Ac Reggiana 1919

The club was formed in 1919, reformed in 2005 (Serie C2) and 2018 (Serie D) after going bankrupt twice, and currently plays in the Serie B, the second tier of Italian football. Reggiana is known as i Granata ("the Maroons") in reference to the club's main colour: maroon.

Reggiana

Full name	Associazione Calcio Reggiana S.r.l.
Nickname(s)	I Granata (The Maroons) I Leoni (The Lions) Regia (local dialect for Reggiana) Teste Quadre (Square Heads) from an ancient Poems
Founded	25 September 1919; 104 years ago (1919-09-25)
Ground	Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore
Capacity	21,584
Owner	Romano Amadei; Carmelo Salerno; Giuseppe Fico;
Chairman	Carmelo Salerno
Manager	Alessandro Nesta
League	Serie B
2022–23	Serie C – Group B, 1st (promoted)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

The club was reformed twice after going bankrupt: in 2005 as Reggio Emilia Football Club, and in 2018 as Reggio Audace Football Club. On both occasions, the club regained the naming rights and the trophies of A.C. Reggiana via judicial auction. The club has participated in Serie A, the top tier of Italian football, seven times; their last appearance dates back to the 1996–97 season.

Formation

The first football game in Reggio Emilia was played under the roof of the old market in 1909, via an exhibition promoted by the local multi-sports association “Forti per Essere Liberi” (Strong to be Free). The first football clubs emerged subsequently in the coming years, with Reggio Football Club, formed in 1912, rising to prominence as the main local side due to its participation to Promozione, the then Italian second tier, divided into regional groups. In 1914, a group of Reggio F.C. members in disagreement with the presidency at the time decided to leave the club and form Juventus F.C. The two sides clashed in 1914-15 Promozione. The entry of Italy into World War 1 in May 1915 caused a vacuum in the local football scene, as many young players were drafted into the army and lost their lives in the war. On 25 September 1919, in the main town square (today’s Piazza Prampolini), a group of former footballers, assembled by former Reggio F.C. footballer Severino Taddei, decided to form a new local club, using Juventus’ ground Campo Mirabello and Reggio F.C. colours (maroon and blue). The new club was formed as Associazione Calcio Reggiana.

A.C. Reggiana (1919–2005)

The club was originally founded in 1919 under the name A.C. Reggiana, and played in the Italian First Division for several seasons in the 1920s. More recently, it played in the Italian Serie A in 1993–94, 1994–95, and 1996–97. Their highest ranking was 13th place in the 1993–94 Serie A championship, where its main name was Brazilian goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel, who would go on to win the 1994 FIFA World Cup after the season.

A.C. Reggiana 1919 (2005–2018)

In July 2005, the sports title of A.C. Reggiana S.p.A. was transferred to a new investor, Reggio Emilia F.C. S.p.A., before being renamed as A.C. Reggiana 1919 S.p.A. soon after the start of the 2005–06 season.

In the 2007–08 Serie C2 regular season, the team finished first in Group B, and won direct promotion to Lega Pro Prima Divisione (formerly known as Serie C1 until that year) for the 2008–2009 season. Reggiana also won 2008 Supercoppa di Serie C2, a competition for three group stage winners of Serie C2.

The club was acquired by Italian-American former baseball player Mike Piazza in 2016. After the 2017–18 season, the Piazza family decided not to register the team in the 2018–19 Serie C season, leading the club to the loss of its sporting title and subsequent exclusion from the Italian professional leagues.

Reggio Audace F.C. (2018–2020)

On 31 July 2018, a new entity was formed in Reggio Emilia, called Reggio Audace F.C.. The name was given in honour of a precursor entity of the 1910s, where Reggiana founder Severino Taddei used to play before founding the granata club. The new club, whose ownership was the expression of local entrepreneurs from Reggio Emilia, subsequently announced former Ravenna manager Mauro Antonioli as the new gaffer of the newborn club, admitted into the 2018–19 Serie D. Two days later a three-year partnership was signed with Macron. On 20 August 2018 striker Nicola Luche became the first ever signing of the club.

