Mazara Calcio A.S.D.
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| Full name | Mazara Calcio Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica |
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| Nickname(s) |
I Gialloblù (The Yellow-and-Blues) I Canarini (The Canaries) |
| Founded | 1946 (U.S. Mazara) 1996 (merger) |
| Ground | Stadio Nino Vaccara, Mazara del Vallo, Italy |
| Capacity | 3,266 |
| Chairman | Filippo Franzone |
| Head coach | Giacomo Modica |
| League | Eccellenza Sicily |
| 2015–16 | Eccellenza Sicily, 7th |
Mazara Calcio A.S.D., formerly Gruppo Sportivo Mazara 1946, is an Italian football team from Mazara del Vallo, Sicily. They currently play in Eccellenza Sicily.
First traces about football in Mazara are dated 1946. However, a team to represent the city of Mazara del Vallo, Unione Sportiva Mazara, was founded only in 1957–1958, and took initially part in the Promozione league. Mazara played Serie D in 1960–1961, but were relegated three years later. Successively, Mazara played a one-year Serie D stint in 1971–1972 before finally returning to play in the then-fourth highest national division in 1976–1977, after winning 1–0 a promotion playoff to Canicattì. The single playoff match, played at Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, featured an attendance of 12,000, the majority being Mazara supporters. Following this promotion, the club played Serie D for 19 consecutive seasons.
During the 1980s and the early 1990s, Mazara often shown itself as serious candidate to win the Serie D league, but always missing their goal. In 1985 Mazara, under coach Ignazio Arcoleo, won Serie D gaining a potentially historical first Serie C2 promotion; however, this was then cancelled by the Football Federation because of alleged matchfixing, with bitter rivals Trapani being promoted at canarini's place. Successively, Mazara narrowly missed promotion on several occasions: the club placed second in 1988–1989, just one point behind winners Acireale; in 1990–1991, third behind Gangi (who then lost playoff to Matera); in 1993–1994, seventh-placed after having led the table for almost the whole first half of the season.
After nineteen Serie D seasons, in 1994–1995 Mazara, under serious financial troubles, were relegated to Eccellenza, where another local team, S.C. Mazara 2000, was already playing. Mazara 2000 was a minor, young team who quickly climbed the football pyramid up to Eccellenza, whereas US Mazara appeared to be an old team under decline. Both teams played Eccellenza in 1995–1996, challenging each other in a new, yet somewhat strange, local derby. US Mazara classified fourth in the end, whereas Mazara 2000 obtained a good seventh place. US Mazara, who was under growing economic difficulties, agreed for a merge with Mazara 2000, and Gruppo Sportivo Mazara 1946 (Mazara 1946 Sports Group) were founded.
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