US Salernitana 1919 facts for kids
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Full name | Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 S.r.l. | |||
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Nickname(s) | I Granata (The Garnets) | |||
Founded | 19 June 1919 4 May 1927 (refounded as US Salernitana) 2005 (refounded as Salernitana Calcio 1919) 2011 (refounded as Salerno Calcio) |
(as Unione Sportiva Salernitana)|||
Ground | Stadio Arechi | |||
Capacity | 37,800 | |||
CEO | Danilo Iervolino | |||
Head coach | Stefano Colantuono | |||
League | Serie B | |||
2018–19 | Serie B, 16th of 19 | |||
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Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 is a professional Italian football club. It is based in Salerno, a city in the Campania region of Italy. The club was first started in 1919. It has been reformed three times since then, most recently in 2011.
The current club is the continuation of the older Salernitana Calcio 1919. It began playing again in Serie D in the 2011–12 season. Salernitana made it back to Serie A in 2021. This was after 23 seasons away, by finishing second in Serie B. They played in Serie A until the 2023–24 season, when they moved back down to Serie B.
Contents
Club History: From Start to Today
Early Years and Changes
The club from Salerno was first called Unione Sportiva Salernitana in 1919. For a while in the 1920s, it was known as Società Sportiva Salernitanaudax. This happened after it joined with another club, Audax Salerno. In 1978, the club's name changed again to Salernitana Sport.
Salernitana has spent most of its history playing in Serie B and Serie C. These are the second and third levels of Italian football. The team plays its home games at Stadio Arechi.
In its early days, Salernitana played in regional Italian football championships. They played at this top level for four seasons in the 1920s. Since then, the club has reached the very top level of Italian football, Serie A, twice. They played in Serie A during the 1947–48 and 1998–99 seasons.
In 2005, the club faced financial problems. It was restarted by Antonio Lombardi and changed its name to Salernitana Calcio 1919. In 2011, the club was removed from Italian football.
Rising from Serie D to the Top League
On July 21, 2011, after the original Salernitana club was removed, the mayor of Salerno helped create a new club. This new club was called Salerno Calcio and was allowed to join Serie D.
In the 2011–12 season, Salerno Calcio quickly won their group in Serie D. This meant they were promoted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.
On July 12, 2012, the club changed its name to US Salernitana 1919. In the 2012–13 season, Salernitana finished first in their league again. This led to another promotion, this time to Lega Pro Prima Divisione. Salernitana then won their group in Lega Pro and returned to Serie B for the 2014–15 season.
After several seasons in Serie B, Salernitana earned promotion to Serie A at the end of the 2020–21 Serie B season. They finished in 2nd place under coach Fabrizio Castori. They secured their promotion by winning 3–0 against Pescara in the last game.
For Salernitana to play in Serie A, the club's owners had to sell it. This is because Italian football rules do not allow two clubs with the same owner to play in the same league. On July 7, 2021, the FIGC approved a new ownership plan. This meant Salernitana was officially back in Serie A after 23 years.
Back in Serie A: Recent Seasons
Salernitana's first game back in Serie A was a 3–2 loss to Bologna on August 22, 2021. The team had a tough start, getting only one point from their first six games. However, they got their first Serie A win against Genoa, winning 1–0.
In October, the club changed coaches. Stefano Colantuono became the head coach again. He had coached Salernitana before, from 2017 to 2018. On May 22, 2022, Salernitana managed to avoid moving back down to Serie B. They did this by earning 18 points in their last 15 matches.
In the 2023–2024 Serie A season, Salernitana finished last in the league. This meant they were moved back down to Serie B.
Team Colors, Badge, and Nicknames
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Salernitana's original kit |
Salernitana first wore light blue and white striped shirts. In Italy, these are called biancocelesti. The blue color on the shirt was chosen to represent the sea. This is because Salerno is right next to the Gulf of Salerno and is a port city.
In the 1940s, the club changed to garnet-colored shirts. This color gave them their nickname granata, which means "garnets" in Italian.
During the 2011–12 season, their kit colors were striped blue and deep red. This looked similar to F.C. Barcelona's kit. The symbol of St. Matthew, the patron saint of Salerno, was also part of the new kit design.
Since the club was renamed US Salernitana 1919, their home colors have gone back to the traditional garnet. The club's 100th anniversary logo was revealed on June 24, 2019. It appeared on their kits for the 2019–20 season.
Team Achievements and Trophies
Salernitana has won several important titles throughout its history:
League Wins
- Serie B:
- Winners: 1946–47 (Group C), 1997–98
- Serie C / Serie C1:
- Winners: 1937–38, 1965–66, 2007–08, 2014–15
- Lega Pro Seconda Divisione / Serie C2:
- Winners: 2012–13
- Serie D:
- Winners: 2011–12 (as Salerno Calcio)
Cup Wins
- Coppa Italia Serie C:
- Winners: 2013–14
- Supercoppa di Lega di Seconda Divisione:
- Winners: 2012–13
Current Players
Main Team Squad
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Salernitana Primavera (Youth Team)
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Players on Loan to Other Teams
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Players Who Played for Their National Teams
These players, past and present, have played for their country's national football teams.
- Italy
Roberto Breda
Francesco Caputo
David Di Michele
Marco Di Vaio
Salvatore Fresi
Gennaro Gattuso
Pasquale Mazzocchi
Walter Zenga
- Other Countries
Erjon Bogdani
Frédéric Veseli
Federico Fazio
Diego Perotti
Danny Tiatto
Flavius Daniliuc
Milan Đurić
Rigobert Song
Jovane
Diego Valencia
Domagoj Bradarić
Andreas Karo
Grigoris Kastanos
Benoît Costil
Franck Ribéry
Marco Zoro
Trivante Stewart
Lassana Coulibaly
Guillermo Ochoa
Tonny Vilhena
Simeon Nwankwo (Simy)
Joel Obi
Emil Bohinen
Erik Botheim
Stefan Strandberg
Roberto Merino
Mateusz Łęgowski
Krzysztof Piątek
Andrei Cristea
Radu Drăgușin
Ruslan Nigmatullin
Mamadou Coulibaly
Boulaye Dia
Ivan Radovanović
Norbert Gyömbér
Vid Belec
Domen Črnigoj
Phil Masinga
Siyabonga Nomvethe
Riccardo Gagliolo
Francesco Di Jorio
Dylan Bronn
Wajdi Kechrida
Bülent Eken
Wálter López
World Cup Players from Salernitana
The following players were chosen for their country's World Cup team while playing for Salernitana:
Krzysztof Piątek (2022)
Boulaye Dia (2022)
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 para niños