S.P.A.L.

SPAL

Full name	Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor S.p.A.
Nickname(s)	Gli Spallini I Biancazzurri (The White and Blues)[1] Gli Estensi (The House of Este)
Founded	1907; 114 years ago (1907) (as "Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor") 2005; 16 years ago (2005) (refounded) 2012; 9 years ago (2012) (refounded)
Ground	Stadio Paolo Mazza, Ferrara, Italy
Capacity	16,134
Chairman	Joe Tacopina
Head coach	Pep Clotet
League	Serie B
2020–21	Serie B, 9th of 20
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor, commonly known as S.P.A.L. (Italian pronunciation: [spal]), is a professional football club based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The team plays in Serie B, the second tier of the Italian football league system.

Founded in 1907, since 1928 they have played their home matches at Stadio Paolo Mazza, named after Paolo Mazza (chairman of the club 1946–1977).

In total, SPAL have participated in 24 top-tier, 27 second-tier, 41 third-tier, 7 fourth-tier and 1 fifth-tier league seasons. The club's best finish was when they came fifth in the 1959–60 Serie A; they also reached the 1961–62 Coppa Italia final.

The club is chaired by the American Joe Tacopina, the current manager is the Spanish Pep Clotet.

History[]

From foundation to World War II[]

The club was founded in March 1907 as Circolo Ars et Labor (latin for Art and Work Club) by the Salesian priest Pietro Acerbis. In the early stages, it was mainly a cultural and religious association, then in 1913 it became a multi-sports company, taking the name of Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor (SPAL). The team began its professional activity under the aegis of the Italian Football Federation (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio) in 1919, competing in the second-tier tournament.

SPAL played in the top flight league from 1920 to 1925, reaching the qualification playoff for the National Finals in 1921–22. From 1925 until the Second World War, they played in Serie B and Serie C: in this period, the club's all-time top striker Mario Romani scored 130 goals in 189 games during two different periods with the white-blues (1925–32 and 1937–38).

Between 1939 and 1943 the club temporarily changed its name to A.C. Ferrara, wearing the black and white colours of the city. After the suspension of the championships due to war, in 1945 the club returned to the name SPAL and to the light blue and white kits.

The golden period in Serie A[]

In 1946 Paolo Mazza became chairman of the club. After five consecutive seasons in Serie B, SPAL won promotion to Serie A after finishing the championship first in 1950–51. The white-blues subsequently stayed in the top division for most of the 1950s and 1960s, competing in 16 out of 17 Serie A seasons from 1951 to 1968.

SPAL finished fifth in 1959–60, thus obtaining the best finish in its history. Also, in 1961–62 they played in the Coppa Italia final, losing against Napoli. In the early stages of 1962–63 season, in which the club finished in eighth place, the white and blues managed to reach the top of the league table. During those years, the club was a launchpad for many young players who became stars, among them Fabio Capello.

In 1963–64 they were relegated to Serie B, but they came back to Serie A after only one year, and remained in the top division until 1968. At the end of the last season in the top flight, SPAL won the Cup of Italian-Swiss Friendship.

From 1970s to 21st century[]

During 1970s, 1980s and 1990s SPAL played mostly in Serie B and Serie C/C1.

Paolo Mazza quit the presidency in December 1976 and was replaced by Primo Mazzanti. The former chairman died in December 1981 and three months later Ferrara's Stadio Comunale was named after him.

In 1990, Giovanni Donigaglia became chairman of the club: between 1990 and 1992 SPAL obtained back-to-back promotions from Serie C2 to Serie B, under the management of Giovan Battista Fabbri. Donigaglia left the presidency in 2002 with the squad in Serie C1. He was replaced by Lino di Nardo.

Recent years[]

The club went bankrupt in 2005,^[2] and were reformed as SPAL 1907 S.r.l., under the terms of Article 52 of N.O.I.F..^[3] In the summer of 2012, after suffering a second bankruptcy, the club was refounded for the second time as Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Real SPAL and would begin life in Serie D^[4] again under Article 52 of N.O.I.F..^[5]

At the end of the 2012–13 season the club took back its original name. Giacomense, a club founded in 1967 at Masi San Giacomo, a frazione of Masi Torello, had moved to the city of Ferrara; on 12 July 2013, owner Roberto Benasciutti made a deal with the Colombarini family for a merger between SPAL and Giacomense, with the latter giving its sports title to SPAL and continuing to play in Ferrara. The club changed its name to S.P.A.L. 2013, in order to continue the football history of SPAL. They finished the 2013–14 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione season in sixth place, thus qualifying for the inaugural unified 2014–15 Lega Pro season.

