US Alessandria Calcio 1912 facts for kids
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| Full name | Unione Sportiva Alessandria Calcio 1912 S.r.l. | ||
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| Nickname(s) | I Grigi (The Greys) L'Orso (The Bear) |
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| Founded | 1912 | ||
| Ground | Stadio Giuseppe Moccagatta, Alessandria, Italy |
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| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Chairman | Rocco Dinisi | ||
| Manager | Alberto Merlo | ||
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Unione Sportiva Alessandria Calcio 1912, often called Alessandria, is an Italian football club. It is based in the city of Alessandria, in the Piedmont region of Italy. The team currently plays in Eccellenza, which is the fifth level of Italian football.
Contents
History of Alessandria Calcio
Early Years and Success
Alessandria Calcio was started in 1912. The team played 13 seasons in Serie A, Italy's top football league, between 1929 and 1960. They also spent 21 seasons in Serie B, the second-highest league. Their last time in Serie B was in 2022. In 1936, they even reached the final of the Coppa Italia, a major cup competition.
The club's best time was between World War I and World War II. During this period, Alessandria was part of a group of strong teams from Piedmont, known as the "Piedmont Quadrilateral." These teams helped develop many great players and won important trophies.
Famous Players
Many famous players have worn Alessandria's unique grey shirt. One of the greatest was Giovanni Ferrari, who won the FIFA World Cup twice. Other notable players include Felice Borel and Luigi Bertolini, who also won the World Cup. Pietro Rava won the World Cup and an Olympic gold medal. Adolfo Baloncieri won a cup and an Olympic bronze medal. Gianni Rivera won the UEFA European Championship. These players helped make Alessandria a respected club in Italian football history.
How the Club Started
Football first came to Alessandria in the late 1800s. Early teams like Unione Pro Sport Alessandria and Forza e Concordia played exhibition games. In 1897, Unione Pro Sport even won a football trophy in Genoa.
On February 18, 1912, Alessandria Foot Ball Club was officially founded. Its first shirts were blue with a white stripe. The team quickly moved up to the second division in their first season. That same year, a businessman named Giovanni Maino gave the team eleven grey shirts. These shirts were like those worn by his famous cycling team, and the grey color became the club's signature.
Growing Stronger After World War I
In 1913, the team got an English player-coach named George Arthur Smith. He was a great teacher and helped talented players like Adolfo Baloncieri and Carlo Carcano become stars. Carcano later coached Juventus FC to great success. He was also the first Alessandria player to play for the Italy national football team in 1915.
After World War I, Alessandria F.B.C. kept getting better. In 1920, they joined with another local team, US Alessandria, and changed their name to Alessandria US. They continued to play well in the championships, but strong teams like Pro Vercelli and Genoa often won the titles.
Winning the Coppa CONI and Reaching Serie A
In 1927, Alessandria won its first major trophy, the Coppa CONI. They beat Casale in the final. The team was coached by Carlo Carcano and included future stars like Giovanni Ferrari and Luigi Bertolini. Later that year, work began on their new stadium.
In 1928, Alessandria almost won the championship, finishing very close to Torino. At the end of the 1928–29 season, Alessandria joined the very first Serie A tournament in 1929–30, finishing 6th. They also opened their new stadium. Many key players left the club in the early 1930s to join bigger teams, which made it harder for Alessandria to compete for top spots.
In 1936, Alessandria reached the Coppa Italia final again, but lost to Torino. After this, the team sold some promising players and struggled, falling into Serie B at the end of the 1936–37 season.
Return to Serie A and Later Years
After World War II, Alessandria returned to Serie A for two seasons in 1945–46. However, they went back to Serie B in 1948.
In the 1940s, a funny thing happened. Before a game against Venezia, the referee told Alessandria to change their grey uniforms. He said they looked too much like Venezia's black shirts. After the game, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) made the referee get an eye exam. It turned out he was color-blind! Because of this, all referees now have to pass a color-blindness test.
Alessandria moved between Serie B and Serie C in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1957, they returned to Serie A. During this time, a young player named Gianni Rivera made his debut in Serie A for Alessandria in 1959.
Decline and Comeback
Alessandria was relegated from Serie A in 1959–60. In the 1960s, they dropped to Serie C. In 1973, the club won the first-ever Coppa Italia Serie C. They were promoted back to Serie B in 1974, but only stayed for one season.
For nearly 30 years, Alessandria mostly played in Serie C. The club faced serious financial problems in the 1980s and even dropped to regional leagues for a short time. In 2003, the club had very serious money troubles.
A new club, Nuova Alessandria, was formed in 2003. In 2004, a group of local business people bought back the original club's name and history.
Recent Successes
Since 2009, the club has been working its way back up. In 2011, they were moved down a division because of a betting scandal involving a former club president. However, they kept fighting.
In the 2015–16 Coppa Italia, Alessandria made history. They became the first team from the third division to reach the cup's quarter-finals since 1984. They even beat Spezia to reach the semi-finals, where they played against AC Milan.
In the 2020–21 season, Alessandria won their play-off final against Padova in a penalty shootout. This meant they returned to Serie B for the first time since 1975! Unfortunately, they went back down to Serie C after just one season. For the 2024–25 season, they are playing in Eccellenza.
Stadium
Alessandria plays its home games at the Stadio Giuseppe Moccagatta. This stadium was built in 1929 and can hold 6,000 fans. It is mainly used for football matches. The city of Alessandria owns the stadium. The grass field is 105 meters long and 68.4 meters wide. In the past, the stadium could hold over 25,000 spectators!
Players
Current squad
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Out on loan
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Notable former players
- Further information:
Former managers
Federico Allasio- Giulio Cappelli
- Carlo Carcano
Bert Flatley- Luciano Foschi
Lajos Kovács- Ferenc Molnár
- Corrado Orrico
- Roberto Pruzzo
- Pietro Rava
- Giuseppe Sabadini
- Gaetano D'Agostino
- Michele Marcolini
- Giuseppe Pillon
- Angelo Gregucci
- Piero Braglia
- Maurizio Sarri
- Moreno Longo
Honours
Here are the trophies and titles Alessandria has won:
- Serie B
- Winners: 1945–46
- Serie C
- Winners: 1973–74 (group A)
- Serie C2
- Winners: 1990–91 (group A)
- Serie D
- Winners: 2007–08 (group A)
- Eccellenza Piedmont-Aosta Valley
- Winners: 2004–05 (group A)
- Coppa Italia Serie C
- Winners: 1972–73, 2017–18
- Coppa CONI
- Winners: 1927
League History
This table shows which leagues Alessandria has played in over the years:
| Series | Years | Last Season | Promotions | Relegations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 13 | 1959–60 | – |  3 (1937, 1948, 1960) |
| B | 21 | 2021–22 |  2 (1946, 1957) |
3 (1950, 1967, 1975) |
| C +C2 |
34 +17 |
2020–21 | 3 (1953, 1974, 2021) 6 (1981 C2, 1989 C2, 1991 C2, 2000 C2, 2009 C2, 2014 C2) |
6 (1980 C1, 1982 C1, 1990 C1, 1998 C1, 2001 C1, 2011 C1) 1 (2003✟) |
| 85 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929 | ||||
| D | 3 | 2007–08 | 1 (2008) |
never |
| E | 2 | 2004–05 | 1 (2005) |
never |
See also
In Spanish: Unione Sportiva Alessandria Calcio 1912 para niños
