Catania FC facts for kids
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| Full name | Catania Football Club s.r.l. |
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| Nickname(s) | I Rossazzurri (The Red and Blues) Gli Elefanti (The Elephants) Gli Etnei (The Etneans) |
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| Founded | 1929 | |||
| Ground | Stadio Angelo Massimino, Catania, Italy |
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| Capacity | 23,266 | |||
| Owner | Elefante 1946 Pty Ltd (Pelligra Group) | |||
| Chairman | Ross Pelligra | |||
| Coach | Domenico Toscano | |||
| League | Serie C Group C | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie C Group C, 4th of 19 | |||
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Catania Football Club, often called Catania, is an Italian football team. It is based in the city of Catania, which is in Sicily, Italy. The team currently plays in Serie C, one of Italy's professional football leagues.
The club was first started in 1908. It has played 17 seasons in Italy's top league, Serie A. Catania even reached eighth place in Serie A four times. This happened in the early 1960s and again in the 2012–13 season. Catania is a very popular team in Italy, with about 600,000 fans. The club has been restarted a few times, most recently in 2022.
Contents
History of Catania Football Club
How it All Started (1901–1908)
Football came to Sicily thanks to English cargo ships. The very first Catania team played a match on May 2, 1901. They played against Messina Football Club. This early team was called Royal Yacht Catania. It was an English ship with a crew from Catania.
Playing football was a hobby for the ship workers. Catania's first official football club began on June 19, 1908. It was founded by Gaetano Ventimiglia and Francesco Sturzo d'Aldobrando. They named the club A.S. Educazione Fisica Pro Patria. At first, they played against sailors visiting Catania's port. Their first game was a 1–1 draw against an Italian battleship. Two years later, the club changed its name to Unione Sportiva Catanese.
Early Years and Challenges (1908–1943)
Football was more organized in northern Italy. Clubs there played in the early Italian Football Championships. Southern clubs competed in other cups. US Catanese continued playing after World War I. In 1927, they were promoted to the Campionato Catanese. They won this league in the 1928–29 season.
After winning, the team moved up to the Second Division. However, Italian football rules changed. This led to US Catanese being disbanded. A new club, Società Sportiva Catania, was formed on June 27, 1929. The new club first played in Serie B in the 1934–35 season. They finished fourth that year.
Catania played in Serie B for three seasons. Then, they were moved down to Serie C. In the 1938–39 season, Catania won the Serie C championship. They finished above their Sicilian rivals, Siracusa and Messina. The club's name was briefly changed during the 1942–43 season. This season ended early because of World War II.
Coming Back to Life (1945–1949)
After World War II, a local competition was held. A local team, Elefante Catania, joined with the club. The combined club kept the Catanese name. They played in Serie C in the 1945–46 season. Another team, Virtus Catania, also played in that league.
At the end of the season, Catanese and Virtus joined together. They formed Club Calcio Catania. Santi Manganaro-Passanisi became the club's first president. They were promoted to Serie C. After a close race with Reggina, Catania moved up to Serie B for the 1948–49 season.
The Golden Years (1953–1965)
The late 1950s and 1960s were great years for Catania. They were promoted to Serie A twice during this time. Their first promotion from Serie B happened in the 1953–54 season. They won the championship that year. In their first Serie A season, they finished 12th. However, the club was moved down due to money problems.
Under manager Carmelo Di Bella, Catania was promoted from Serie B again in the 1959–60 season. Catania returned to Serie A for the 1960–61 season. They stayed in the league for six years. The newly promoted club finished eighth. They were even above big Italian clubs like Lazio and Napoli.
This season had many important wins. They beat Napoli and Bologna twice. They also beat Sampdoria 3–0 at home. Most notably, they beat Milan 4–3 in Sicily. On the last day of the season, they beat Internazionale 2–0.
Four years later, in 1965, Catania finished eighth again. This time, they were above Roma and Messina. Many of the club's best players played during this time. These included midfielders Alvaro Biagini and Chinesinho, and wingers Carlo Facchin and Giancarlo Danova. Catania won against Juventus (2–0), Fiorentina (2–0), and Lazio (1–0).
