AS Reggina 1914 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Reggina

Full name	Associazione Sportiva Reggina 1914
Nickname(s)	Gli Amaranto (The Amaranth)
Founded	1914; 111 years ago (1914), as US Reggio Calabria
Ground	Stadio Oreste Granillo
Ground Capacity	27,763
Owner	Antonino Ballarino (51%) Virgilio Salvatore Minniti (40%) Fabio Vitale (9%)
Chairman	Virgilio Salvatore Minniti
Manager	Bruno Trocini
League	Serie C Group C
2018–19	Serie C Group C, 7th of 19
Home colours Away colours

Associazione Sportiva Reggina 1914, often called Reggina, is an Italian football club. It is based in Reggio Calabria, a city in southern Italy. The team plays its home games at the Stadio Oreste Granillo, which can hold 27,763 fans. Currently, Reggina competes in the Serie D league.

The club's nickname is Amaranto, which means "amaranth" in Italian. This name comes from their official dark red team colors. Over the years, the club has had several different names. These include Reggina Calcio, A.S.D. Reggio Calabria, Urbs Reggina 1914, Reggina 1914, and LFA Reggio Calabria.

In its past, the club played in Serie A, Italy's top football league, for nine seasons between 1999 and 2009. This included a seven-year period from 2002. During these years, Reggina often managed to avoid being moved down to a lower league. After some tough times, the club faced financial problems and dropped to lower divisions. However, they made a comeback to Serie B in 2020.

Club Names Through the Years

The club started on January 11, 1914, as Unione Sportiva Reggio Calabria. It changed its name many times over the years. Some of its past names were Società Calcistica Reggio, Reggio Foot Ball Club, Associazione Sportiva Reggina, and Società Sportiva La Dominante. In 1986, it became Reggina Calcio.

After the club faced financial difficulties in 2015, a new club was formed. It was first called A.S.D. Reggio Calabria. Then, in 2016, it changed to Urbs Reggina 1914 S.r.l.. From 2019 to 2023, it was known as Reggina 1914 S.r.l..

After being removed from the league in 2023, the club was restarted as LFA Reggio Calabria. On May 29, 2024, the club got the rights to use the name and history of Reggina again. On July 18, 2024, it was officially renamed AS Reggina 1914.

Reggina's Journey: A Brief History

The club was founded on January 11, 1914.

In 1986, Pasquale Foti became a key leader for the newly reformed Reggina Calcio. He later became the president in 1991.

Playing in Serie A (1999–2009)

From the late 1990s to the 2000s, Reggina often moved between Italy's top two leagues. They reached Serie A, the highest division, for the first time in 1999. Two years later, they lost a special play-off game against Verona and were moved down to Serie B.

However, Reggina quickly bounced back. They finished third in Serie B in 2002, which earned them a return to Serie A. In 2003, they again survived a play-off game, this time against Atalanta, to stay in Serie A. The team then spent the next seven years in Serie A until they were moved down in the 2008–09 season.

In August 2006, Reggina faced a point deduction for the 2006–07 Serie A season. They originally lost 15 points, but this was later reduced to 11 points after an appeal. Even with this penalty, Reggina managed to stay in Serie A. They won against Milan on the last day of the season. They finished with 40 points, just one point above the relegation zone.

The Serie A 2007-08 season started poorly for Reggina. The coach, Massimo Ficcadenti, was replaced by Renzo Ulivieri. A third change, bringing in team scout Nevio Orlandi, helped the team improve. Reggina managed to avoid relegation again with important wins. Orlandi continued as coach for the Serie A 2008–09 season.

Life in Serie B (2009–2014)

After being moved down from Serie A in 2009, Reggina had mixed results in their efforts to return to the top league. The 2009–10 season saw three different coaches. Despite having talented players, they finished 13th, which was disappointing for a team that had just been in Serie A.

The 2010–11 season was one of Reggina's best in Serie B. Coach Gianluca Atzori led them to a 6th-place finish. This meant they could play in the promotion play-offs to try and get back to Serie A. However, they lost to Novara in the final play-off round.

The 2011–12 season was less successful, with the team finishing 12th. Two coaches were in charge that season. They did not make the play-offs.

In the 2012–13 season, Reggina faced another point deduction, this time for a match-fixing issue. They were initially penalized 4 points, which was reduced to 2 points after an appeal. They were close to the play-off spots but finished 11th due to poor form at the end of the season.

The 2013–14 season was very difficult. Reggina won only six out of 42 games and finished second from the bottom. This led to them being moved down to Lega Pro. This season also marked the retirement of president Pasquale Foti, who was replaced by Giuseppe Ranieri.

Time in Lega Pro and Serie D

For the 2014–15 Lega Pro season, former captain Francesco Cozza started as head coach. After a tough start and two coaching changes, Giacomo Tedesco took over for the last three weeks. Even though Reggina won two of their last three matches, they finished last. They needed an appeal to get points back and move out of the relegation zone. The appeal worked, and they got 2 points back. Tedesco then helped the team survive a play-out game against rivals Messina.

