US Lecce facts for kids
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| Full name | Unione Sportiva Lecce S.p.A. (Sports Union Lecce S.p.A.) | |||
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| Founded |
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| Ground | Stadio Ettore Giardiniero - Via del mare | |||
| Capacity | 31,533 | |||
| Owner | Saverio Sticchi Damiani (majority) Alvin Sariaatmadja (minority) |
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| President | Saverio Sticchi Damiani | |||
| Manager | Marco Giampaolo | |||
| League | Serie A | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie B, 2nd of 19 (promoted) | |||
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Unione Sportiva Lecce, often just called Lecce, is a professional football club from Lecce, a city in Apulia, Italy. The team plays in Serie A, which is the top football league in Italy. Lecce plays its home games at the Stadio Via del Mare, a large stadium that can hold over 31,000 fans.
The club was officially started in 1927, but its roots go back to 1908. Lecce has often moved between Italy's second division (Serie B) and the top league (Serie A). They first played in Serie A in the 1985–86 season. Their best finish in Serie A was ninth place in the 1988–89 season.
Lecce has won the Serie B title twice, in 2010 and 2022. They also won the Coppa Italia Serie C in 1975 and the Anglo-Italian Cup Semiprofessionals in 1976. Fans and players of Lecce are often called salentini, giallorossi (meaning "yellow and reds"), or lupi (meaning "wolves").
Contents
Club History: From the Start to Today
Lecce began as Sporting Club Lecce on 15 March 1908. At first, it included football, track-and-field, and cycling. The club's first president was Francesco Marangi. Back then, Lecce wore black and white striped jerseys.
The club played in regional leagues for many years. In 1923–24, the club stopped playing for a short time. Then, on 16 September 1927, it came back as Unione Sportiva Lecce. They still wore black and white stripes, similar to the famous Juventus team.
Early Years: 1930s to 1950s
Lecce won a game against Taranto Sport to get promoted to Serie B for the 1929–30 season. Their first Serie B game was a 2–1 win against Novara on 6 October 1929. However, the club stopped playing again after the 1931–32 season.
Four years later, Lecce returned to play in Serie C. The club faced some tough times, even withdrawing from Serie C one season. Despite these challenges, they won Serie C in 1943–44, but football was paused due to World War II. When games started again, Lecce became Serie C champions and moved back to Serie B. After a few good seasons, they were relegated again.
Lecce spent six seasons in Serie C during this time. Striker Anselmo Bislenghi became a club hero, scoring 83 goals. The club even dropped to Serie IV for three years.
Seventeen Seasons in Serie C: 1960s to 1980s
From 1959 to 1975, Lecce played in Serie C for 17 seasons. They came very close to promotion several times, finishing second for three years in a row (1971–72 to 1973–74). Finally, they earned promotion in the 1975–76 season.
In the same year they were promoted, Lecce won the Coppa Italia Serie C. In 1976, they also played in the Anglo-Italian Cup, winning 4–0 against Scarborough.
In 1980, a problem happened in Italian football, but Lecce's president, Franco Jurlano, was found innocent. A sad event occurred in 1983 when two players, Michele Lo Russo and Ciro Pezzella, died in a car accident. Lo Russo still holds the club record for most appearances, with 415 games.
Reaching Serie A: Mid-1980s and 1990s
Under coach Eugenio Fascetti, Lecce was promoted to Serie A for the first time in 1985. They were relegated after just one season, but they famously beat Roma 3–2 away, hurting Roma's chances of winning the league title. They returned to Serie A in 1988.
With Carlo Mazzone as coach, Lecce finished a good ninth place in 1989. Key players included striker Pedro Pasculli and midfielders Antonio Conte and Paolo Benedetti. They stayed in Serie A for three seasons before being relegated. They returned two years later, but the 1993–94 season was tough, with Lecce finishing last.
Giampiero Ventura helped Lecce get promoted twice in a row, from Serie C to Serie A. Even with striker Francesco Palmieri and a famous win against Milan in 1997, staying in Serie A was hard.
In 1998, Pantaleo Corvino became the new sports director. He became known for finding new talented players. The team returned to Serie A in 1999 and stayed for three years, coming back again in 2003.
