Spezia Calcio facts for kids
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| Full name | Spezia Calcio | ||
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| Founded | 10 October 1906 (as Spezia FBC) | ||
| Ground | Stadio Alberto Picco | ||
| Capacity | 11,466 | ||
| Owner | Robert Platek | ||
| Chairman | Philip Raymond Platek Jr. | ||
| Manager | Luca D'Angelo | ||
| League | Serie B | ||
| 2018–19 | Serie B, 6th of 19 | ||
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Spezia Calcio is a professional football club from La Spezia, a city in Liguria, Italy. They currently play in Serie B, which is Italy's second-highest football league.
The club was started in 1906 by a Swiss banker named Hermann Hurny. He used to play for amateur teams in London. The first Spezia uniform was light blue and white. It was a second-hand kit from Crystal Palace, a team Hurny played for.
In 1911, the team decided to change their colors to white shirts with black shorts and socks. They wanted to be like Pro Vercelli, a small team that could beat big ones. These colors are still used today! Before Italy had the top league called Serie A, Spezia played against famous teams like AC Milan, Juventus, and Inter Milan.
Spezia won a special championship in 1944 called the Campionato Alta Italia. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) officially recognized this win in 2002. Because of this, Spezia gets to wear a unique badge on their jerseys. It's a special tricolor badge, different from the usual championship shield.
After falling from Serie B in 1951, Spezia spent 55 years in lower divisions. But in 2006, they returned to Serie B! Later, the club faced financial problems and had to restart. However, they managed to become a strong Serie B team again. In 2020, exactly 100 years after their first time in the top league, Spezia made it to Serie A by winning the promotion play-offs! They even stayed in Serie A for the 2021–22 season.
Club History: Spezia's Journey in Football
Early Days: How Spezia Calcio Started (1906–1944)
Spezia Calcio was founded in 1906 by Hermann Hurny, a Swiss banker. He had played football in London for Crystal Palace's reserve team. It's believed that Spezia's first kit, light blue and white, was a used Crystal Palace kit given to Hurny.
In 1926, Spezia won the Seconda Divisione and moved up to the Prima Divisione. This was the second-highest league in Italy at the time. In 1929, they won the Prima Divisione again. However, the league was changed to become the third division, so Spezia stayed in the second level, playing in Serie B.
For the 1929–30 season, the club played in the first-ever Serie B season and changed its name to AC Spezia. They stayed in this league until 1935, when they were relegated. But they quickly returned for the 1936–37 season.
In 1944, during World War II, Italy's top football league was split into regional groups. Spezia's team, called 42° Corpo dei Vigili del Fuoco della Spezia (Firefighters of La Spezia) after joining with local firefighters to get enough players, played in a regional round. They won their group and moved on to the semi-finals.
Spezia also won the semi-final round, winning five out of six matches. This meant they would play a two-game play-off against Bologna. The first match in Bologna was stopped because of problems after Spezia scored. Spezia was given a 2–0 win. The second match was supposed to be in La Spezia but was moved due to bombings. It was then canceled because of protests, so Spezia went straight to the final.
The finals were held in Milan against Venezia and Torino. On July 9, 1944, Spezia tied 1–1 with Venezia, which was a "surprising result" according to the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
On July 16, Spezia played against the famous Grande Torino team, which had a great coach and striker. Spezia won this exciting match 2–1! After Torino beat Venezia, Spezia was declared the champion. This title was officially recognized by the FIGC in 2002 as a special honor. Because of this, Spezia is allowed to wear a unique tricolor badge on their jerseys.
After the War: Ups and Downs (1944–2008)
After World War II, Italian football went back to national leagues. Spezia played in Serie B from 1946 to 1951. Then, they quickly fell through the divisions, even going down to a local league by 1953. The club changed its name a few times during this period.
In 1958, Spezia was promoted back to Serie C. For many years, the club moved between the third and fourth levels of Italian football. They had a long period in Serie C from 1966 to 1979. The club's name was changed to Spezia Calcio, its current name, in 1995.
In 2002, Spezia made a deal with Inter Milan. Inter became a part-owner and sent young players like Goran Pandev to Spezia to help the team. In the 2004–05 season, Spezia won the Coppa Italia Serie C, a cup for Serie C teams. After this, Inter sold most of its shares in Spezia.
The next season (2005–06) brought a new owner and manager. Spezia won the Serie C1 championship and was promoted to Serie B after 55 years! This was a huge achievement for the club.
Life in Serie B was tough, especially playing against big teams like Juventus and Napoli. In the 2006–07 season, Spezia fought hard to avoid relegation. They managed to stay in Serie B by winning a play-off against Hellas Verona.
However, in the next season (2007–08), Spezia faced financial problems. They finished near the bottom of the league and were relegated from Serie B. In 2008, because of these money troubles, the club had to declare bankruptcy.
A New Beginning: Rising to Serie A (2008–Present)
The team was restarted in 2008 as A.S.D. Spezia Calcio 2008 by Gabriele Volpi. They started in a non-professional league called Serie D. After being promoted in the 2008–09 season, the club changed its name back to "Spezia Calcio." They continued to climb the leagues, getting promoted twice more in a row.
During the 2011–12 season, Spezia had an amazing year! They won the Lega Pro Prima Divisione/B championship, which meant promotion to Serie B. They also won the Coppa Italia Lega Pro and the Supercoppa di Lega di Prima Divisione. This was their third promotion in just four seasons, moving from the fifth to the second level of Italian football!
