# AC Reggiana 1919

Associazione Calcio Reggiana, commonly referred to as Reggiana, is a professional football club based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. 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.
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.

## History
### 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 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.

## Colors and badges

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.

## Stadium

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.

## Fans

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.
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.

### Friendships and rivalries

Reggiana fans have good and friendly relationships with fans from:
* Genoa (twinned)
* Cremonese (twinned)
* Vicenza (twinned)
* Pisa
* Carrarese
* Greenock Morton (Scottish Championship)
The main rivals are:
* Parma, see Derby dell'Enza
* Modena, Secchia Derby
* Sassuolo, see Mapei Stadium - Città del Tricolore
* SPAL
* Spezia
* Bologna
* Piacenza

## Notable players

Former Reggiana players have included:

### Italy

* Andrea Silenzi
* Paolo Ponzo
* Felice Romano
* Angelo Di Livio
* Fabrizio Ravanelli
* Luca Bucci
* Stefano Torrisi
* Francesco Antonioli
* Angelo Adamo Gregucci
* Filippo Galli
* Alberico Evani
* Luigi Sartor
* Marco Ballotta
* Max Tonetto
* Cristiano Zanetti
* Michele Padovano
* Sandro Tovalieri
* Francesco Pedone
* Fabrizio Cacciatore
* Francesco Ruopolo
* Giuseppe Alessi
* Alessandro Cesarini
* Giuseppe Scienza
* Marco Bresciani
* Giuseppe Accardi
* Fernando De Napoli
* Luigi De Agostini
* Stefano De Agostini
* Stefano Nava
* Massimo Paganin
* Daniele De Vezze
* Marco Romizi
* Raffaele Nuzzo
* Leonardo Colucci
* Andrea Catellani
* Luca Ariatti
* Marco Ambrosio
* Igor Protti
* Alessandro Bastrini
* Massimiliano Carlini
* Trevor Trevisan
* Marco Guidone
* Cristian Altinier
* Vito Grieco
* Andrea Bovo
* Luca Ghiringhelli
* Simone Calvano
* Andrea Parola
* Raffaele Nolè
* Michele Pazienza
* Daniele Mignanelli
* Federico Angiulli
* Paolo Zanetti
* Armando Pantanelli
* Gian Piero Gasperini
* Walter Mazzarri
* Gianluca Piaccitali

### Austria

* Michael Hatz

### Belgium

* Georges Grün

### Brazil

* Cláudio Taffarel
* André Viapiana
* Robert Anderson

### Colombia

* Adolfo Valencia

### Croatia

* Bruno Petković

### Czech Republic

* Edvard Lasota

### Georgia

* Georgi Nemsadze

### Germany

* Dietmar Beiersdorfer

### England

* Franz Carr

### France

* Gaël Genevier

### Montenegro

* Minel Šabotić
* Hasim Đoković

### Nigeria

* Sunday Oliseh
* Obafemi Martins
* Mathew Olorunleke
* Jero Shakpoke
* Prince Ikpe Ekong
* Saidu Adeshina

### Portugal

* Paulo Futre
* António Pacheco
* Rui Águas

### Romania

* Dorin Mateut
* Ioan Sabau
* Vasile Mogoș

### Russia

* Igor Simutenkov

### Spain

* Marti Riverola

### Sweden

* Johnny Ekström

### Venezuela

* Massimo Margiotta

## Youth sector

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:

### Italy

* Gino Giaroli
* Ettore Agazzani
* Stefano Aigotti
* Egidio Anceschi
* Alessio Badari
* Silvio Bandini
* Aldo Bedogni
* Oreste Benatti
* Carlo Benelli
* Roberto Benincasa
* Andrea Costa
* Mohammed Chakir
* Simone Gozzi
* Danilo Zini
* Luca Ariatti
* Elvis Abbruscato
* Christian Araboni
* Alessandro Bertoni
* Leonida Bietti
* Ottorino Bojardi
* Leopoldo Bolognesi
* Alberto Boni
* Fabio Bonini
* Enrico Bottazzi
* Denis Brunazzi
* Aldo Cagnoli
* Giovanni Campari
* Fabio Caselli
* Ilario Castagner
* Aldo Catalani
* Andrea Catellani
* Maurizio Cavazzoni
* Gianluca Cherubini
* Zucchero Fornaciari (after quitting football, he became a notorious singer)
* Dino Galparoli
* Lorenzo Mossini
* Paolo Mozzini
* Erik Panizzi
* Armando Pantanelli
* Jacopo Pellegrini
* Gabriele Piccinini
* Ayman Sanat
* Max Tonetto

