US Avellino 1912 facts for kids
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| Full name | Unione Sportiva Avellino 1912 | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Lupi (Wolves), Biancoverdi (White-greens), Irpini (Irpinians) |
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| Founded | 1912 (first club) 1944 (as US Avellino) 2009 (as Avellino Calcio) 2018 (as US Avellino 1912) |
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| Ground | Stadio Partenio, Avellino, Italy |
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| Capacity | 26,308 | |||
| Chairman | Angelo Antonio D'Agostino | |||
| Manager | Michele Pazienza | |||
| League | Serie C Group C | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie D Group G, 1st of 20 (promoted) | |||
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Unione Sportiva Avellino 1912, often called US Avellino 1912, is a professional football club from Avellino, Italy. The team plays in Serie C, which is the third highest league in Italian football.
This club is the official continuation of the original US Avellino 1912. The older club was famous for playing in Serie A for ten years in a row. Serie A is the top football league in Italy. This happened from the 1978–1979 season to the 1987–1988 season.
The team had to restart twice because of financial problems. First, in 2009, the club went bankrupt. Then, in 2018, it was removed from Serie B, which is the second highest league. Each time, new clubs were formed and started playing in Serie D, a lower league.
The club has changed its name a few times. In 2009, it was called Avellino Calcio.12 Società Sportiva Dilettantistica. In 2010, it became Associazione Sportiva Avellino 1912. Finally, in 2015, it went back to its original name, Unione Sportiva Avellino 1912.
Club History
How the Club Started
The club was first created as U.S. Avellino on December 12, 1912. The goal was to give the town of Avellino its own football team. The early years of the club are not very well known. They mostly played against other local teams at a lower level. Avellino competed in IV Divisione from 1913 until after World War II. This league is similar to today's Serie D.
Rising After the War
For many years, the club didn't achieve much. But after World War II, in the 1945–46 season, they were placed in Serie C. In the 1946–47 season, they almost made it to the next stage of the competition. They finished third in their group.
Avellino managed to get promoted to Serie B at the end of the 1940s. They beat strong teams like Catania and Reggina. However, the club was accused of match fixing. Because of this, the football federation sent them down to Serie D. They were promoted back to Serie C after one season. But then, Avellino was sent down again and spent six years in Serie D.
Eventually, Avellino returned to higher leagues. In six seasons, they were promoted to Serie C three times and relegated twice.
The 1970s: Reaching Serie A
Avellino was promoted to Serie B in 1973. Then, in 1978, they made it to Serie A, the top Italian league! This was a huge achievement for a team from a smaller southern town. They stayed in Serie A for 10 years, from 1978 to 1988. For most of this time, they were a mid-table team.
Their best finish was 8th place in 1987. That team had great players like Angelo Alessio, Paolo Benedetti, Franco Colomba, and Dirceu.
The 1990s and 2000s: Ups and Downs
After being relegated from Serie A in 1988, the club often moved between Serie B and Serie C1.
In the 2004–05 season, Avellino made a surprising return to Serie B. They won against their rivals Napoli in the play-off finals. However, the 2005–06 season was not successful. They lost in the relegation play-offs and went down to a lower league.
In the 2006–07 season, Avellino finished second in their league. They then won the promotion play-offs, beating Foggia in the finals. This meant they were promoted to Serie B again! However, the club faced more challenges. They finished 19th in the league and were relegated. But they were later allowed back into Serie B because another team, Messina, had to close down.
In the 2008–09 season, the team finished second to last in the league and was relegated again. On July 9, 2009, a special commission announced that the team did not meet the financial rules to stay in the league. Avellino could not fix the problem and was removed from the league.
Starting Over in Serie D
In the summer of 2009, a new club was formed called Avellino Calcio.12 S.S.D. It started playing in Serie D. They finished 5th, but on August 4, 2010, they were allowed to join Lega Pro Seconda Divisione because there were open spots. This situation showed that many Italian clubs face serious money problems.
From Lower Leagues to Serie B
In the 2010–11 season, the team changed its name to Associazione Sportiva Avellino 1912. They played in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione and finished 4th. They lost in the play-off final but were later allowed to join Lega Pro Prima Divisione in 2011.
In the 2012–13 season, Avellino won Lega Pro Prima Divisione. This meant they were promoted to Serie B under their manager Massimo Rastelli. In the 2014–2015 season, Rastelli led the team to the play-off semi-finals. They were knocked out by the famous Bologna team, even though Avellino won one match 3–2 away from home.
2018: Another Setback
In 2018, Avellino was again removed from Serie B. This happened because their paperwork for league membership was not complete. A new club was quickly formed to play in Serie D instead. In 2019, Avellino won Serie D and the Scudetto Serie D. This earned them promotion to Serie C for the next season. In 2020–2021, they reached the play-off semi-finals again, but lost to Padova.
Team Colors and Badge
Avellino's traditional colors are green and white. The team is nicknamed the "Lupi," which means "wolves" in Italian. Their club badge proudly shows a wolf's head.
Players
Updated 30 August 2024.
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Players Out on Loan
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Retired Numbers
10 – 
Adriano Lombardi, Midfielder (1975–79) – This number was retired in 2007 to honor Adriano Lombardi after his passing.
Famous Former Players
Club Achievements
- Serie B
- Second Place: 1977–78
- Serie C1
- Winners: 2002–03, 2012–13
- Second Place: 1994–95, 2004–05, 2006–07
- Coppa Italia Serie C
- Second Place: 1972–73
- Supercoppa di Lega di Prima Divisione
- Winners: 2013
- Serie D
- Winners: 1961–62, 1963–64, 2018–19
- Scudetto Serie D
- Winners: 2018–19
Images for kids
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Walter Schachner and Dirceu playing for Avellino in the 1986–87 season.
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Avellino playing against Reggiana in the Coppa Italia in 2008–2009.
See also
In Spanish: Unione Sportiva Avellino 1912 para niños