In 2015–16, the squad won promotion to Serie B for the first time since the 1992–93 season, after finishing first in group B of the Lega Pro. The following year they came first in Serie B, thus obtaining promotion to Serie A after a 49-year absence.^[6] In their first season back in Serie A, SPAL avoided relegation by finishing in 17th place.^[7] At the end of the 2018–19 season they confirmed their presence in the top flight for a third consecutive year, finishing 13th. The club had mixed fortunes in the 2019–2020 season and, after gaining just 15 points in 23 games, coach Leonardo Semplici was dismissed in February 2020, replaced by Luigi Di Biagio.^[8] SPAL were relegated to Serie B, finishing in last place with 20 points. The club reached the 2020–21 Coppa Italia quarter-finals, becoming the only team from Serie B to advance to that stage in the competition.

Colours, badge and nicknames[]

The team's colours are light blue and white, which derive from the Salesians' emblem. The home kit, since 1962, has been composed of a vertical striped light blue-white shirt, white trainers and white socks. The only exception to light blue and white was when the club adopted a black and white kit between 1939 and 1943 (when it was named A.C. Ferrara), in honour of Ferrara's civic colours.

Currently the badge features an oval-shaped light blue escutcheon, with a white band in the upper section, on which is written the acronym S.P.A.L. in golden characters. Also, in the lower section, the black and white emblem of the city is featured. From 1980 until mid-1990s the official badge featured a fawn, another symbol of the club.

SPAL's most common nicknames are Biancazzurri (from the club colours, light blue and white) and Estensi (from the House of Este, ancient European noble dynasty that ruled Ferrara from 1240 to 1597).

Stadium[]

• Campo di Piazza d'Armi (1919–28)
• Stadio Paolo Mazza (1928–)

The current home ground of SPAL is the 16,134 seater Stadio Paolo Mazza. The stadium was opened in September 1928 as Stadio Comunale, then took on its current name in February 1982, in honour of the former president of the club Paolo Mazza, who died two months earlier.

Initially it had a capacity of 4,000. Then, in concomitance with the promotion of SPAL to Serie A, in 1951 it was subjected to a heavy restructuring that brought capacity to 25,000. Between 1960s and 1980s it was renovated again, reducing the number of possible spectators to 22,000 until the mid-2000s.

From 2005 to 2016 the capacity was limited to 7,500 due to safety reasons and cost containment. In 2016–17, after the club's promotion to Serie B and then to Serie A, the stadium was restructured again to match the modern needs of comfort and safety. In the summer of 2018 a further remodeling took place, in order to bring the stadium capacity from 13,135 seats to 16,134.^[9]

Sponsors[]

Players[]

Current squad[]

As of 19 November 2021^[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ITA Alberto Pomini 3 DF  ITA Alessandro Tripaldelli (on loan from Cagliari) 4 MF  MAR Ayoub Abou 5 MF  ITA Salvatore Esposito 7 MF  ITA Giovanni Crociata (on loan from Empoli) 8 MF  ITA Marco Mancosu 9 FW  ITA Lorenzo Colombo (on loan from Milan) 11 FW  ITA Federico Melchiorri (on loan from Perugia) 14 MF  ARG Franco Zuculini 17 DF  ITA Elio Capradossi (on loan from Spezia) 19 MF  ITA Luca Mora 20 FW  ISL Mikael Egill Ellertsson (on loan from Spezia) 21 FW  SEN Demba Seck 22 GK  SEN Demba Thiam 23 DF  ITA Francesco Vicari (captain)

No. Pos. Nation Player 24 DF  ITA Lorenzo Dickmann 25 DF  ITA Riccardo Spaltro 29 DF  POL Patryk Peda 33 DF  ITA Luca Coccolo (on loan from Juventus) 40 MF  ITA Jacopo Da Riva (on loan from Atalanta) 49 FW  ITA Giuseppe Rossi 77 MF  ITA Federico Viviani 87 DF  CZE David Heidenreich (on loan from Atalanta) 90 GK  ITA Andrea Seculin 91 DF  ITA Raffaele Celia 95 DF  GER Steven Nador 97 FW  ITA Ludovico D'Orazio 98 FW  ITA Kevin Piscopo (on loan from Empoli) 99 FW  CIV Emmanuel Latte Lath (on loan from Atalanta)

