the youth of the city formed and gathered in ultras every Sunday.

The leading group of Reggiana "Curva Sud" was "Ultras Ghetto", which was famous for its choreography. Since the late 1990s, the leading groups have been "Teste Quadre" and "Gruppo Vandelli", which situate themselves in the East Stand of the stadium. Reggiana fans have always had good numbers on away days with a peak of 10,000 fans in Milan in 1994.

Friendships and rivalries

Reggiana fans have good and friendly relationships with fans from:

• Genoa (twinned)
• Cremonese (twinned)
• Vicenza (twinned)
• Pisa
• Carrarese
• Greenock Morton

The main rivals are:

• Parma, see Derby dell'Enza
• Modena, Secchia Derby
• Sassuolo, see Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore
• SPAL
• Spezia
• Bologna
• Piacenza

Notable players

Former Reggiana players have included:

Youth sector

Reggiana have always had a good tradition in developing youth players, being a rare club with a training ground which has 16 football pitches, located in the nearbies of the club house. The youth teams play their games in Stadio Mirabello, via Agosti training ground or in small grounds located in the local province.

The academy has produced various players, notably:

Players

Current squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Edoardo Motta 3 DF Filip Brekalo 4 DF Paolo Rozzio (captain) 5 MF Alessandro Sersanti (on loan from Juventus) 6 MF Leo Štulac (on loan from Palermo) 7 FW Manuel Marras 8 MF Luca Cigarini 10 FW Luca Vido 11 FW Cedric Gondo 13 DF Andrea Meroni 14 MF Nuhu Shaibu 15 DF Riccardo Fiamozzi 16 MF Tobías Reinhart 17 DF Lorenzo Libutti 18 FW Orji Okwonkwo (on loan from Bologna)

No. Position Player 22 GK Francesco Bardi 23 FW Stefano Pettinari 24 DF Alessandro Fontanarosa (on loan from Inter Milan) 25 MF Lorenzo Ignacchiti (on loan from Empoli) 27 FW Matteo Maggio 29 MF Oliver Urso 30 MF Antonio Vergara (on loan from Napoli) 31 DF Mario Sampirisi 39 DF Giacomo Cavallini 44 DF Lorenzo Lucchesi (on loan from Venezia) 77 MF Elvis Kabashi 80 FW Natan Girma 87 DF Yannis Nahounou 90 MF Manolo Portanova (on loan from Genoa) 99 GK Alex Sposito

Reggiana 1919 Primavera

No. Position Player 12 GK Matteo Donelli 47 MF Filippo Tessitori

No. Position Player 97 MF Osmane Camara

Out on loan

No. Position Player DF Diego Stramaccioni (at Gubbio until 30 June 2025) FW Muhamed Varela Djamanca (at Torres until 30 June 2025)

Coaching Staff

Manager	William Viali
Assistant manager	Massimiliano Guidetti
Technical coach	Simone Baroncelli
Match analyst	Vincenzo Perri
Fitness coach	Giacomo Ceci
Assistant fitness coach	Mattia Fantuzzi
Fitness trainer technical assistant	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
Kit manager	Matteo Ferri

Updated to match played 1 July 2024
Source: AC Reggiana Website

Backdoor and directors staff

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
Head of the Academy	Pietro Lodi
Head of Commercial Area	Luca Tedeschi
General Secretary	Nicola Simonelli
Head of Media and Marketing	Alessandro Marconi
Press Officer	Andrea Montanari
Social Media Manager	Marcello Tosi

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

Managers

The team's most famous coach was Carlo Ancelotti, who coached AC Milan from 2001 to 2009 and then managed Juventus, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton before returning to Real Madrid.

• 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–present: William Viali

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

Honours

• 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

Divisional movements

Series	Years	Last	Promotions	Relegations
A	3	1996–97	–	4 (1926, 1929, 1995, 1997)
B	34	2023–24	4 (1924, 1927, 1993, 1996)	8 (1930, 1942, 1952, 1962, 1970, 1976, 1983, 1999, 2021)
C +C2	47 +3	2022–23	9 (1940, 1946, 1958, 1964, 1971, 1981, 1989, 2020, 2023) 1 (2008 C2)	3 (1953, 2005✟, 2018✟)
86 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929
D	4	2018–19	2 (1956, 2019)	never

See also

In Spanish: Associazione Calcio Reggiana 1919 para niños