After returning to Serie B, Spezia did well, often finishing in the middle of the table or even making it to the promotion play-offs. They reached the play-offs five times between 2012 and 2019, showing they were a strong team trying to reach Serie A.
In the 2019–20 season, Spezia finished third in Serie B, their highest-ever league finish. This earned them a spot in the promotion play-offs. After beating Chievo in the semi-final, Spezia won promotion to Serie A for the first time on August 20, 2020! They beat Frosinone in the final. This was Spezia's fourth promotion since 2008, going from the fifth-tier Serie D to Serie A in just 12 years!
Spezia played its first-ever Serie A home game on September 27, 2020. They won their first Serie A match on September 30, beating Udinese 2–0 away from home. In February 2021, the club was sold to an American group led by Robert Platek's family.
Many people thought Spezia would be relegated in their first Serie A season. But they surprised everyone! They beat bigger clubs like Milan and Napoli, and even tied with Internazionale and Roma. Thanks to their coach, Vincenzo Italiano, Spezia finished 15th, staying in Serie A! A cool moment was when midfielder Matteo Ricci was called up to the Italy national team in March 2021. He was the first Spezia player to play for Italy in 85 years!
Before Spezia's second Serie A season, coach Italiano left. Thiago Motta became the new coach. The club also faced a challenge: they had a temporary ban on signing new players. This was due to rules about signing young players from other countries. However, the ban was later reduced.
Team Players: Spezia's Squad
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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Club Leadership and Coaching Staff
| Position | Staff |
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| Owner |  Robert Platek |
| President | Philip Platek Jr. |
| Director of Football |  Stefano Melissano |
| Director of Operations | Nicolò Peri |
| Head of the Academy | Giovanni Invernizzi |
| Head of Commercial Area | Luca Scafati |
| Press Officer | Gianluca Parenti |
Current Coaching Staff
| Position | Staff |
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| Manager | Luca D'Angelo |
| Assistant manager | Riccardo Taddei |
| Athletic coach | Marco Greco Stefano Cappelli |
| Technical coach | Giuseppe Leonetti |
| Goalkeeper coach | Massimo Gazzoli |
| Rehab coach | Eduardo Pizzarelli |
| Team manager | Lorenzo Ferretti |
| Head of medical | Vincenzo Salini |
| Team doctor | Michael Coli Maurizio Graziano |
| Physiotherapist | Fabio Di Federico Andrea Fregoso Gaspare Schembre Filippo Del Padrone |
| Nutritionist | Giulia Martera |
Team Colors, Home Stadium, and Fans
Spezia's official team colors are white and black. Their home uniform usually has a plain white shirt with black details, black shorts, and black socks. Sometimes, they use white shorts and socks if their opponents' uniforms clash.
Away uniforms are often all black. They might also have different colors each season. The club's nickname is Gli Aquilotti, which means "The Little Eagles."
The team plays its home games at the Stadio Alberto Picco. This stadium can hold 10,336 fans and has been Spezia's home since 1919. For the 2020–21 season, Spezia had to play many home matches at a different stadium, the Stadio Dino Manuzzi in Cesena. This was because their home stadium didn't meet the rules for Serie A games. But after some upgrades, Spezia was able to return to the Alberto Picco later in the season.
Most of Spezia's fans live in the city of La Spezia and nearby areas. This is because two bigger clubs, Genoa and Sampdoria, are very popular throughout the Liguria region.
Because Liguria has had many football teams since the early days, there are several local rivalries. Spezia has smaller rivalries with Genoa and Sampdoria. They've had exciting matches, especially when fighting for promotion in the 2005–06 Serie C season and in recent Serie A games.
Spezia also has a rivalry with Pisa, known as the Tuscan-Ligurian Derby. Another rivalry is with Carrarese, called the Derby Lunense. Over the years, Spezia has also played many important games against other Ligurian teams like Virtus Entella and Savona.
Team Achievements: Spezia's Trophies
League Titles
- Divisione Nazionale
- Winners (1): 1944 (honorary)
- Serie C1 (Level 3)
- Winners (3): 1935–36 (Group B), 2005–06 (Group A), 2011–12 (Group B)
- Runners-up (1): 2001–02 (Group A)
- Serie C2 (Level 4)
- Winners (1): 1999–2000 (Group A)
- Runners-up (3): 1979–80 (Group A), 1985–86 (Group A), 2009–10 (Group A)
- IV Serie (Level 4)
- Winners (1): 1957–58
- Runners-up (1): 1955–56 (Group E)
- Serie D (Level 4)
- Winners (1): 1965–66 (Group A)
- Runners-up (1): 2008–09 (Group A)
- Serie B (Level 2)
- Play-off winners (1): 2019–20
Cup Wins
- Prima Divisione (forerunner of present-day Serie B)
- Winners (1): 1928–29
- Supercoppa di Serie C
- Winners (2): 2006, 2012
- Coppa Italia Serie C
- Winners (2): 2004–05, 2011–12
- Scudetto Serie D
- Winners (1): 1957–58
- Coppa Ottorino Mattei
- Winners (1): 1957–58
Images for kids
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Spezia Calcio logo
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Spezia's journey through the Italian football leagues since 1929/30.
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Alberto Picco Stadium in La Spezia
See also
In Spanish: Spezia Calcio para niños
