Sorrento Calcio 1945 facts for kids
Sorrento Calcio 1945 is an Italian football club from Sorrento, Italy. It was started in 1945. The club is currently playing in Serie C Group C. This is the third level of Italian club football.
The team lost its official status with the FIGC in September 2016. This happened after a court declared the club was in financial trouble. After this, a new club called Sorrento Football Club was formed. It was created by combining two other teams: Atletico Sorrento 5 and Sant'Antonio Abate. The new club then joined the Eccellenza Campania league for the 2016–17 season.
Sorrento has mostly played in the lower divisions of the Italian football system. However, in the early 1970s, they reached Serie B. This was their highest achievement, finishing 19th in the 1971–72 season. Besides winning championships in lower leagues, Sorrento also won the Serie D Italian Cup.
Contents
- Club History: From Start to Now
- Current Team Players
- Club Colors, Kits, and Badges
- Home Stadium: Stadio Italia
- Club Staff
- Club Achievements
- Notable Former Players
- See also
Club History: From Start to Now
Early Years and New Beginnings
The club began in 1945. After playing in lower divisions, they joined the Promozione Campania league for the 1949–50 season. Sorrento finished last that year. Stronger local teams like Avellino and Casertana were much better.
In the mid-1950s, the club returned to the league under a new name: Flos Carmeli. This name means "Faith, Love, Obedience, and Service." They also got a new home stadium, the Stadio Italia. In 1957, the club changed its name back to the original Sorrento Calcio.
In the late 1960s, Sorrento started to become very successful. They won two promotions in a row. First, they won Promozione Campania. Then, in their first Serie D season (1968–69), they became champions. They finished tied on points with Turris but won on goal difference.
Reaching Higher Leagues in the 1970s
The team from the province of Naples played in Serie C for the first time in the 1969–70 season. Sorrento did well, finishing 4th. They were even above famous clubs like Lecce and Messina. The next season, Sorrento got even better and won the Serie C championship. They beat Salernitana by just one point.
With players like Giuseppe Bruscolotti, Sorrento moved up to Serie B for the 1971–72 season. This was a huge achievement for such a small club. Many teams they played against had stadiums bigger than Sorrento's entire population!
Even though they finished near the bottom and were moved down, Sorrento had some great results. They famously won 4–0 against Brescia in April 1972. They also beat Livorno twice and Bari away.
After being moved down, Sorrento struggled to get back up. They spent the rest of the 1970s in Serie C. Their best finish was 4th in 1975–76. In 1978–79, the league system changed, and they were placed in Serie C2, the fourth level. In 1984–85, they finished second, just one point behind Licata. This second-place finish was enough to get them promoted to Serie C1.
Challenges and Comebacks
Sorrento was moved down from Serie C1 after just one season, finishing last. For the rest of the 1980s, they played in Serie C2. In 1989–90, they moved down further to Campionato Interregionale (now called Serie D). This was likely due to money problems, even though they finished 5th in Serie C2 the year before.
In 1990–91, Sorrento was moved down again from the Interregionale league. They ended up in the Promozione Campano league. They missed out on promotion twice, finishing second. But in 1993–94, on their third try, Sorrento Calcio finally won the championship and got promoted.
The Club's Revival: Mid-1990s Onwards
The club was now in Eccellenza Campania. For their first three seasons, they stayed in the top 7 teams. Under coach Amato, Sorrento won the Eccellenza championship in 1997–98. They then joined C.N.D. (the old name for Serie D). Sorrento did well in their first two seasons there, finishing 5th and 6th.
The 2001–02 season was a small setback, as they finished 14th. But the club turned things around. By 2005–06, they achieved a "double" success. They won the Serie D championship and also the Coppa Italia Serie D.
Sorrento played in Serie C2 during the 2006–07 season. They won the championship, beating Benevento by one point. Francesco Ripa was the league's top scorer with 23 goals.
