US Livorno 1915 facts for kids
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| Full name | Unione Sportiva Livorno 1915 | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Gli Amaranto (transl. The Dark Reds) I Labronici (transl. The Lighbourners) Le Triglie (transl. The Mullets) |
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| Founded | 1915 | ||
| Ground | Armando Picchi | ||
| Capacity | 14,267 | ||
| Owner | Joel Esciua | ||
| Manager | Paolo Indiani | ||
| League | Serie C | ||
| 2024–25 | Serie D Group E, 1st of 18 (Promoted) | ||
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Unione Sportiva Livorno 1915, often just called Livorno, is a professional football club from Livorno, a city in Tuscany, Italy. They play in Serie C, which is the third highest league in Italian professional football. They recently moved up from Serie D, a semi-professional league. Their team color is dark red, called amaranto in Italian. This is why one of their nicknames is Gli Amaranto (The Dark Reds).
Livorno was one of the first teams to play in Serie A, Italy's top football league. However, they have been moved down from the top league seven times. The club also had to restart twice, in 1991 and 2021. This meant they had to climb back up from lower regional leagues like Eccellenza. Their longest times in the top division were from 1940 to 1949 and from 2004 to 2008. The amaranto team has won Serie B twice. They also won the Lega Pro Prima Divisione and Lega Pro Seconda Divisione once each. Livorno plays its home games at the Stadio Armando Picchi.
Contents
Club History: From Founding to Today
Early Years and First Successes
The club was started on February 15, 1915. In the Italian Football Championship 1919–20, Livorno finished second. They lost the final match to Internazionale. One year later, they were beaten in the semi-final by their rivals, Pisa. In 1933, the club moved to its current stadium. Livorno was one of the original teams in Serie A. They played in the top league during 1929–31, 1933–35, and 1937–39.
Livorno finished as runners-up in Serie A in the 1942–43 season, coming in second after Torino. Livorno left Serie A in 1949 after playing there for seven seasons in a row. They were moved down to Serie C soon after, in the 1951–52 season. They returned to Serie B in 1955 for one season and again from 1964 to 1972.
Challenges and Rebuilding the Club
Livorno was moved down to Serie C2 in 1982–83. They played in the third level again between 1984 and 1989. The club was then closed down in 1991. This meant they had to start over from Eccellenza, a regional league. Two quick promotions brought the team back to Serie C2. The club was promoted to Serie C1 in 1997. Aldo Spinelli bought the club two years later. Under his ownership, Livorno returned to Serie B in 2001.
Return to Serie A and European Adventures
Livorno was promoted to Serie A after finishing third in the Serie B 2003–04 season. This was one of six clubs to be promoted that year. It had been 55 years since Livorno last played in the top league. Many people thought the club would quickly go back to Serie B. The first game in the major league was attended by Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. He was a Livorno citizen and supported the team when he was a child.
The team had some tough times during the season. However, they also showed many good performances. Livorno surprisingly finished in a respectable ninth place in the league for the Serie A 2004–05 season. This was also thanks to goals from striker Cristiano Lucarelli. He won the Serie A top scorer award that season.
In the Serie A 2005–06 season, Livorno was in sixth place after the first half. The team was in a good position to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Coach Roberto Donadoni resigned after being criticized by the club's chairman, Aldo Spinelli. Carlo Mazzone, an experienced coach, replaced Donadoni. He helped the team secure a UEFA Cup spot. This happened because three other teams were removed from European competitions due to a scandal. Mazzone's team then had a difficult period, losing seven games in a row. In May 2006, Daniele Arrigoni became the new coach for the next season.
Playing in the UEFA Cup
In the Serie A 2006–07 season, Livorno played in the UEFA Cup for the first time. The team from Tuscany played against the Austrian team SV Pasching in the first round. They won easily with a total score of 3–0. This meant they qualified for the group stages. They were in Group A with Rangers, Auxerre, FK Partizan, and Maccabi Haifa.
After losing at home to Rangers (2–3) and drawing two games 1–1 against Partizan in Belgrade and Maccabi in Livorno, the team won 1–0 against Auxerre in France. This victory earned them a spot in the Round of 32 of the competition. However, the Spanish team Espanyol knocked Livorno out of the UEFA Cup. Espanyol won with a total score of 4–1.
Recent Seasons and Rebirth
After 19 games in Serie A, coach Arrigoni was fired by chairman Spinelli. However, the team strongly opposed this, so he stayed for a short time. Arrigoni was eventually fired on March 21, 2007. Fernando Orsi replaced him. Orsi managed to keep the team away from being moved down to a lower league. For the 2007–08 season, Orsi remained as head coach. Several new players joined, but Lucarelli moved to a team in Ukraine.
The club did not start well, earning only two points in the first seven games. Orsi was fired on October 9 and replaced by Giancarlo Camolese. Livorno still found itself at the bottom of the league table. On April 28, 2008, Camolese was fired, and Orsi was brought back. However, in the second-to-last game of the season, the team could not avoid being moved down. They lost 1–0 at home against Torino. They finished last in Serie A for the 2007–08 season and were moved down to Serie B.
