US Salernitana 1919 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Salernitana

Full name

Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 S.r.l.

Nickname(s)

I Granata (The Maroons)

Founded

19 June 1919; 106 years ago (as Unione Sportiva Salernitana)
4 May 1927; 98 years ago (refounded as US Salernitana)
2005; 20 years ago (refounded as Salernitana Calcio 1919)
2011; 14 years ago (refounded as Salerno Calcio)

Ground

Stadio Arechi

Capacity

37,800

CEO

Danilo Iervolino

Head coach

Giuseppe Raffaele

League

Serie B

2018–19

Serie B, 16th of 19

Home colours

Away colours

Third colours

This chart shows how Salernitana has performed in Italy's football leagues since 1929.

Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 is a professional football club from Salerno, a city in Campania, Italy. The club was first started in 1919. It has been reformed three times, with the most recent restart happening in 2011.

The current club continues the legacy of Salernitana Calcio 1919. It began again in Serie D, which is a lower league, during the 2011–12 season. Salernitana made an exciting return to Serie A, Italy's top league, in 2021. This was after 23 seasons away, following their second-place finish in Serie B. They played in Serie A until the 2023–24 season, when they were moved back down to Serie B. For the 2024-25 season, Salernitana was relegated to Serie C after losing a playoff match against Sampdoria. The club is also a member of the European Club Association.

Club History: From Early Days to Today
Team Colors, Badge, and Nicknames
Club Achievements and Trophies
- League Titles
- Cup Wins
Where Salernitana Has Played in the Leagues
Players and Staff
Players Who Played for Their National Teams
- Players in the World Cup Squads
Club Managers Through the Years
See also

Club History: From Early Days to Today

The Beginning: Unione Sportiva Salernitana

The football club from Salerno was first created in 1919 as Unione Sportiva Salernitana. For a short time in the 1920s, it was known as Società Sportiva Salernitanaudax after joining with another club. Later, in 1978, the club's name changed to Salernitana Sport.

For most of its history, Salernitana has played in Italy's Serie B and Serie C leagues. The team plays its home games at Stadio Arechi. In its early years, Salernitana played in regional Italian football championships. They reached Italy's top league, Serie A, twice: in the 1947–48 and 1998–99 seasons.

In 2005, the club faced financial difficulties and had to restart. Antonio Lombardi helped bring it back, changing the name from Salernitana Sport to Salernitana Calcio 1919. In 2011, the club was removed from Italian football after not appealing a decision by the football authorities.

A New Start: Climbing Back to the Top League

Salernitana playing against Cosenza in the 2014–15 season.

On July 21, 2011, after the original Salernitana club was excluded, the mayor of Salerno helped create a new club. This new team 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 and were promoted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. This was a great start for the new club!

On July 12, 2012, the club changed its name to US Salernitana 1919. In the 2012–13 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione season, Salernitana finished first in their group again. This meant they were promoted for the second year in a row, moving up to Lega Pro Prima Divisione. Salernitana then won Group C of 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 second, just behind Empoli. Their promotion was confirmed with a 3–0 win against Pescara on the last day of the season. 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 trust to take control of the club. This officially allowed Salernitana to play in Serie A for the first time in 23 years.

Back in Serie A: Recent Seasons

Salernitana's first game back in the top league was a 3–2 loss to Bologna on August 22, 2021. After a tough start, getting only one point from their first six matches, the club got its first Serie A win against Genoa. They won 1–0 with a goal from Milan Đurić. In October, the club changed coaches after a loss to Spezia left them at the bottom of the league. Stefano Colantuono became the new coach, returning for his second time leading Salernitana.

On May 22, 2022, Salernitana managed to avoid being relegated, even though they finished with one of the lowest points totals in Serie A history (31 points). They achieved this "great escape" by earning 18 points in their last 15 matches. In the 2023–2024 Serie A season, Salernitana finished last in the table and was relegated back to Serie B.

Team Colors, Badge, and Nicknames

Salernitana's original kit

Salernitana first wore light blue and white striped shirts. These are known in Italy as biancocelesti. The blue color on the shirt was chosen to represent the sea, as Salerno is a port city located right next to the Gulf of Salerno. In the 1940s, the club changed its shirts to a garnet color. This led to their nickname granata, which means "maroons" in Italian.

During the 2011–12 season, their kit colors were striped blue and deep red, similar to F.C. Barcelona. The symbol of St. Matthew, who is 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 returned to the traditional garnet. On June 24, 2019, the club announced a special logo for its 100th anniversary, which was featured on their kits for the 2019–20 season.

Club Achievements and Trophies

League Titles

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

Where Salernitana Has Played in the Leagues

Series	Years	Last Season	Promotions	Relegations
A	5	2023–24	–	3 (1948, 1999, 2024)
B	31	2024–25	3 (1947, 1998, 2021)	6 (1939, 1956, 1967, 1991, 2005✟, 2010)
C +C2	55 +1	2014–15	7 (1938, 1943, 1966, 1990, 1994, 2008, 2015) 1 (2013 C2)	1 (2011✟)
Salernitana has played in professional Italian football for 92 out of 93 years since 1929.
D	1	2011–12	1 (2012)	never

Players and Staff

Current Squad Players

No.	Position	Player
7	MF	Franco Tongya
12	GK	Francesco Corriere
17	DF	Lilian Njoh
45	MF	Rocco Di Vico
55	GK	Luigi Sepe (captain)
	DF	Armando Anastasio
	DF	Domagoj Bradarić
	DF	Mauro Coppolaro
	DF	Flavius Daniliuc
	DF	Eddy Cabianca (on loan from Cremonese)
	DF	Luca Villa

No.		Position	Player
		DF	Matteo Lovato
		DF	Emmanuele Matino
		MF	Kees de Boer
		MF	Nicola Dalmonte
		MF	Antonio Pio Iervolino
		MF	Mateusz Łęgowski
		MF	Giulio Maggiore
		MF	Ivan Varone
		FW	Ismail Achik
		FW	Franco Ferrari
		FW	Roberto Inglese

Players on Loan to Other Clubs

No.		Position	Player
		DF	Paolo Ghiglione (at Padova until 30 June 2026)

No.		Position	Player
		FW	Boulaye Dia (at Lazio until 30 June 2026)

Club Staff and Coaches

Position	Staff
Sporting director	Marco Valentini
Head coach	Pasquale Marino
Assistant coach	Massimo Mezzini
Goalkeeping coach	Paolo Di Sarno
Athletic coach	Donatello Matarangolo Marco Celia Vincenzo Laurino
Match analyst	Sandro Antonini
Collaborator interpreter	Pietro Marchesano
Team manager	Salvatore Avallone
Referee officer	Antonio Iannone
Kit manager	Rosario Fiorillo Mario Gaeta Pasquale Gaeta
Head of medical staff	Dott.Vincenzo Rosciano
Medical area coordinator	Dott.Gennaro Alfano
Team doctor	Dott.Catello Di Somma
Nutritionist	Dott.Stefano Gallo
Physiotherapist - Osteopath	Giuseppe Magliano
Massophysiotherapist	Davide Bisogno
Physiotherapist	Francesco Minieri Francesco Smargiassi
Scientific consultant	Prof.Marcello Zappia Dott.Antonio Lambiase Dott.Daniele Masarone Dott.Luca Bardi
Podiatrist	Sergio Di Palma
Goalkeeping co-ordinator	Luigi Genovese