San Frediano Rondinella SS

Italian football club

San Frediano Rondinella Società Sportiva S. S. D. R. L. (usually known simply as Rondinella) is an Italian association football club based in Florence (Italy).

Founded in 1946 as Rondinella Firenze in a restaurant in the district of San Frediano (in Florence) and from the very beginning it has won the title of the Florentine "first alternative" to the more famous and glamorous Fiorentina or la Viola as they are known in the Tuscan capital. In 1953 the municipal administration assigned the Torrino di Santa Rosa as its registered office to Rondinella, a medieval stone building on the banks of the Arno, almost a monument to Florence. The first president was Luigi Mochi, but among the founders there was also Brunetto Vannacci, who later became president himself and who still acts as honorary president. By 1953 the club had progressed to the Promozione division and however 'i rossoneri' still hadn't established a permanent home ground. 1957 brought about a further promotion into Serie D which saw them face some of the best known Tuscan teams for the first time, such as Empoli, Pisa and U. S. Pistoiese. In 1963 they merged with Marzocco assuming the name of Rondinella Marzocco Firenze or R. M. Firenze. A name they kept until 1997, when Rondinella merged with Impruneta Calcio, another semi professional soccer team in Florence, and thus became known as Rondinella Impruneta. In 1979, Rondinella Marzocco Firenze finally established a permanent residence, moving into the Stadio Comunale delle Due Strade, where they continued to play to this day. In the 1981–82 season, saw the achievement of a promotion to Serie C1. Following relegation in the 1985 86 Season, the team from Florence has become a yo yo team, bouncing between Serie C2, Serie D and Eccelenza during which time has seen the mergers and club name changes. Firstly in the early 1990s, brought about second merger, this time with Sports Association Impruneta Tavarnuzze, also leading to renaming the club to Rondinella Impruneta 1990. A little over 15 years in the Serie C2 (last appearance being 2002), Serie D and Eccelenza divisions, the Florentine club found itself back in Promozione after two consecutive relegations from Serie D and Eccelenza, at the start of the 2007–2008 season. At which time the club reverted its name back to Rondinella Calcio Firenze. In May 2009, Rondinella Calcio SRL, the club's holding/ownership company started bankruptcy proceedings due to high debt exposure and, after three seasons in the Tuscany Promozione Division and on 24 July 2012 the company was declared bankrupt. A week later, thanks to a group of supporters belonging to the "Vecchia Guardia" (Old Guards) and the group World of Florentine Football, a phoenix club was born named Vecchia Guardia Rondinella Marzocco. Restarting the 2012–2013 season from the third tier of the provincial leagues of the Third Category, which resulted in a promotion. Anyone who may wonder about the origins of the name "Rondinella" will be pleasantly surprised by this anecdote. The founders, in fact, did not know which name to give to the team. On the walls of the bar in which the club was formed, as a probable residue of a carnival party, some paper swallows were still glued; thus the idea of adopting the name Rondinella was born. The name Rondinella comes from the Italian word rondine (swallow), and their logo represents this. Rondinella has a union with the Ponte a Greve youth academy which is a local association which encourages sports participation.