The club gained promotion to the Serie B, after having been admitted by repechage to the Serie C due to vacancies left by bankrupt clubs in the third tier of Italian football and winning the 2019-20 Serie C playoff, returning to Serie B after an absence of 21 years, gaining subsequently two consecutive promotions.

A.C. Reggiana 1919 (2020–present)

On 28 July 2020, the club changed its name back to A.C. Reggiana 1919.

The team's home jersey color is granata (maroon), hence the nickname "Granata" or "Regia". However, the team's shorts are traditionally dark blue, and their badge has traditionally been an orange football surrounded by the text: "Associazione Calcio Reggiana " surrounded by a Granata border.

Reggiana played all of its matches in Stadio Mirabello until 1994, when it moved to a modern arena, Stadio Città del Tricolore (a site previously known as Stadio Giglio). The stadium was subsequently bought by U.S. Sassuolo Calcio.^{[citation needed]}

Like other Italian cities, the birth of the "ultras" phenomenon in the 1980s also affected A.C. Reggiana. With Reggiana battling for Serie B and Cantine Riunite Reggio Emilia competing in Lega Basket Serie A, the youth of the city formed and gathered in ultras every Sunday.^{[citation needed]}

The leading group of Reggiana "Curva Sud" was "Ultras Ghetto", which was famous for its choreography. Since the late 1990s, the leading groups have been "Teste Quadre" and "Gruppo Vandelli", which situate themselves in the East Stand of the stadium. Reggiana fans have always had good numbers on away days with a peak of 10,000 fans in Milan in 1994.^{[citation needed]}

Friendships and rivalries

Reggiana fans have good and friendly relationships with fans from:

• Genoa (twinned)
• Cremonese (twinned)
• Vicenza (twinned)
• Pisa
• Carrarese
• Greenock Morton

The main rivals are:

• Parma, see Derby dell'Enza
• Modena, Secchia Derby
• Sassuolo, see Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore
• SPAL
• Spezia
• Bologna
• Piacenza

Former Reggiana players have included:

Reggiana have always had a good tradition in developing youth players, being a rare club with a training ground which has 16 football pitches, located in the nearbies of the club house. The youth teams play their games in Stadio Mirabello, via Agosti training ground or in small grounds located in the local province.

The academy has produced various players, notably:

Current squad

As of 1 February 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   ITA Alex Sposito 3 DF   ITA Edoardo Pieragnolo (on loan from Sassuolo) 4 DF   ITA Paolo Rozzio (captain) 7 FW   POR Muhamed Varela 8 MF   ITA Luca Cigarini 9 FW   ITA Luca Vido 11 FW   CIV Cedric Gondo (on loan from Cremonese) 12 GK   ITA Giacomo Satalino (on loan from Sassuolo) 14 MF   NGA Shaibu Nuhu 15 DF   ITA Riccardo Fiamozzi 16 MF   ARG Tobías Reinhart 17 DF   ITA Lorenzo Libutti 19 DF   ITA Filippo Romagna (on loan from Sassuolo) 20 MF   ESP Álex Blanco 21 MF   ITA Jacopo Da Riva (on loan from Atalanta) 22 GK   ITA Francesco Bardi

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 FW   ITA Stefano Pettinari 25 DF   POL Przemysław Szymiński (on loan from Frosinone) 27 DF   ITA Alessandro Marcandalli (on loan from Genoa) 28 FW   FRA Janis Antiste (on loan from Sassuolo) 29 DF   CRO Marko Pajač (on loan from Genoa) 30 MF   ITA Antonio Vergara (on loan from Napoli) 31 DF   ITA Mario Sampirisi 33 MF   SVN Domen Črnigoj (on loan from Venezia) 42 MF   ITA Alessandro Bianco (on loan from Fiorentina) 72 MF   ITA Filippo Melegoni (on loan from Genoa) 77 MF   ALB Elvis Kabashi 78 MF   ITA Bryan Blanco 80 MF   SUI Natan Girma 90 MF   ITA Manolo Portanova (on loan from Genoa) — FW   NGA Orji Okwonkwo (on loan from Bologna)

