FC Pistoiese SSD facts for kids
 |
||||
| Full name | Football Club Pistoiese Società Sportiva Dilettantistica a r.l. |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Arancioni (Orange) Olandesina (Little Dutch Girl) |
|||
| Founded | 1921 1937 (refounded) 1945 (refounded) 1988 (refounded) 2009 (refounded) |
|||
| Ground | Stadio Marcello Melani, Pistoia, Italy |
|||
| Capacity | 13,195 | |||
| Chairman | Sergio Iorio | |||
| Manager | Domenico Giacomarro | |||
| League | Serie C Group A | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie C Group A, 15th of 20 | |||
|
||||
Football Club Pistoiese SSD, or just Pistoiese, is an Italian football club. It is based in Pistoia, a city in Tuscany, Italy. The team currently plays in Serie D, which is one of Italy's top football leagues.
Pistoiese was first started on April 21, 1921. The club has played in Serie A, Italy's highest league, several times. Their most recent time in Serie A was in 1980. The team is also called Olandesina, which means "the little Hollander." This nickname comes from their official team colors, which are orange.
Contents
The Club's Early Days
The "Orange Society" was founded on April 21, 1921. From the very beginning, the club had a European feel. This was because Pistoia was a city where many historical paths crossed.
Some of the first people involved in starting the club were from Hungary. Their names were Árpád Hajós and János Nehadoma. The team's orange jersey was inspired by the colors of Holland. Pistoia, like Holland, is famous for its flower growing.
In 1927, Pistoiese won their first big trophy, the Arpinati Cup. After winning some smaller local championships, they were chosen to play in the National Division in 1928.
Between 1929 and 1936, they played in the campionato cadetto. This was a lower league, and they finished first a couple of times. US Pistoiese played their last championship in this period in 1939–40.
Pistoiese Sports Union Era
After World War II, football started again in 1945. A group of fans restarted the team as Pistoiese Sports Union. They were allowed to play in Serie C. The years that followed saw the team move between Serie C, Serie D, and the Promozione Championship.
They even had a short time in Serie B right after the war. During that time, they finished in third place. From 1946 to 1957, the team moved up and down between different leagues.
In the 1958–59 season, Pistoiese had an amazing run. They went 21 games in a row without losing. They earned 36 points out of a possible 42 during this time. They also scored 45 goals. A very memorable game was against Empoli, a local rival. The "Orange" team won that match 6–0. That season, they scored 77 goals and only let in 24. After eight years, they were back in Serie C.
In the 1960s, the team played for ten years straight in Serie C.
Rising to Serie A
Pistoiese became very well known in the late 1970s. They moved up to Serie B and then to Serie A in 1980. This was under the leadership of Marcello Melani. He brought in experienced players like Marcello Lippi and Mario Frustalupi. He also found promising young players like Paolo Benedetti.
Pistoiese reached Serie A in just six years. They started the season well, even reaching 6th place after beating Fiorentina. But then, their performance dropped, and they finished last. This meant they were moved down to a lower league.
Since 1980, the club has only played in Serie B twice. These times were in 1995–96 and from 1999–2002. Marcello Melani left his role in 1980, and Marcello Lippi left in 1981.
Challenges and Changes
In the 2005–06 season, Pistoiese played in Serie C1/B. They struggled to score goals but had one of the best defenses. A strong finish to the season helped them avoid being moved down. They finished 9th in their group.
In the 2007–08 season, Pistoiese finished 14th. They had to play in a special match to avoid relegation against Sangiovannese. They won 4–0 over two games and stayed in Lega Pro Prima Divisione (which used to be Serie C1).
The 2008–09 season started with a new coach, Roberto Miggiano. But the team had poor results and was in last place. So, Salvatore Polverino took over in October. Results still did not get better, and he resigned in February 2009. Moreno Torricelli, a former Juventus player, became the new coach. Under him, Pistoiese improved and avoided immediate relegation. However, they lost a play-off against Foligno and were moved down to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.
In the summer of 2009, Pistoiese faced financial problems. Because of this, they were not allowed to join the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.
A New Beginning
On August 13, 2009, a new club called Unione Sportiva Pistoiese 1921 was started. This was done by Pistoia's mayor, Berti. The new club was allowed to play in Tuscany's Eccellenza league. They had a great first year and reached the play-offs for promotion, but they lost to Mosciano.
In the 2010–11 season, they won their group in Eccellenza Tuscany. This meant they were promoted to Serie D. Pistoiese became a professional team again after winning their group in the 2013–14 Serie D season. This earned them a spot in the 2014–15 Lega Pro. The next season, they even reached the national play-offs for Serie B.
In January 2021, a German businessman named Stefan Lehmann bought the club. He was the first foreign owner in Pistoiese's history. Despite the new owner, the team was moved down to Serie D after losing a match against Imolese. In the 2022-23 season, Pistoiese finished second, so they did not return to Serie C.
In April 2024, after some issues with the club's leadership, Pistoiese did not show up for two league games. Because of this, the football league had to remove the club from Serie D.
FC Pistoiese (2024–Present)
After the old Pistoiese club was removed, a new group of owners started a new club. This group was led by Sergio Iorio. They bought the right to use the original Pistoiese name.
The new club then bought the sports rights of another team, Aglianese. This made sure they had a spot in the 2024–25 Serie D season. They also announced that Massimo Taibi would be their new sporting director.
Team Colors
The team's official colors are orange and blue.
