FC Matera facts for kids
| Full name | Football Club Matera Società Sportiva Dilettantistica |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Biancazzurri, il Bue | |||
| Founded | 1933 1958 (refounded) 1988 (refounded) 1998 (refounded) 2012 (refounded) 2019 (refounded) 2021 (FC Matera) |
|||
| Ground | Stadio XXI Settembre - Franco Salerno, Matera, Italy |
|||
| Capacity | 7,490 | |||
| Chairman | Antonio Petraglia | |||
| Manager | Fabio De Sanzo | |||
| League | Serie D | |||
| 2022–23 | Serie D 7th | |||
|
||||
Football Club Matera, often just called Matera, is a football club from the town of Matera, Italy. They currently play in Serie D, which is one of the top football leagues in Italy.
The club was first started way back in 1933 as U.S. Matera. Over the years, the team faced many challenges, including financial difficulties, which led to the club being restarted several times. In September 2022, the club proudly returned to its original name and logo, FC Matera.
Contents
Matera Football Club: A Journey Through Time
The first official football club in Matera was founded on September 5, 1933. It was named "Unione Sportiva Matera" and wore maroon colors. Their first home game was on January 28, 1934, at the new Sports Field. This field later became the "Luigi Razza" sports field and then the "XXI Settembre" Stadium after World War II.
After playing in a Third Division championship, Matera joined the regional Second Division of Puglia in 1935-36. This was the highest regional league at the time. The club changed its name to Associazione Sportiva Materana in 1936-37. It remained the city's top football team until World War II.
In 1950, Matera Calcio joined an interregional championship for the first time. This league was called Promozione, which is similar to today's Serie D. After being relegated, Matera won the Lucanian Promotion championship in 1953. This allowed them to return to the interregional category, which was then called IV Series. They played there for five seasons.
In 1958, Matera Calcio was removed from the league. A new team, Libertas Matera, became the city's main club. In 1963, Libertas merged with another team, Acli Piccianello. This created the FootBall Club Matera. Two years later, this new club won its league and became the Lucanian champion.
The Franco Salerno Era
In 1965, a very important person named Franco Salerno became the president of F.B.C. Matera. He led the club for 22 years and later became a Senator. He helped the club reach its highest levels in the 1970s. After three years in Serie D, Matera won the championship in 1967-68. They reached Serie C for the first time.
Matera was relegated to Serie D in 1975 but returned to Serie C after just one year. In 1978, Serie C was reorganized, and Matera was admitted to the new Serie C1.
Reaching Serie B
The 1978-1979 season was a historic one for Matera. Under President Franco Salerno and coach Franco Dibenedetto, the team achieved something amazing. They won their last game against Lucchese and reached Serie B for the first and only time in the club's history! This was a huge achievement for the city of Matera.
In the 1979-1980 Serie B season, Matera had a good start. However, their performance dropped in the second half of the season. This led to them being relegated twice, first from Serie B to Serie C2. In the late 1980s, Matera was relegated twice more, moving from Serie C2 to the Promotion championship.
New Beginnings and Trophies
Because of these challenges, F.C. Matera merged with another local team, Pro Matera. This new club was called Pro Matera Sport, and later Matera Sport. In 1991, Matera won the interregional championship. They then won a play-off against Gangi to get promoted to Serie C2. Matera also won the Jacinto Trophy, a special tournament for play-off winners. They beat Aosta 1-0 in the final, becoming Interregional Italian Champions.
In 1992-1993, Matera finished third in the Serie C2 championship. They were promoted back to Serie C1 after 12 years. However, due to some administrative issues, Matera was relegated back to Serie C2. The club faced more difficulties, leading to the creation of Polisportiva Matera. Despite this, the team played well in Serie C2. But they were relegated again due to problems with financial guarantees.
In 1998, a new club called Materasassi Sports Association was formed. It was a merger of Atletico Matera and Scanzano. This club joined the regional Eccellenza tournament. In 1998-99, Materasassi played a derby (a match between two local teams) against Polisportiva Matera. This was the first Matera derby in 45 years!
In 1999-2000, Materasassi won the Eccellenza championship. This allowed Matera football to return to an interregional league after two years. In the 2004–2005 season, the fans even helped the club financially. They collected money to support the players. Despite money problems, Matera managed to stay in Serie D in 2004–05 and 2005–06.
Coppa Italia Serie D Success
In the 2009–2010 season, Matera achieved another great success. They won the Coppa Italia Serie D! They also won the promotion playoffs in 2009-10 Serie D. This allowed them to join 2010-11 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, where they finished 7th.
In 2011, the club faced financial problems again. They could not register for the next championship. This meant they were excluded from professional leagues. In the 2011–2012 season, Football Club Matera had to restart from the lowest league, the Third Category Provincial Championship.
Matera Calcio and Recent History
In 2012, a new club called A.S.D. Matera Calcio was formed. It joined the Serie D championship. In 2014, the club returned to the third level of Italian football. They changed their name to S.S. Matera Calcio. They reached the play-offs for Lega Pro in 2014-15 and 2016-17. They also made it to the Coppa Italia Lega Pro final in 2017.
In 2018, the club was taken over by new owners. However, in February 2019, Matera Calcio was excluded from the Serie C championship. This happened after they withdrew from four matches.
The club was restarted again in 2019 as U.S.D. Matera Calcio 2019. They began playing in Seconda Categoria. In 2021, this club merged with another team, A.S.D. Grumentum Val d'Agri. The new team was called U.S.D. Matera Grumentum. They won the Lucanian Eccellenza championship. In September 2022, the club proudly returned to its original name and logo: FC Matera.
In the 2022–23 season, FC Matera had a tough start. But with a new coach, they managed to climb up the league table. They finished in 7th place, achieving their main goal of staying in the league.
Team Colors and Badge
The main colors of Matera Calcio are white and blue. These colors come from the city's official coat of arms. When the first football team was founded in 1933, the club initially chose maroon as its color.
However, in the 1967-1968 season, a white jersey with a blue diagonal stripe was introduced. This design later became the classic and well-known Matera jersey.
Matera's Home Stadium
Matera plays its home games at the Stadio XXI Settembre-Franco Salerno. This is the largest stadium in the Basilicata region. Its construction was finished in 1933. It was first called Campo Sportivo Luigi Razza. After World War II, its name was changed to Stadio XXI Settembre. This new name honored September 21, 1943, the date of an important event in Matera's history.
On June 16, 2001, the stadium was also named after Franco Salerno. He was the president of Matera Football Club when they reached Serie B in the 1979-80 season. That was the last time a football team from Basilicata played in Italy's second-highest league.
In 1979, when Matera was promoted, the stadium was renovated. New sections were built, increasing the capacity to about 15,000 seats. Over the years, the capacity has been reduced for safety reasons.
Famous Former Players
Luigi De Canio- Francesco Mancini
Dragutin Ristić- Fernando Veneranda
- Giovanni Di Lorenzo
Club Achievements
- Coppa Italia Serie D
- Winners: 2009–10