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF   ITA Diego Stramaccioni (at Juventus Next Gen until 30 June 2024)

Manager	Alessandro Nesta
Assistant Manager	Lorenzo Rubinacci
Assistant Manager	Massimo Lo Monaco
Goalkeeping Coach	Marco Bizzarri
Match Analyst	Vincenzo Varrica

Updated to match played 1 July 2019
Source: Reggio Audace Website

Honorary President and majority shareholder	Romano Amadei
Chairman and CEO	Carmelo Salerno
Vice-President	Giuseppe Fico
Vice-President and Director of Operations	Vittorio Cattani
Director of Football	Roberto Goretti
Head of the Academy	Marco Amaranti
Head of Commercial Area	Luca Tedeschi
General Secretary	Nicola Simonelli
Head of Media and Marketing	Alessandro Marconi
Press Officer	Andrea Montanari
Social Media Manager	Marcello Tosi

Updated to match played 1 July 2019
Source: Reggio Audace Website

The team's most famous coach was Carlo Ancelotti, who coached AC Milan from 2001 to 2009 and then managed Juventus, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli and currently Everton.

• 1919-20:   Severino Taddei
• 1920-22:   Karl Stürmer
• 1922-23:     Felice Romano
• 1923-24:   Karl Stürmer
• 1924-25:   Severino Taddei
• 1925-26:   Ottorino Bojardi
• 1926:   Karl Stürmer
• 1926-28:   Vilmos Zsigsmond
• 1928-29:   Anton Ringer
• 1929-30:   Severino Taddei
• 1930-34:   Regolo Ferretti
• 1934-35:   Mora Maurer
• 1935-37:   Italo Rossi
• 1937-39:   Giuseppe Valenti
• 1939-1942:   János Vanicsek
• 1942:   Luigi Bernardi and William Ruozi
• 1942-43:   Alfredo Mazzoni
• 1943-44:   Regolo Ferretti
• 1945-46:     Felice Romano
• 1946-47:   Bruno Vale
• 1947:   Alcide Violi
• 1947-48:   Angelo Mattea
• 1948-49:   Piero Ferrari
• 1949:   Bruno Arcari
• 1949-52:   Giuseppe Antonini
• 1952:   Vittorio Malagoli
• 1952-53:   Guido Masetti
• 1953-54:   Alcide Violi
• 1954-62:   Luigi Del Grosso
• 1962:   Angelo Piccioli
• 1962-63:   Renato Martini
• 1963:   Vittorio Malagoli
• 1963-64:   Giancarlo Cadé
• 1964-65:   Dino Ballacci
• 1965-70:   Romolo Bizzotto
• 1970-74:   Ezio Galbiati
• 1974:   Giampiero Grevi and Giovanni Galbiati
• 1974-75:   Tito Corsi
• 1975-76:   Carmelo Di Bella
• 1976:   Bruno Giorgi
• 1976-77:   Mario Caciagli
• 1977-79:   Guido Mammi
• 1979-80:   Franco Marini
• 1980-83:   Romano Fogli
• 1983:   Giovan Battista Fabbri
• 1983-84:   Lauro Toneatto
• 1984-86:   Franco Fontana
• 1986:   Giancarlo Cadé
• 1986-88:   Nello Santin
• 1988:   Marino Perani
• 1988-94:   Giuseppe Marchioro
• 1994-95:   Enzo Ferrari
• 1995:   Cesare Vitale
• 1995-96:   Giorgio Ciaschini and Carlo Ancelotti
• 1996:   Adelio Moro and   Mircea Lucescu
• 1996-97:   Francesco Oddo
• 1997-98:   Franco Varrella
• 1998-99:   Attilio Perotti
• 1999:   Franco Varrella
• 1999:   Angelo Gregucci and Fabiano Speggiorin
• 1999-00:   Giorgio Rumignani
• 2000:   Gigi Maifredi
• 2000-01:   Claudio Testoni
• 2001-02:   Salvatore Vullo
• 2002:   Lorenzo Mossini
• 2002-03:   Adriano Cadregari
• 2003-04:   Antonio Sala
• 2004:   Adriano Cadregari
• 2004-05:   Bruno Giordano
• 2005-06:   Luciano Foschi
• 2006-09:   Alessandro Pane
• 2009-10:   Loris Dominissini
• 2010-12:   Amedeo Mangone
• 2012:   Lamberto Zauli and Salvatore Lanna
• 2012-13:   Lamberto Zauli
• 2013:   Luigi Apolloni
• 2013:   Lamberto Zauli
• 2013-14:   Pierfrancesco Battistini
• 2014:   Marcello Montanari
• 2014-16:   Alberto Colombo
• 2016-17:   Leonardo Colucci
• 2017:   Leonardo Menichini
• 2017:   Massimiliano La Rosa and Andrea Tedeschi
• 2017-2018:   Sergio Eberini
• 2018-2019:   Mauro Antonioli
• 2019–2021:   Massimiliano Alvini
• 2021–2023:   Aimo Diana
• 2023–present:   Alessandro Nesta