Recent Seasons: 2007–08 to Today
Sorrento played in the Italian 3rd division during the 2007–08 season. They stayed in the league by finishing 10th. Their position was secured again in the next season, finishing 11th. In the 2009–2010 season, they improved to 9th place. This season saw Paulinho join on loan, scoring 15 goals. He would become a fan favorite the following season.
2010–11 Season
At the start of the 2010–11 season, Sorrento was at the top of the Serie C1 league by November. They had a good chance of moving up to Serie B. This was largely thanks to Paulinho Betanin, who scored 24 league goals. However, they didn't get promoted directly. They finished second and went into the play-offs. Paulinho was injured and couldn't play in the play-offs.
In the semi-final, they played Hellas Verona. Sorrento lost the first game 2–0 away. The second game at Stadio Italia was a 1–1 draw. Sorrento lost 3–1 on total goals and didn't reach the final.
2011–12 Season
Sorrento started the 2011–2012 season with a two-point penalty. This was due to a past issue involving Juve Stabia. Despite this, Sorrento played well and by February 2012, they were in 5th place. Star striker Ciro Ginestra led the team with 13 goals. Club legend Paulinho also visited a home game and was cheered by the fans. Ginestra ended up scoring 21 goals, becoming the league's top scorer.
For the second year in a row, the team failed to get promoted to Serie B. They finished 4th and qualified for the play-offs. They played Carpi in the semi-final and lost the first game 1–0 at home. In the second game, Sorrento won 1–0, but it wasn't enough. Since Carpi finished higher in the league, they moved on to the final. Sorrento stayed in the Lega Pro.
2012–13 Season
On June 8, 2012, the club faced a big problem. The president, Mario Gambardella, decided to step down. He said it was because of financial difficulties. This was a shock, and many players and the manager left. The club managed to keep going thanks to sponsors and the mayor's help. However, they had issues with their home stadium, Stadio Italia. So, Sorrento Calcio had to play their home games at the Simonetta Lamberti stadium in Cava de' Tirreni.
A new president was found, and the club introduced its new manager, Giovanni Bucaro. The season was not successful. The Rossoneri finished 15th out of 16 teams. They had to play in a special "play-out" round. After losing to Prato 2–1 over two games, Sorrento was moved down from the Lega Pro Prima Divisione to the Seconda Divisione.
2013–14 Season
After being moved down, Sorrento played the 2013–2014 season in Group I of the Serie D. In June, there was talk that Franco Giglio, a former owner of Juve Stabia, might buy the club. He did eventually buy it, but not until June 2015.
On July 24, 2013, Sorrento hired Luca Chiappino, who had managed youth teams at Genoa. The season started poorly. Chiappino was fired on November 25 after a loss that left the team near the bottom. The club then brought back Giovanni Simonelli, who had led them to success before. Despite some tough luck, the team finished 9th. However, they still ended up in a "play-out" match. Sorrento Calcio was moved down from the Lega Pro C2/B after losing 4-3 to Arzanese.
2014–15 Season
The 2014–2015 season was also tough. The club stayed near the relegation zone for most of the year. They finished 14th, which meant another "play-out" match. They lost 2–1 to Battipagliese. This was their third time being moved down in a row, sending them to the Eccellenza Campania. The club's ownership finally changed in June 2015, with Franco Giglio taking over. He explained that financial issues and lower attendance had caused the delay.
2015–16 Season
Sorrento started the 2015–2016 season in the Eccellenza Campania. This was a very bad season for the Rossoneri. They finished last in the league, not winning a single game. They had 5 draws and 25 losses. The club then went bankrupt.
2016–17 Season
A new club was quickly formed and it bought F.C. Sant'Antonio Abate. Mario Turi was named manager and did well at first. But he was replaced in December 2016 by Maurizio Coppola. By January 2017, they were in 2nd place, aiming for a play-off spot.
2017–18 Season
After not getting promoted in 2016–17, Sorrento started the season in the Eccellenza Campania again. They finished 1st in their group and were promoted to Serie D Group H.