Three Years in Serie A: 2003–2006
In 2004, under coach Delio Rossi, Lecce had a great season, finishing tenth. They had amazing wins, beating Juventus 4–3 in Turin and Internazionale 2–1 at home.
In 2004–05, coach Zdeněk Zeman led a very attacking team that scored many goals. Lecce finished tenth again. Players like Valeri Bojinov and Mirko Vučinić became well-known. The team had the second-best attack in the league but also the worst defense. Despite this, they managed to stay in Serie A, which was a record!
The 2005–06 season was difficult for Lecce. They changed managers twice but were still relegated to Serie B.
Back and Forth: Serie B and Serie A
Lecce had a mixed start in the 2006–07 season in Serie B. After a tough period, coach Zeman was replaced by Giuseppe Papadopulo. Lecce improved a lot in the second half of the season, finishing ninth. In 2007, Lecce earned more points than any other team in Serie B.
In the 2007–08 season, Lecce fought for promotion back to Serie A. They had the best defense in the league and won their play-off games to earn promotion.
After promotion, coach Papadopulo left, and Mario Beretta took over. Lecce was relegated back to Serie B after one season in Serie A.
In the 2009–10 Serie B season, Lecce played well and stayed in first place for most of the season. They won the Serie B title and the Coppa Ali della Vittoria, getting promoted back to the top league for the eighth time in 25 years.
Lecce successfully avoided relegation in the 2010–11 Serie A season, securing their spot by beating their rivals Bari 2–0. Coach Luigi De Canio then left the team.
In the 2011–12 Serie A season, Lecce was relegated to Serie B again. They struggled from the start, and despite a change in coach to Serse Cosmi, they couldn't avoid relegation.
Third Division Years
In 2012, Lecce was moved down to the third division (2012–13 Lega Pro Prima Divisione) because of a football scandal. The former president was also suspended. In their first season back, Lecce finished second but lost in the promotion play-offs. The next season was similar, with Lecce losing in the play-off finals again, even with famous player Fabrizio Miccoli joining the team.
A new group of owners took over the club in 2015. Lecce finished third in 2015–16 and qualified for the play-offs, but lost to Foggia. The next season, they finished second but lost in the play-off quarterfinals on penalties.
Return to the Top League
In September 2017, Fabio Liverani became the new coach. He led Lecce to two promotions in a row, bringing the club back to Serie A after seven years! Lecce fought hard in the 2019–20 season but was relegated on the last day.
In the 2020–21 season, they missed promotion in the play-offs. But then, with coach Marco Baroni, Lecce won the 2021–22 Serie B championship, getting promoted to Serie A for the tenth time! Lecce striker Massimo Coda was the top scorer in Serie B for two seasons in a row. The team then managed to stay in Serie A the next season.
Team Colors, Badge, and Nicknames
Lecce's team colors are red and yellow stripes. These are also the traditional colors of the city of Lecce. Fans and players are called salentini or giallorossi (yellow and reds). The club's official song is Giallorossi per Sempre.
The symbol of Lecce is a female wolf standing under a holm oak tree. This tree is common in the Apulia region, and the wolf and tree are also symbols of the city of Lecce.
Home Stadium
Lecce plays its home games at the Stadio Via del Mare. This stadium has seats for 31,533 people. It was opened in 1966. The football pitch is 105 meters long and 70 meters wide.
Club Rivalries and Friendships
Lecce's biggest rival is S.S.C. Bari, another successful football team from Apulia. Their matches are called Derby di Puglia (Apulia Derby). The first derby was played in 1929, with Lecce winning 1–0. These derby games have been played many times in different leagues, including Serie A.
On the other hand, Lecce has a long-standing friendship with the fans of Palermo.
Current Players
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Players on Loan
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Famous Players
Many talented players have played for Lecce. Some of the most notable include:
- Antonio Conte – A product of Lecce's youth system, he became a famous manager, winning titles with Juventus and Chelsea.
- Javier Chevantón – From Uruguay, he is Lecce's all-time top scorer.
- Pedro Pablo Pasculli – An Argentina international, he won the 1986 FIFA World Cup while playing for Lecce.
- Mirko Vučinić – From Montenegro, he started his Serie A career with Lecce.
