AC Reggiana 1919

Association football club in Italy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.