A Period of Challenges (1966–1984)
After Catania was moved down in 1966, Carmelo Di Bella left. The club stayed in Serie B. They later played against Palermo in the Sicilian derby. Catania was promoted again in 1969–70 after finishing third. They were moved down from Serie A after just one season. In that season, they had a 3–1 win against Lazio.
In 1973–74, they were moved down to Serie C. But they quickly earned promotion back to Serie B by winning the championship. A similar thing happened in 1976–77. They were moved down to Serie C again. They finished second, then third, before finally winning the championship of what was now called Serie C1 in 1979–80.
After three short seasons, Catania was promoted to Serie A. They finished third, behind Milan and Lazio. They played the 1983–84 season in Italy's top league. They only won one game that season, against Pisa.
Further Challenges and a Comeback (1985–2006)
Catania's challenges continued after their last move down to Serie B. The team could not reach the top division again. Instead, they stayed in Serie C1 for many years. In 1993, the team was temporarily removed from the league by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). This was due to financial issues.
After a court decision, Catania was allowed back into football. They were placed in the Sicilian Eccellenza, which was the sixth level of Italian football. During this time, another team, Atletico Leonzio, moved to Catania and was renamed Atletico Catania. Despite these difficulties, the real Catania team quickly moved back up to Serie C. They later returned to Serie B in 2002.
In 2003, Catania was part of a big discussion. This led to Serie B growing from 20 to 24 teams. The club said that Siena used a player who wasn't allowed to play in a game. This game ended in a 1–1 tie, which meant Catania would be moved down. If they had won, they would have stayed safe. Catania was first given a 2–0 win, but this was changed back. The FIGC then decided to let Catania, along with Genoa and Salernitana, stay in Serie B. Fiorentina was also added for the 2003–04 season. This decision caused protests from other Serie B clubs.
The league was reduced to 22 teams for 2004–05. At the same time, Serie A grew from 18 to 20 teams. In 2004, Antonino Pulvirenti bought the club. He was the chairman of the company Windjet. Catania's new owner helped the team improve. In 2005–06, Catania finished second. This earned them a promotion back to Serie A.
Back in Serie A (2006–2013)
The 2006–07 season was Catania's first time in Serie A in 22 years. At home, they played very well. After 20 games, they were as high as fourth place.
Their return season changed a lot on February 2, 2007. This was because of the 2007 Catania football violence incident. During a game against Palermo, a policeman was hurt outside the Stadio Angelo Massimino. This was caused by some Catania fans. Because of this, all football games in Italy were stopped for a while. Catania's chairman, Antonino Pulvirenti, said he wanted to leave football.
After the league restarted, Catania continued playing. They did not win for 12 games in a row. Then, they beat Udinese 1–0 in April 2007. They finished the season in 13th place.
The next season was harder. Manager Pasquale Marino left for Udinese. Silvio Baldini took over the team. In the Coppa Italia, Catania reached the semi-finals. They lost to A.S. Roma. Baldini then left on March 31, 2008. Walter Zenga replaced him. Zenga helped the team avoid being moved down. They drew 1–1 at home against Roma in the last game. Zenga stayed on as manager for the next season.
On June 5, 2009, Zenga left Catania to manage Palermo. Gianluca Atzori took his place. Atzori was known for using an attacking 4–3–3 formation. People expected him to continue this style with Catania.
On December 8, 2009, Siniša Mihajlović became Catania's new head coach. He joined when the club was last in Serie A. Mihajlović's first game was a loss. But the next week, his team beat Juventus 2–1 in Turin. After Mihajlović left, Catania hired Marco Giampaolo for the 2010–11 season. In January 2011, Catania replaced Giampaolo with Diego Simeone. Simeone helped the team stay in the league. Later, Catania hired 37-year-old Vincenzo Montella.
Rolando Maran managed the team in the 2012–13 season. He led Catania to a record-breaking season. They earned 56 points from 38 Serie A matches. This season also saw Catania win a record number of home games. They also had their highest number of wins overall in a top-flight season. They finished ahead of Internazionale. They were only five points away from playing in the UEFA Europa League.
Challenges and a New Beginning (2013–Present)
Catania was moved down from Serie A after the 2013–14 season. They were then moved down to the Lega Pro. During the 2014–15 season, the club's owner, Antonio Pulvirenti, admitted to some problems with five matches.