Despite avoiding relegation in 2015, Reggina could not register for Lega Pro and declared bankruptcy. A new club, "A.S.D. Reggio Calabria," was formed to play in Serie D for the 2015–16 season. They finished 4th but lost in the first round of the play-offs.

Return to Serie C and Serie B

In June 2016, the club was renamed "S.S.D. Urbs Sportiva Reggina 1914 a r.l." and later "Urbs Reggina 1914 S.r.l." Even though they lost in the Serie D play-offs, the club was allowed to join Lega Pro (later called Serie C) for the 2016–17 season. Reggina finished 13th that season.

In January 2019, the club was sold to Luca Gallo due to financial problems. On July 1, 2019, the club changed its name to "Reggina 1914 S.r.l."

Reggina won its Serie C group in 2020, which meant they were promoted back to Serie B. The team included experienced players like Jérémy Ménez and Germán Denis.

In the 2022-23 season, under coach Filippo Inzaghi, Reggina finished in a play-off spot. This was despite a five-point deduction for not paying taxes and player salaries on time. The deduction was initially seven points but was reduced after an appeal.

Exclusion and Restart in 2023

On July 1, 2023, Reggina was removed from Serie B for the 2023-24 season because of financial issues. Appeals to different sports courts and even the Administrative Court of Rome were rejected. On August 30, the final appeal was also denied.

On September 1, 2023, a new club was approved to play in Serie D for the 2023–24 season. This new club was taken over by a group led by Antonino Ballarino. It was named La Fenice Amaranto (The Amaranth Phoenix) and played as LFA Reggio Calabria. The new club was not allowed to use the Reggina 1914 name or logo at first.

However, on May 29, 2024, Ballarino and LFA Reggio Calabria bought the rights to the Reggina name and history. The club was officially renamed AS Reggina 1914 on July 18, 2024.

Club Achievements

Reggina has won several league titles in lower divisions:

• Serie C:
  • 1964–65 (group C)
  • 2019–20 (group C)
• Serie C1:
  • 1994–95 (group B)
• Serie C2:
  • 1983–84 (group C)
• IV Serie:
  • 1955–56 (group H)

Team Rivalries

Reggina has strong rivalries with nearby teams. Their biggest rival is Messina, located just a short ferry ride away. They play each other twice a season in the Derby dello Stretto (Strait of Messina Derby). In the 2014–15 season, Reggina beat Messina in both play-off games, sending Messina down to Serie D.

There is also a major derby with fellow Calabrian team Crotone. Another derby is with Catanzaro, which is currently in Serie B.

Team Colors and Badges

Reggina used a logo with the letter R and a football. Some versions of the logo included "1986," the year Reggina Calcio was founded.

After the club's financial problems in 2015, the new owner introduced a different logo. This was because the old design belonged to the previous club. When the club was renamed in 2016, a letter R was brought back into the logo. However, the football design in the 2016 logo was different from the older one. In 2019, the club went back to using the historical logo design.

Current Players

No. Position Player 2 DF Daniel Adejo 4 DF Francesco Salandria 7 DF Antonio Porcino 8 DF Gianfranco Giuliodori 11 FW Antonino Ragusa 17 MF Antonino Barillà (captain) 24 MF Mohamed Laaribi 44 FW Paolo Grillo 68 DF Domenico Girasole 81 GK Antonio Lagonigro - GK Franco Druetto - DF Francesco Distratto

No. Position Player - DF Denis Fomete - DF Rosario Girasole - DF Simone Lanzillotta - MF Francesco Chirico - MF Riccardo Correnti - MF Domenico Mungo - MF Pietro Simonetta - MF Federico Zenuni - FW Simone Edera - FW Luca Ferraro - FW Antonio Palumbo - FW Antonino Pellicanò

Club Staff

Position	Name
Manager	Bruno Trocini
Assistant Manager	Maximillano Ginobili
Athletic Trainer	Giuseppe Lazzaro
Athletic Training Coordinator	Paolo Albino
Goalkeeping Coach	Stefano Pergolizzi
Match Analyst	Danilo Polito
Team Manager	Francesco Alessandro
Team Doctor	Pasquale Favasuli
Owner	Nino Ballarino
President	Virgilio Minniti
Vice President	Fabio Vitale
Technical Director	Giuseppe Bonanno
General Manager	Giuseppe Praticò
General Secretary	Sergio Miceli
Labor Consultant	Francesca Serra
General Affairs	Amalia Nucaro
Marketing Manager	Consuelo Apa
Communications Manager	Giuseppe Praticò
Multimedia Producer	Luca Rovito
Photographer	Antonino Lagana
Graphic Designer	Pietro Nania
Ticket Office Manager	Maurizio Albanese
Referee Hospitality	Vincenzo Maglio
Supporter Liasion Officer	Pietro Casile

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In Spanish: Reggina 1914 para niños