Out on loan[]

As of 31 August 2021

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  ITA Marco Meneghetti (at Gubbio) — GK  ITA Cesare Galeotti (at Pergolettese) — DF  POL Jakub Iskra (at Śląsk Wrocław) — DF  ITA Moustapha Yabre (at Cesena) — MF  ITA Emmanuel Cuomo (at Nocerina)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  ITA Federico Zanchetta (at Lucchese) — MF  EST Georgi Tunjov (at Carrarese) — MF  ITA Alessandro Murgia (at Perugia) — MF  ITA Mattia Valoti (at Monza, obligation to buy) — FW  ITA Federico Di Francesco (at Empoli, right to buy)

Notable former players[]

Captains[]

Below a chronological list of SPAL captains since 1950.

Technical staff[]

Position	Staff
Head of technical staff	Massimo Tarantino
Sporting director	Giorgio Zamuner
Sporting director assistant	Ivone De Franceschi
Head coach	Pep Clotet
Vice coach	Francisco Javier Bernal
Technical assistant	José Alberto Escobar
Technical assistant	Fabrizio Franceschetti
Fitness coach	Emanuele Tononi
Goalkeeping coach	Cristiano Scalabrelli
Injury recovery	Carlo Voltolini
Team manager	Alessandro Andreini
Head of medical staff	Raffaella Giagnorio
Team doctor	Francesco Palummieri
Physiotherapist	Daniele Zannini
Physiotherapist	Matteo Evangelisti
Physiotherapist	Piero Bortolin
Physiotherapist	Vittorio Bronzi

Chairmen history[]

SPAL have had several presidents (chairmen) (Italian: presidenti, lit. 'presidents' or Italian: presidenti del consiglio di amministrazione, lit. 'chairmen of the board of directors') over the course of their history. Some of them have been the main shareholder of the club. The longest-serving chairman is Paolo Mazza.

Managerial history[]

SPAL have had many managers and head coaches throughout their history, below is a chronological list of them.

Name Nationality Years Carlo Marchiandi 1919–22 Armand Halmos 1922–23 Giuseppe Ticozzelli 1923–24 Walter Alt 1924–27 Carlo Osti Carlo Marchiandi 1927–28 Béla Károly 1928–29 György Hlavay 1929–31 Francesco Mattuteia Adolf Mora Murer 1931–32 Walter Alt 1933–34 Mihály Balacics 1934–35 György Hlavay Guido Testolina 1935–36 Paolo Mazza 1936–37 Euro Riparbelli 1937–39 Paolo Mazza 1939–42 Giorgio Armari Bruno Maini 1942–43 József Viola July 1945 – June 1946 Guido Testolina July 1946 – June 1947 Giuseppe Marchi July 1947 – June 1948 Bruno Vale July 1948 – June 1949 Antonio Janni July 1949 – June 1954 Bruno Biagini July 1954 – June 1955 Fioravante Baldi July 1955 – June 1956 Paolo Tabanelli July 1956 – June 1958 Fioravante Baldi July 1958 – April 1960 Serafino Montanari April 1960 – June 1960 Luigi Ferrero July 1960 – September 1961 Serafino Montanari September 1961 – April 1963 Aurelio Marchese April 1963 – June 1963 Giacomo Blason July 1963 – April 1964 Giovan Battista Fabbri April 1964 – November 1964 Francesco Petagna November 1964 – October 1968 Serafino Montanari October 1968 – May 1969 Giovan Battista Fabbri May 1969 – October 1969 Tito Corsi October 1969 – June 1970 Cesare Meucci July 1970 – June 1972 Eugenio Fantini July 1972 – October 1972 Mario Caciagli October 1972 – January 1975 Guido Capello January 1975 – June 1975 Francesco Petagna July 1975 – December 1975 Umberto Pinardi December 1975 – February 1976 Guido Capello February 1976 – November 1976 Giovanni Ballico November 1976 – December 1976 Ottavio Bugatti December 1976 – February 1977 Luis Suárez February 1977 – June 1977 Mario Caciagli July 1977 – June 1980 Battista Rota July 1980 – March 1982