In July 2020, a group called Sport Investment Group Italia S.p.A. (S.I.G.I.) bought most of the club. In January 2021, another group of investors wanted to buy the club. However, this sale did not happen. On December 22, 2021, the club was declared unable to pay its debts. After several attempts to find a new owner, the club was officially removed from the 2021–22 Serie C season on April 9, 2022. The Italian Football Federation then released all of the club's players and staff.
In June 2022, Ross Pelligra, an Australian businessman, was given the right to start a new club. His mother was born in Catania. He promised to invest money to bring Catania back to Serie A. The new club was named Catania Società Sportiva Dilettantistica. Ross Pelligra became president, and Vincenzo Grella became vice-president. The club was then allowed to play in the 2022–23 Serie D. Catania finished first in their group in Serie D. This earned them an automatic promotion back into Serie C for the 2023–2024 season.
Players
Current Squad
Here are the players currently on the Catania FC team:
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Players on Loan
These players are currently playing for other teams:
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Club Leadership
Presidents of Catania
Catania has had many presidents over the years. Here is a list of them since 1946:
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Managers of Catania
Catania has had many managers and coaches. Sometimes, more than one manager was in charge during a season. Here is a list of them since 1946:
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Stadium Information
- Name: Stadio Angelo Massimino
- Location: Catania
- Capacity: 23,420 people
- Opened: November 27, 1937
- Pitch Size: 110 x 70 metres
Catania first played at the Stadio Angelo Massimino in 1937. It was originally called the Stadio Cibali. The stadium was renamed in 2002 to honor former president Angelo Massimino. He was president of the club from 1969 until he passed away in 1996.
There are plans for the club to move to a new stadium. It would be called Stadio Dèi Palici and could hold 33,765 people. It would be located outside the city of Catania.
Sports Centre
Catania's team trains at the Torre del Grifo Village sports center. This center opened on May 18, 2011. It is located in the nearby town of Mascalucia. The center belongs to the Catania club. It covers a large area of 150,000 square meters. It has four full-sized football fields. Two fields have natural grass, and two have artificial grass. There are also two swimming pools and four gyms. The Torre del Grifo also has the main offices for Calcio Catania.
Club Achievements
Catania Football Club has won several titles and achieved important placings in different competitions:
Titles Won
| Competition | Titles |
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| Coppa delle Alpi | 1960 (representing FIGC) |
| Competition | Titles |
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| Serie B | 1953–54 |
| Competition | titles |
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| Prima Divisione | 1933–34 |
| competition | titles |
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| Serie C | 1938–39, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1974–75, 1979–80 |
| competition | titles |
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| Serie C2 | 1998–99 |
| competition | titles |
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| Serie D | 1994–95, 2022–23 |
| competition | titles |
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| Eccellenza | 1993–94 |
Important Placings
| Coppa delle Alpi | Final |
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| Genoa vs Catania | 1964 |
| Coppa Italia | Semifinal |
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| Roma vs Catania | 2007–08 |
Divisional Movements
This table shows how Catania has moved between different Italian football leagues over the years:
| Series | Years | Last Season Played | Promotions | Relegations |
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| A | 17 | 2013–14 | - |  5 (1955, 1966, 1971, 1984, 2014) |
| B | 34 | 2014–15 |  5 (1954, 1960, 1970, 1983, 2006) |
6 (1937, 1940, 1974, 1977, 1987, 2015) |
| C +C2 |
32 +4 |
2021–22 | 6 (1934, 1939, 1949, 1975, 1980, 2002) 1 (1999 C2) |
2 (1993✟,2022) |
| Catania has played 87 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929. | ||||
| D | 2 | 1994–95 | 2 (1930, 1995) |
never |
| E | 1 | 1993–94 | 1 (1994) |
never |
Club Records
- Highest League Position: 8th place, achieved in the 1960–61, 1964–65, and 2012–13 seasons.
- Most League Appearances: Damiano Morra, with 281 games between 1975 and 1984.
- Most League Goals: Guido Klein and Adelmo Prenna, both with 47 goals.
- Most Serie A Appearances: Giuseppe Vavassori, with 150 games between 1961 and 1966.
- Most Serie A Points: 56 points in the 2012–13 season.
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See also
In Spanish: Catania Football Club para niños