• 1919-1923:   Giuseppe Cassoli
• 1923-1925:   Vittorino Palazzi Trivelli
• 1925-1928:   Giovanni Bonini
• 1928-1930:   Renato Bertolini
• 1930-1931:   Mario Muzzarini and Franco Fontanili
• 1931-1932:   Enrico Bottazzi
• 1932-1936:   Marcello Bofondi
• 1936-1937:   Giuseppe Pietranera
• 1937-1938:   Eugenio Bolondi
• 1938-1939:   Giovanni Marzi
• 1939-1941:   Giovanni Robba
• 1941-1942:   Alberto Ferrari
• 1942-1943:   Antonio Alessio
• 1943-1945:   Regolo Ferretti
• 1945-1946:   Carlo Visconti and Mario Curti
• 1946-1947:   Carlo Visconti
• 1947-1948:   Mario Dallaglio
• 1948-1951:   Renato Simonini
• 1951-1955:   Enzo Dal Conte
• 1955-1956:   Gianni Landini
• 1956-1965:   Carlo Visconti, Gino Lari and Giorgio Degola
• 1965-1979:   Carlo Visconti
• 1979-1982:   Franco Vacondio
• 1982-1988:   Giovanni Vandelli
• 1988-1993:   Ermete Fiaccadori
• 1993-1994:   Gianfranco Morini
• 1994-1995:   Luciano Fantinel
• 1995-1996:   Loris Fantinel
• 1996-2001:   Luciano Ferrarini
• 2001-2002:   Federico Spallanzani
• 2002-2004:   Chiarino Cimurri
• 2004-2005:   Federico Spallanzani
• 2005-2009:   Vando Veroni
• 2009-2010:   Clarfiorello Fontanesi
• 2010-2015:   Alessandro Barilli
• 2015-2016:   Stefano Compagni
• 2016-2018:     Mike Piazza
• 2018-2020:   Luca Quintavalli
• 2020-present:   Carmelo Salerno

• Serie B
  • Winners (1): 1992–93
• Serie C
  • Winners (7): 1939–40, 1957–58, 1963–64, 1970–71, 1980–81, 1988–89, 2022–23
• Serie C2
  • Winners (1): 2007–08,
• Supercoppa di Serie C2
  • Winners (1): 2008