Livorno finished third in Serie B in the 2008–09 season. They returned to Serie A after winning promotion play-offs. They beat Grosseto with a total score of 4–3 and Brescia with a total score of 5–2. However, this return was short. One season later, they were moved down to Serie B again after finishing last. Livorno was promoted again after beating Empoli 2–1 overall to get back to Serie A.
In the 2019–20 season of Serie B, Livorno finished last. This led to them being moved down to Serie C. In the 2020–21 Serie C season, Livorno finished last again. They also had five points taken away because they did not pay player wages on time. This meant they were moved down to Serie D. However, the club went bankrupt and could not pay the fee to join Serie D. So, the club was dissolved.
The club joined the Eccellenza Toscana league for the 2021-22 season. It was under a new name, Unione Sportiva Livorno 1915. The owner was Paolo Toccafondi. In the 2021-22 season, Livorno finished first in their group in Eccellenza Toscana. But they lost in the national playoffs. However, Livorno was later allowed to join Serie D. This happened because another team, Figline, was not allowed to be promoted. In their first Serie D season, Livorno finished 5th out of 18 teams. They improved the next season, finishing 4th. Then, in the 2024-25 season of Serie D, they were the first Italian team to secure promotion. They won their group with four games left to play.
Club Staff: Coaches and Directors
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Paolo Indiani |  Italy |
| Assistant coach | Niccolò Pascali | Italy |
| Goalkeeper coach | Riccardo Di Pisello | Italy |
| Sporting director | Egidio Bicchierai | Italy |
| Physiotherapist | Fabiano Giannini | Italy |
Team Players: Current Squad
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Club Identity: Politics and Fan Culture
Livorno's supporters are known for their strong political views. The club's connection to left-wing politics started because Livorno was the birthplace of the Italian Communist Party in 1921. Livorno’s main fan group, Brigate Autonome Livornesi (BAL), was formed in 1999. This group showed support for working-class causes, anti-fascism, and anti-capitalism. BAL was involved in disagreements with fans of other teams. The group was dissolved in 2003 after its members faced many bans.
Cristiano Lucarelli, Livorno’s most famous player, was also known for his political beliefs. He grew up in Livorno and returned to play for his hometown team. In 1997, during an Italy under-21 match, he showed a t-shirt with a famous revolutionary figure after scoring a goal. This led to him not being chosen for the senior national team for many years. Lucarelli eventually joined Livorno, even taking a lower salary to play for the club he loved. He chose the No. 99 shirt to honor the year the club’s left-wing fan group, Brigate Autonome Livornesi, was founded. His great playing helped Livorno get promoted to Serie A. He became the league’s top scorer the next season. Despite earlier issues, Lucarelli later played six games for Italy's senior team and scored three goals. Lucarelli helped strengthen Livorno's political identity.
Livorno's political views have led to clashes with clubs that have right-wing political connections. This is especially true for teams like Lazio and Verona. A former Lazio player once made a controversial gesture to his fans during a match against Livorno. This happened when there was a lot of tension between the fan groups of the two clubs.
Since 2005, a group of Livorno supporters living in northern Europe call themselves Partigiani Livornesi Scandinavia (Livornian partisans of Scandinavia). A "triangle of brotherhood" has grown between the main left-wing fan clubs of Marseille, Livorno, and AEK Athens. Their connection is mostly based on shared political ideas. They also have connections with fans of Adana Demirspor and Celtic.
Livorno in European Competitions
UEFA Cup Appearances
Livorno has played in the UEFA Cup, a major European club competition.
| Season | Round | Club | Home Score | Away Score | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | First round |  Pasching |
2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| Group A |  Rangers |
2–3 | N/A | 3rd | |
 Partizan |
N/A | 1–1 | |||
 Maccabi Haifa |
1–1 | N/A | |||
 Auxerre |
N/A | 1–0 | |||
| Round of 32 |  Espanyol |
1–2 | 0–2 | 1–4 |
Club Achievements: Trophies and Promotions
- Serie A
- Runners-up (2): 1919–20, 1942–43
- Serie B
- Winners (2): 1932–33, 1936–37
- Other Promotions (3): 2003–04, 2008–09, 2012–13
- Serie C/Serie C1/Lega Pro
- Winners (3): 1963–64, 2001–02, 2017–18
- Serie C2/Lega Pro Seconda Divisione
- Winners (1): 1983–84
- Serie D
- Winners (1): 2024–25
- Coppa Italia Serie C/Coppa Italia Lega Pro
- Winners (1): 1986–87
League Journey: Promotions and Relegations
This table shows how Livorno has moved between different Italian football leagues over the years.
| League | Years Played | Last Season | Promotions | Relegations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 18 | 2013–14 | - |  7 |
| B | 27 | 2019–20 |  6 |
5 |
| C +C2 |
35 +7 |
2020–21 | 4 2 |
3 1 |
| 87 out of 92 years of professional football in Italy since 1929 | ||||
| D | 3 | 2024–25 | 2 |
never |
| E | 2 | 2021–22 | 1 |
never |
See also
In Spanish: Unione Sportiva Livorno 1915 para niños
