U.S. Catanzaro
 |
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| Full name | Unione Sportiva Catanzaro 1929 |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Aquile del sud (Southern Eagles) |
| Founded | 1929 1946 (refounded) 2006 (refounded) 2011 (refounded) |
| Ground |
Stadio Nicola Ceravolo, Catanzaro, Italy |
| Capacity | 14,650 |
| Owner | Catanzaro Calcio 2011 S.r.l. |
| Chairman | Giuseppe Cosentino |
| Manager | Alessandro Erra |
| League | Lega Pro/C |
| 2015–16 | Lega Pro/C, 10th |
U.S. Catanzaro 1929 is an Italian football club based in Catanzaro, Calabria.
Their last run in Serie A ended in 1983. Currently it plays in Lega Pro.
The club were founded in 1929 as Catanzarese, then changed their denomination to Unione Sportiva Catanzaro in 1946, shortly after the end of World War II, and in 2006, to Football Club Catanzaro. The team assumed the current title in 2011, following the cancellation of the previous club's registration because of financial troubles.
Catanzaro achieved promotion to Serie B in 1959, and reached the Coppa Italia final in 1966. In 1971, they defeated Bari in a play-off to win promotion to Serie A for the first time.
Catanzaro's inaugural Serie A season saw them struggle and succumb to relegation on the final day with only 3 wins and 15 draws for 21 points. However, their first-ever Serie A win came in Round 16 with a 1–0 win over Juventus. After narrowly missing out on a return to Serie A in 1975, they bounced back in 1976 but once again lasted just one year.
A third promotion in 1978 ushered in the club's golden era with a five-year stay in Serie A. With a team including Claudio Ranieri, Gianni Improta and the iconic Massimo Palanca, Catanzaro managed a highly credible 9th place in 1979. Though they finished 14th and would have been relegated for the following season, they won a reprieve thanks to forced relegations of AC Milan and Lazio. They managed 8th place in 1981 and 7th the following year before a dismal relegation in 1983. Much of the next four years was spent bouncing between Serie B and C1.
Catanzaro emerged as promotion contenders once more in 1988, with the ageless Palanca having returned to the club after a fruitless spell at Napoli. Finishing 5th, they succumbed to successive relegations in 1990 and 1991, staying in Serie C2 until 2003.
In 2005, after two consecutive promotions, Catanzaro returned to Serie B after a 15-year absence. However, after a poor season they ended their Serie B campaign in last place, meaning relegation to Serie C1. Catanzaro would immediately get another chance, the team being reinstated to Serie B due to vacancies related to the exclusion of other teams from Serie B. In its 2005/2006 Serie B campaign, Catanzaro came last again and was relegated to Serie C1; the relegation was followed by financial troubles which led to the federation cancelling the club's registration.
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