### Gabon

* Catilina Aubameyang

### Ghana

* Boadu Maxwell Acosty

### Morocco

* Hachim Mastour

### Nigeria

* Saidu Adeshina
* Stephen Makinwa
* Obafemi Martins
* Benjamin Onwuachi

## Players
### Current squad

    As of 4 February 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ITA | Edoardo Motta |
| 3 | DF | URU | Joaquín Sosa (on loan from Bologna) |
| 4 | DF | ITA | Paolo Rozzio (captain) |
| 5 | MF | ITA | Alessandro Sersanti (on loan from Juventus) |
| 6 | MF | SVN | Leo Štulac (on loan from Palermo) |
| 7 | FW | ITA | Manuel Marras |
| 8 | MF | ITA | Luca Cigarini |
| 10 | FW | ITA | Luca Vido |
| 11 | FW | CIV | Cedric Gondo |
| 13 | DF | ITA | Andrea Meroni |
| 14 | MF | NGA | Nuhu Shaibu |
| 15 | DF | ITA | Riccardo Fiamozzi |
| 16 | MF | ARG | Tobías Reinhart |
| 17 | DF | ITA | Lorenzo Libutti |
| 22 | GK | ITA | Francesco Bardi |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 23 | FW | ITA | Stefano Pettinari |
| 25 | MF | ITA | Lorenzo Ignacchiti (on loan from Empoli) |
| 27 | FW | ITA | Matteo Maggio |
| 29 | MF | DEN | Oliver Urso |
| 30 | MF | ITA | Antonio Vergara (on loan from Napoli) |
| 31 | DF | ITA | Mario Sampirisi |
| 44 | DF | ITA | Lorenzo Lucchesi (on loan from Venezia) |
| 55 | MF | ITA | Justin Kumi (on loan from Sassuolo) |
| 77 | MF | ALB | Elvis Kabashi |
| 80 | FW | SUI | Natan Girma |
| 87 | DF | FRA | Yannis Nahounou |
| 90 | MF | ITA | Manolo Portanova (on loan from Genoa) |
| 99 | GK | ITA | Alex Sposito |
| — | DF | CRO | Filip Brekalo |

### Reggiana 1919 Primavera

    As of 19 January 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 12 | GK | ITA | Matteo Donelli |
| 19 | GK | NGA | Simon Esosa Aibangbee |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 47 | MF | ITA | Filippo Tessitori |
| 97 | MF | ITA | Osmane Camara |

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ITA | Giacomo Cavallini (at Lecco until 30 June 2025) |
| — | DF | ITA | Diego Stramaccioni (at Gubbio until 30 June 2025) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ITA | Alessandro Fontanarosa (at Carrarese until 30 June 2025) |
| — | FW | POR | Muhamed Varela Djamanca (at Torres until 30 June 2025) |

## Coaching Staff

| Manager | William Viali |
| Assistant manager | Massimiliano Guidetti |
| Technical coach | Simone Baroncelli |
| Match analyst | Vincenzo Perri |
| Fitness coach | Giacomo Ceci |
| Assistant fitness coach | Mattia Fantuzzi |
| Fitness trainer technical assistant | Alessandro Spaggiari |
| Goalkeeping coach | Marco Bizzarri |
| Team manager | Michele Malpeli |
| Head of medical staff | Dott. Stefano Bondi |
| Club doctor | Dott. Massimiliano Manzotti |
| Physiotherapist | Remigio Del Sole Filippo Torricelli Gabriele Di Paola |
| Kit manager | Matteo Ferri |
Updated to match played 1 July 2024 Source: AC Reggiana Website

## Backdoor and directors staff

| 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 | Marcello Pizzimenti |
| Head of the Academy | Pietro Lodi |
| 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

## Managers

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, Everton before returning to Real Madrid.
* 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
* 2023–2024: Alessandro Nesta
* 2024–present: William Viali

## Chairmen

* 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

## Honours

* 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

## Divisional movements

| Series | Years | Last | Promotions | Relegations |
| A | 3 | 1996–97 | – | 4 (1926, 1929, 1995, 1997) |
| B | 34 | 2023–24 | 4 (1924, 1927, 1993, 1996) | 8 (1930, 1942, 1952, 1962, 1970, 1976, 1983, 1999, 2021) |
| C +C2 | 47 +3 | 2022–23 | 9 (1940, 1946, 1958, 1964, 1971, 1981, 1989, 2020, 2023) 1 (2008 C2) | 3 (1953, 2005✟, 2018✟) |
| 86 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929 |||||
| D | 4 | 2018–19 | 2 (1956, 2019) | never |