2018–19 Season
The 2018–19 season was Sorrento's first back in Serie D. They started with a 1–0 win at home against Gragnano. They ended the season with 12 wins, 7 draws, and 15 losses, finishing in 10th place.
2019–20 Season
After a middle-of-the-table finish the year before, Sorrento started the season again in Serie D Group H. They began poorly but improved their form. A big 7–0 win over Casarano put Sorrento in 3rd place. This meant they were on track for a promotion play-off spot for Serie C. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Serie D season to end early. Sorrento finished 3rd after 26 matches. Because of the early end, they didn't get to compete in the play-offs, so they stayed in Serie D for the 2020–21 season.
2020–21 Season
Sorrento started the season with a 2–1 home win against A.C.D. Nardò on September 27, 2020. They then had a 6-game unbeaten streak. The club was affected by the COVID pandemic during the season, causing several games to be postponed. They played on January 10, 2021, and then not again until February 10, 2021. This meant they had to catch up on many rescheduled matches. Sorrento finished the season in 10th place in Serie D Group H.
Current Team Players
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Club Colors, Kits, and Badges
Sorrento's main colors are red and black. This is why they are nicknamed Rossoneri, which means "the red & blacks" in Italian. Their home uniform often has red and black stripes, similar to AC Milan. AC Milan used to work with Sorrento's youth academy because Sorrento was good at finding young talent, like Ciro Immobile. Sorrento's away uniforms are usually white or sometimes yellow.
'Zeus' is Sorrento's main sponsor for sports gear and makes all of the Rossoneri's shirts. The Mediterranean Shipping Company has been a long-time sponsor, and their yellow 'MSC' logo is the main sponsor on Sorrento's shirts.
The original Sorrento Calcio shield was used for many years until the club went bankrupt in September 2015. When the team was restarted as A.S.D Sorrento in 2016, new badges had to be created. The first new badge kept the "shield" shape but had a mermaid and the name "Football Club Sorrento." The historic five diamonds were moved to the bottom. The second badge was a slightly different shape, simply saying "Sorrento" across the top with the five diamonds in the middle.
In March 2021, it was announced that the "shield comes home." The new group called Sorrento United 1945 - Supporters' Trust bought the rights to the old Sorrento Calcio brand. They let the club use the old badge for free. The return of this old, historic badge was very important to the fans. It had been a symbol of the club for many years, and fans felt that Sorrento's identity was restored. Soon after the shield returned, Sorrento announced a new uniform for 2021. It was inspired by Sorrento's 1980s kits, with thinner black stripes and the Sorrento Calcio badge back in place.
Home Stadium: Stadio Italia
Sorrento plays its home matches at Stadio Italia. This stadium is located near the port in Sorrento.
The stadium was updated in 2003 and can hold 3,600 people.
Club Staff
- Manager: Pino La Scala
- Assistant Manager: Marco Attanasio
- Trainer: Salvatore D'Andrea
- Goalkeeping Coach: Ferdinando Uliano
- Physio: Giancarlo Colonna
- Doctor: Epifano D'Arrigo
- Masseur: Marco Gargiulo
- Masseur: Francesco Ostieri
Club Achievements
- Serie C: 1
- Champions: 1970–71
- Serie C2: 1
- Champions: 2006–07
- Runners-up: 1984–85
- Serie D: 2
- Champions: 1968–69, 2005–06
- Coppa Italia Serie C: 1
- Champions: 2008–09
- Coppa Italia Serie D: 1
- Champions: 2005–06
- Eccellenza Campania: 1
- Champions: 1997–98
- Promozione Campania: 2
- Champions: 1967–68, 1993–94
- Runners-up: 1992–93
Notable Former Players
Andrey Galabinov
Ciro Immobile
Florian Myrtaj
Massimo Rastelli
Claudiu Răducanu
Gennaro Ruotolo
See also
In Spanish: Sorrento Calcio 1945 para niños