Ascoli Calcio 1898 FC facts for kids
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| Full name | Ascoli Calcio 1898 F.C. S.p.A. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Il Picchio (The Woodpecker) | |||
| Founded | 1898 | |||
| Ground | Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca, Ascoli Piceno, Italy |
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| Capacity | 12,461 | |||
| Owner | Massimo Pulcinelli 39%, North Sixth Group 31%, Distretti Ecologici 20%, Rabona 10% | |||
| President | Carlo Neri | |||
| Head coach | Domenico "Mimmo" Di Carlo | |||
| League | Serie B | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie B, 13th of 19 | |||
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Ascoli Calcio 1898 FC, often called Ascoli, is an Italian football club. It is based in Ascoli Piceno, a city in the Marche region of Italy. The club started in 1898 and currently plays in Serie C.
The team's traditional uniform has black and white vertical stripes.
Contents
Club History and Growth
Early Years and Name Changes
The club began in 1898 as "Candido Augusto Vecchi." Over the years, its name changed several times. In 1905, it became Ascoli Vigor. Then, in 1921, it was called U.S. Ascolana. After World War II, in 1945, it changed to A.S. Ascoli.
In 1955, a publishing boss named Cino Del Duca bought the team. He saved it from financial trouble. He combined it with his own team, creating "Del Duca Ascoli." The team's home stadium is still named after him and his brother. By 1959, the team returned to Serie C, a professional league, for the first time since before World War II.
Becoming Ascoli Calcio
In 1971, Costantino Rozzi became the club's chairman. He had bought the team three years earlier. Under his leadership, the team changed its name to its current one: Ascoli Calcio 1898.
That same year, with Carlo Mazzone as coach, Ascoli achieved two promotions in a row. They moved up to Serie B and then, for the first time ever, to Serie A. Serie A is Italy's top football league. The team played in Serie A for two seasons before going back down to Serie B.
Success in Serie A
Ascoli returned to Serie A in 1978. They stayed in the top league for seven years. During this time, they had amazing results. They finished 4th in 1980 and 6th in 1982. These were surprising achievements for a club from a smaller city.
Many talented players played for Ascoli during this period. Some notable names included Adelio Moro, Carlo Trevisanello, Alessandro Scanziani, and Walter Novellino. After being relegated in 1985, the club quickly bounced back to Serie A and stayed for four more years. Another return to Serie A happened in 1991, but it only lasted one season.
Challenges and Relegation
After almost getting promoted for two years, the club faced difficulties. They were relegated to Serie C1 in 1995. They remained in this league for seven seasons. In 2002, they won the Serie C1/B championship and returned to Serie B.
In August 2005, Ascoli was unexpectedly moved up to Serie A. This happened because two other teams, Genoa and Torino, were removed from Serie A due to rule violations. Ascoli had finished well in the Serie B playoffs the season before. They ended up finishing 12th in Serie A, which was a great result.
Ascoli was the first team to be officially relegated back to Serie B for the 2007–08 season. This happened after a 1–0 loss to Torino F.C. on May 7, 2007. They finished the season in 19th place.
Club's Achievements
Even though Ascoli is from a small city with about 50,000 people, the club has achieved a lot. They have played 16 seasons in Serie A since 1974. Their best finishes were 4th in the 1979–80 season and 6th in the 1981–82 season.
Ascoli has also won the Serie B championship twice: in 1977–78 and 1985–86. In the 1977–78 season, they set a record by earning 61 points (when a win was worth 2 points). Ascoli has played in Serie B 13 times and has been promoted to Serie A five times from that league.
The club has also won Serie C/C1B twice, in 1971–72 and 2001–02.
One amazing fact about Ascoli is its record home attendance. It reached 36,500 fans, which is more than 70% of the city's population! This happened in Serie A, including a famous game in 1982–83 against Cagliari. Even with new stadium rules limiting attendance to 12,461, filling the stadium is still a big achievement for a small city.
Ascoli also won the Mitropa Cup in 1986–87. They were also finalists in the Anglo-Italia Cup in 1994–95.
