Pisa SC facts for kids
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| Full name | Pisa Sporting Club S.r.l. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | I Nerazzurri (The Black and Blues). | |||
| Founded | 1909 | |||
| Ground | Arena Garibaldi | |||
| Capacity | 25,000 | |||
| Owner | Alexander Knaster | |||
| Chairman | Giuseppe Corrado | |||
| Manager | Filippo Inzaghi | |||
| League | Serie B | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie C Group A, 3rd of 20 (promoted via play-offs) | |||
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Pisa Sporting Club, often called Pisa, is an Italian football team from Pisa, Tuscany. The team currently plays in Serie B, which is the second-highest league in Italian football.
The club started in 1909 as Pisa Sporting Club. It had to be restarted in 1994 as Pisa Calcio because of money problems. It was again removed from Italian football in 2009 due to debts. In the summer of 2009, it was restarted once more as A.C. Pisa 1909.
Pisa has won the Mitropa Cup twice, in 1986 and 1988. They play their home games at Arena Garibaldi – Stadio Romeo Anconetani. This stadium is named after Romeo Anconetani, a chairman who helped the club reach Serie A in the 1980s. In 2016, Giuseppe Corrado bought the club. In January 2021, a rich person named Alexander Knaster bought 75% of the club.
Contents
Club History
Early Years: Pisa S.C.
Pisa moved up to Serie B in 1965. It took them three years to reach Serie A for the first time in 1968. However, Pisa was sent back down to a lower league on the very last day of the 1968–69 season.
During the 1970s, Pisa spent a lot of time in Serie C (a lower division). They returned to Serie B in 1979 when Romeo Anconetani became their chairman. In 1982, they were promoted to Serie A again. They played in Serie A for six out of the next nine seasons. With star players like Klaus Berggreen, Pisa finished 11th in the 1982–83 Serie A season. The next season, they were relegated again.
Pisa was promoted back to Serie A in 1985, but they couldn't stay there. The same thing happened in 1987, even with players like Dunga and Paul Elliott. Their last promotion to Serie A was in 1990. With talented players like Maurizio Neri, Michele Padovano, Lamberto Piovanelli, Diego Simeone, Henrik Larsen, and Aldo Dolcetti, the team started well and was even at the top of the league for a short time. But they were relegated again.
Being relegated caused big money problems for the club. By 1994, they lost a play-off game and were sent down to Serie C1.
Pisa Calcio: A New Start
After their financial troubles, Pisa was reformed in Eccellenza (a regional league). They quickly moved back up to Serie C2 in 1996 and then to C1 in 1999. Pisa worked hard to get back to Serie B, which they achieved in 2007. Their fans are very dedicated, and their games often had large crowds, even in the lower divisions.
In May 2002, a company called "Gunther Reform Trust" bought Pisa. They even made a rich German Shepherd dog named Gunther IV the honorary president! During the 2002–03 Serie C1 season, Pisa reached the play-off final but lost. President Gunther would sometimes attend matches and bark to cheer on the team. Once, rival fans from Livorno held up a sign that said, "Poisoned meatballs for Gunther." After two more seasons, the owner sold Pisa in 2005.
In the 2006–07 season, with a new coach Piero Braglia, Pisa fought for promotion again. They finished third in the regular season and won the promotion play-offs, beating Venezia and Monza. This brought Pisa back to Serie B after 13 years.
For the 2007–08 Serie B season, Gian Piero Ventura became the new coach. Many thought Pisa would finish in the middle or lower part of the table. But the team played very well, fighting for a direct promotion spot. This was thanks to their strong attackers like Alessio Cerci, José Ignacio Castillo, and Vitali Kutuzov. The club finished sixth, earning a spot in the promotion play-offs, but they were defeated by Lecce.
In 2008–09, a new owner, Luca Pomponi, took over. The team was weaker because many key players had left. Coach Ventura was fired in March 2009. The new coach, Bruno Giordano, couldn't improve the results. Pisa slowly dropped down the table and was surprisingly relegated on the last day of the season after losing a home game to Brescia. This unexpected relegation also showed huge money problems. In July 2009, the club was removed from Italian football for the second time.
A.C. Pisa 1909: Another Rebirth
Pisa was restarted again as A.C. Pisa 1909 S.S.D. (S.S.D. is a legal term for sports clubs) to begin again from Serie D, a lower league. At the end of that season, Pisa won their group in Serie D and was promoted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione for the 2010–11 season.
The team was then allowed to play in Lega Pro Prima Divisione for the 2010–11 season because other clubs had been removed. The S.S.D. part of their name was changed to S.r.l.
On June 12, 2016, Pisa earned promotion back to Serie B after seven years. They won play-off games against Maceratese, Pordenone, and Foggia. However, they were relegated back to Serie C the very next season.
Pisa Sporting Club: Back to the Original Name
After moving back to Serie B in 2019, the club changed its name back to Pisa Sporting Club in the summer of 2021.
Current Squad
This is the list of players currently on the Pisa Sporting Club team.
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Coaching Staff
Here are the people who help coach and manage the Pisa Sporting Club team.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Filippo Inzaghi |
| Assistant coach | Maurizio D'Angelo |
| Goalkeeper coach | Maurizio Pugliesi Leonardo Baldini |
| Fitness coach | Luca Alimonta Daniele Cominotti |
| Technical assistant |  Miguel Veloso Simone Baggio |
| Rehab coach | Lorenzo Ferrari |
| Match analyst | Martino Vignali |
| Head of medical staff | Cataldo Graci |
| Club doctor | Andrea Moretti Federica Parra |
| Nutritionist | Guido Guidotti |
| Physiotherapist | Gabriele Pignieri Stefano Montanari Matteo Grazzini |
| Kit manager | Andrea Patti Claudio Del Guerra Alessio Fasano |
Famous Former Players
Many talented players have played for Pisa over the years. Here are some of the most well-known ones.
- Massimiliano Allegri
- Davide Moscardelli
- Eddy Baggio
Klaus Berggreen- Alessandro Birindelli
- Leonardo Bonucci
Jose Ignacio Castillo- Alessio Cerci
- José Chamot
- Stefano Colantuono
Dunga
Paul Elliott
Wim Kieft
Vitali Kutuzov- Henrik Larsen
- Roberto Muzzi
- Michele Padovano
- Gianluca Savoldi
- Gianluca Signorini
- Diego Pablo Simeone
- Gionatha Spinesi
- Marco Tardelli
- Francesco Tavano
Samir Ujkani- Christian Vieri
Club Achievements
Pisa Sporting Club has won several titles and achieved promotions throughout its history.
League Titles
- Serie B
- Winners: 1984–85, 1986–87
- Second Place: 1989–90
- Third Place (Promoted): 1981–82, 2006–07
- Serie C
- Winners: 1933–34, 1964–65
- Winners - C2 Group A: 1998–99
- Second Place - C1 Group A: 1999-00
- Third Place - Group A (Promoted): 2018–19
- Serie D
- Winners - Group D: 2009-10
- Lega Pro
- Second Place (Promoted) - Group B: 2015-16
Cup Wins
- Coppa Italia Serie C
- Winners: 1999–00
- Runners-Up: 2011-12
- Mitropa Cup
- Winners: 1985–86, 1987–88
- Runners-Up: 1990-91
Images for kids
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The Arena Garibaldi stadium, home of Pisa S.C., as seen from the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
See also
In Spanish: Pisa Sporting Club para niños