- Samuel Umtiti – A France international, he won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
- Wladimiro Falcone – A current Lecce player who has been called up to the Italy national team.
Coaching Staff
| Position | Staff |
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| Manager |  Marco Giampaolo |
| Assistant manager | Francesco Conti |
| Technical coach | Fabio Micarelli Raffaele Clemente |
| Athletic coach | Samuele Melotto |
| Athletic coach / Rehab fitness coach | Giovanni De Luca |
| Match analyst | Alcide Di Salvatore Simone Greco |
| Goalkeeping coach | Luigi Sassanelli |
| Doctor | Giuseppe Congedo Antonio Tondo |
| Physiotherapist - Osteopath | Graziano Fiorita |
| Physiotherapist | Marco Camassa Francesco Soda |
| Osteopath | Stefano Carrisi |
| Podiatrist | Anna Chiara Schido |
| Nutritionst | Mirco Spedicato Luigi Sturdà |
| Head of Kit Manager | Giovanni Fasano |
| Sporting director | Stefano Trinchera |
| Technical director | Pantaleo Corvino |
Club Achievements
Lecce has won several important titles:
- Serie B
- Champions (2): 2009–10, 2021–22
- Serie C
- Champions (4): 1945–46, 1975–76, 1995–96, 2017–18
- Coppa Italia Serie C
- Champions (1): 1975–76
- Anglo-Italian Semiprofessional Cup
- Champions (1): 1976–77
Youth Team Success
Lecce's youth teams have also won many championships:
- Campionato Nazionale Primavera (National Youth League)
- Champions (3): 2002–03, 2003–04, 2022-23
- Coppa Italia Primavera (Youth Italian Cup)
- Champions (2): 2001–02, 2004–05
- Supercoppa Primavera (Youth Supercup)
- Champions (2): 2004, 2005
Player Records
Here are some of Lecce's top player records:
Top Goal Scorers (All Time)
| Player | Goals | |
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| Anselmo Bislenghi | 87 | |
| Franco Cardinali | 67 | |
| Pietro De Santis | 57 | |
| Javier Chevantón | 53 | |
| Pedro Pablo Pasculli | 53 | |
| Aurelio De Marco | 50 | |
| Gaetano Montenegro | 49 | |
| Luigi Silvestri | 44 | |
| Guillermo Giacomazzi | 43 | |
| Ennio Fiaschi | 41 | |
| Marco Mancosu | 41 |
Most Appearances (All Time)
| Player | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|
| Michele Lorusso | 418 | |
| Guillermo Giacomazzi | 312 | |
| Carmelo Miceli | 291 | |
| Ruggero Cannito | 249 | |
| Giuseppe Materazzi | 228 | |
| Salvatore Di Somma | 222 | |
| Pedro Pablo Pasculli | 214 | |
| Angelo Maccagni | 205 | |
| Luigi Piangerelli | 205 | |
| Angelo Cesana | 184 |
Players in Major Tournaments
Several Lecce players have represented their countries in big international tournaments:
- World Cup Players:
Pedro Pablo Pasculli (1986) - World Cup winner!
Dejan Govedarica (1998)
Sebastjan Cimirotič (2002)
Davor Vugrinec (2002)
Karim Saidi (2006)
Djamel Mesbah (2010)
- European Championship Players:
Sergei Aleinikov (1992)
Valeri Bojinov (2004)
Boban Nikolov (2020)
Medon Berisha (2024)- Ylber Ramadani (2024)
- Marin Pongračić (2024)
- Copa América Players:
- Pedro Pasculli (1987)
Mazinho (1991)
- African Cup of Nations Players:
Kwame Ayew (1994)
Souleymane Diamouténé (2008)- Ahmed Touba (2023)
- Hamza Rafia (2023)
Lameck Banda (2023)
Lecce in Movies and Games
Lecce is mentioned in some famous Italian movies and TV shows, like Al bar dello sport and Benvenuti al Nord. The club is also part of many songs. In the video game Captain Tsubasa 5: Hasha no Shōgō Campione, the main character Tsubasa Oozora even plays for Lecce!
Images for kids
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Fans celebrating Lecce's promotion to Serie A in May 2010
See also
In Spanish: Unione Sportiva Lecce para niños