Under the great president Costantino Rozzi, Ascoli played 14 of their 16 Serie A seasons. Rozzi also helped bring in local players who grew up in Ascoli's youth system. Players like Giuseppe Iachini, Domenico Agostini, and Lorenzo Scarafoni helped the team return to Serie A in the 1980s.
Carlo Mazzone, who played for Ascoli for 9 seasons, later became their manager for about 10 seasons. He led Ascoli from Serie C all the way to Serie A, including their 6th-place finish in 1981–82.
Bankruptcy and New Beginnings
During the 2013–14 Lega Pro Prima Divisione season, the club faced financial difficulties. A court declared the club bankrupt. A new company, Ascoli Picchio F.C. 1898, bought the club's assets. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) allowed the new company to continue playing in the league without being relegated.
In mid-2015, Ascoli was promoted to Serie B. They had finished second in their league group. However, the team that finished first, Teramo, was relegated due to a scandal. This meant Ascoli was declared the champion of their group and promoted.
On June 14, 2018, the club's president, Francesco Bellini, sold the club to Massimo Pulcinelli. On July 18, 2018, the club officially changed its name back to Ascoli Calcio 1898 F.C. S.p.A.
In 2021, a company from New York called North Sixth Group bought a 31% share in Ascoli Calcio. They plan to help Ascoli grow and become more known around the world. They also made a special deal with Italian Football TV to share content with fans in North America.
Team Supporters and Rivalries
Local Derbies
The biggest local rivalry for Ascoli is with Sambenedettese (often called Samb or Samba). Both cities are very close, only about 20 minutes apart. This rivalry is very strong due to local pride, even though they haven't played each other in a league season since 1986.
The rivalry with Ancona is also very important. Ancona and Ascoli are the two most successful clubs from the Marche region. This rivalry comes partly from Ancona being the capital of Marche, while Ascoli was the capital of the ancient Picenun region. Both teams fight to be known as La Regina Delle Marche (the Queen of Marche).
Fermana is another important rival. Both teams are located close to each other in the same province. Even though Fermana has historically been a weaker team than Ascoli, their matches are still very important to both sets of fans.
Other Rivalries
Ascoli also has rivalries with other teams like Livorno, Verona, Pescara, and Inter.
Home Stadium
Ascoli plays its home games at the Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca. This stadium can hold 12,461 people and is located just outside Ascoli Piceno.
Current Squad
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Coaching Staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Massimo Carrera |
| Assistant coach | Mirko Savini |
| Technical collaborator | Fabio Giampieretti |
| Technical collaborator | Andrea Mazzantini |
| Goalkeeper coach | Andrea Aquilanti |
| Fitness coach | Iuri Bartoli |
| Fitness coach | Vincenzo Paradisi |
| Kinetotherapist | Nazzareno Salvatori |
Club Honours
- Serie B:
- Winners (2): 1977–78, 1985–86
- Serie C:
- Winners (3): 1971–72, 2001–02, 2014–15
- Mitropa Cup:
- Winners (1): 1986–87
- Supercoppa di Serie C:
- Winners (1): 2002
League History
This table shows how Ascoli has moved between different Italian football leagues over the years.
| Series | Years | Last Season | Promotions | Relegations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 16 | 2006–07 | – |  5 (1976, 1985, 1990, 1992, 2007) |
| B | 25 | 2023–24 |  5 (1974, 1978, 1986, 1991, 2005) |
2 (1995, 2013) |
| C | 32 | 2014–15 | 3 (1972, 2002, 2015) |
2 (1933, 1948) |
| 73 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929 | ||||
| D | 15 | 1958–59 | 3 (1930, 1938, 1959) |
1 (1955) |
| E | 2 | 1956–57 | 1 (1957) |
never |
Club Partnerships
Ascoli Calcio works with Young Blasters & Sporthood. This partnership helps young footballers in the YBSA network get access to great coaching and training facilities.
Club Records
- Highest finish: 4th in Serie A, 1979–80 season
- Biggest league victory: 4–1 against Avellino, 1983–84 season
- Biggest league defeat: 7–0 against Juventus, 1983–84 season
See also
In Spanish: Ascoli Calcio 1898 FC para niños