Name Nationality Years Ugo Tomeazzi March 1982 – June 1982 Gaetano Salvemini July 1982 – December 1982 Giovanni Seghedoni December 1982 – June 1983 Giovanni Galeone July 1983 – October 1984 Giancarlo Danova October 1984 – December 1984 Giovanni Galeone December 1984 – June 1986 Ferruccio Mazzola July 1986 – June 1987 Giancarlo Cella July 1987 – November 1987 Giovan Battista Fabbri November 1987 – June 1988 Giorgio Veneri July 1988 – December 1988 Francesco Paolo Specchia December 1988 – June 1989 Luciano Magistrelli July 1989 – January 1990 Nello Santin January 1990 – June 1990 Paolo Lombardo July 1990 – February 1991 Giovan Battista Fabbri February 1991 – October 1992 Rino Marchesi October 1992 – April 1993 Giovan Battista Fabbri April 1993 – June 1993 Gian Cesare Discepoli July 1993 – January 1995 Vincenzo Guerini January 1995 – September 1995 Salvatore Bianchetti September 1995 – February 1997 Alfredo Magni February 1997 – June 1997 Gianni De Biasi July 1997 – June 1999 Giancarlo D'Astoli July 1999 – June 2000 Alessandro Scanziani July 2000 – November 2000 Mauro Melotti November 2000 – November 2001 Fabio Perinelli November 2001 – March 2002 Mauro Melotti March 2002 – June 2002 Walter De Vecchi July 2002 – October 2002 Giuliano Sonzogni October 2002 – October 2003 Gian Cesare Discepoli October 2003 – June 2004 Massimiliano Allegri July 2004 – June 2005 Paolo Beruatto July 2005 – February 2006 Walter Nicoletti February 2006 – June 2006 Leonardo Rossi July 2006 – June 2007 Francesco Buglio July 2007 – February 2008 Roberto Labardi February 2008 Angelo Alessio February 2008 – June 2008 Aldo Dolcetti July 2008 – November 2009 Egidio Notaristefano November 2009 – February 2011 Gian Marco Remondina February 2011 – June 2011 Stefano Vecchi July 2011 – June 2012 David Sassarini July 2012 – June 2013 Leonardo Rossi July 2013 – October 2013 Massimo Gadda October 2013 – June 2014 Oscar Brevi July 2014 – December 2014 Leonardo Semplici December 2014 – February 2020 Luigi Di Biagio February 2020 – August 2020 Pasquale Marino August 2020 – March 2021 Massimo Rastelli March 2021 – June 2021 Pep Clotet July 2021 –

Honours[]

Domestic[]

League titles[]

• Serie B
  • Winners (2): 1950–51, 2016–17
• Serie C / Serie C1 / Lega Pro
  • Winners (5): 1937–38, 1972–73, 1977–78, 1991–92, 2015–16
  • Runners-up (5): 1941–42, 1942–43, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1995–96
• Serie C2
  • Winners (1): 1997–98
  • Runners-up (1): 1990–91

Cups[]

• Coppa Italia
  • Runners-up (1): 1961–62
• Coppa Italia Serie C
  • Winners (1): 1998–99
  • Runners-up (1): 1988–89
• Supercoppa di Serie C / Lega Pro
  • Winners (1): 2016

European[]

• Cup of Italian-Swiss Friendship
  • Winners (1): 1968

Youth[]

• Campionato Primavera B
  • Winners (1): 1964–65

Divisional movements[]

League	Series	Years	First	Last	Best result	Promotions	Relegations
A	Serie A / Prima Divisione / Divisione Nazionale	24	1920–21	2019–20	5th (1960)	-	4 (1925, 1964, 1968, 2020)
B	Serie B / Seconda Divisione / Prima Divisione	27	1925–26	2021–22	Winner (1951, 2017)	3 (1951, 1965, 2017)	7 (1928, 1936, 1939, 1969, 1977, 1982, 1993)
C1	Serie C / Serie C1 / Prima Divisione / Lega Pro 1	41	1929–30	2015–16	Winner (1938, 1973, 1978, 1992, 2016)	7 (1933, 1938, 1946, 1973, 1978, 1992, 2016)	4 (1989, 1997, 2005✟, 2012✟)
C2	Serie C2 / Lega Pro 2	7	1989–90	2013–14	Winner (1998)	4 (1991, 1998, 2008, 2014)	1 (2012✟)
D	Serie D	1	2012–13	2012–13	7th (2013)	1 (2013)	-

89 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929

✟= Relegation due to bankruptcy.

References[]

External links[]

• Official Site