S.S. Città di Campobasso
| Full name | Società Sportiva Città di Campobasso | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Lupi (Wolves) Rossoblu (Red and Blues) | |||
| Founded | 1919 2003 (refounded) 2013 (refounded) | |||
| Ground | Stadio Nuovo Romagnoli, Campobasso, Italy | |||
| Capacity | 25,000 | |||
| Owner | Halley Holding / North Sixth Group | |||
| Chairman | Mario Gesuè | |||
| Manager | Mirko Cudini | |||
| League | Serie C | |||
| 2021-22 | Group C (9th of 20) | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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Società Sportiva Città di Campobasso, commonly referred to as Campobasso, is a professional Italian football club located in Campobasso, Molise, currently playing in Serie C. Originally founded in 1919, the club was refounded in 2013.
The current club was refounded in 2013 to represent the city of Campobasso after the cancellation of Polisportiva Nuovo Campobasso Calcio. The nickname of the club is lupi (Italian for "wolves") after the official and historical club logo. The team plays their home matches at Stadio Nuovo Romagnoli, located just outside the city of Campobasso in Molise.
The club played five seasons in Serie B from 1982 to 1987, which constitutes the pinnacle of their history. The best result achieved in the second tier was a seventh place finish. Their biggest achievement during this period was arguably a 1-0 win over Juventus F.C. in the first leg of a Coppa Italia match.
Campobasso has played in Serie D since 2014. The club achieved promotion to Serie C after finishing 1st in Group F during the 2020-21 Serie D season.
History[]
Origin[]
The original name of the club was US Campobasso 1919. In fact, the first traces of the club date back to 1917, the year in which a match report was published in a local newspaper called “Il Foglietto”. The first competitions that were played by the club were primarily tournaments throughout the second and third divisions, while the first time the club won an official competition took place in the 1933–34 season. This was a tournament of the second division and the Wolves beat Frosinone to capture the title.
Serie C in the Post-World War Era[]
After the interruption to all football leagues as a result of World War II, Campobasso Calcio resumed play in 1952 in the fourth division of Italian football. Mid-way through the 1950s, Campobasso mayor Alessandro De Gaglia became president of the club. In 1970, the rossoblu returned to compete in the Promozione Campana division, and finally reconquered a promotion to Serie D in 1972. Three years after that, the Wolves achieved an historic promotion to Serie C, where they put together a string of three consecutive competitive seasons in the third division in Italy's professional ranks.
The 1980s and Serie B[]
The highest point in the history of Campobasso came in the 1980s under legendary president Antonio Molinari. The club achieved promotion to Serie B, the second highest division of Italian football. They would remain in Serie B for five seasons beginning in 1982-83 and ending in 1986–87. The club's final season in Serie B was marked by a hard-fought relegation playoff against Taranto and Lazio. During these years, Campobasso's new stadium, the Stadio Romagnoli was built. The stadium opened its gates for the first time in an historic match where Campobasso faced legendary club Juventus in the Coppa Italia. Campobasso beat Juventus in the match 1–0 in front of a sold-out Stadio Romagnoli that far exceeded its current capacity of 25,000 people.
The Fall and Rebirth of Campobasso Calcio[]
Following the club's relegation from Serie B, Campobasso finished in fourth place in Serie C1 during the 1986–87 season. The following year the club lost to Monopoli in the relegation playoffs, which dropped them down to Serie C2. The string of misfortunes continued for Campobasso, as they finished 18th in Serie C2 in the following season, and the club ultimately went bankrupt.
Thanks to the passion of fans and local business people Carlo and Gino Scasserra, a new club was born, called Football Campobasso. The new club eventually achieved a promotion to Serie D, and in 1995, they were purchased by Giovanni di Stefano until another bankruptcy forced them into trouble once again in 1996.
However, the misfortunes didn't last long. Almost immediately following the bankruptcy of 1996, the club was reborn under the name AC Campobasso led by Adelmo Berardo. The club restarted from the lower leagues of Italian football, and eventually reconquered a promotion to Serie C2 in 2000. The first season in Serie C2 saw the Wolves finish atop the league table in second place. They lost in the playoff semifinals against Sora, and then finished a disappointing 18th in the table the following season, which forced the club into bankruptcy for the third time in the decade.
After a year without any official team in the city, a new club was founded under the name Nuovo Campobasso, by three presidents: Luigi Iacampo, Paolo Rizzi and Claudio Palladino. With this trio, Campobasso successfully returned to play in Serie D in 2005.
In the following years Campanian-based businessman Ferruccio Capone bought the club and successfully helped them achieve a promotion to Serie C2 once again in 2010. After three seasons in the professional ranks of Serie C2 a fourth and final bankruptcy crippled the club. The exact date was June 4, 2013, which changed the history of Campobasso Calcio forever.
Public Funding and the Birth of SS Città di Campobasso[]
A group of fans formed an initiative called “We are Campobasso”, led by president Giulio Perrucci. Along with local business people and fundraising from fans, US Campobasso 1919 was born. It was a challenging road to recovery for the club, as they were forced to restart from the regional divisions in Italy. The first season under the new management saw Campobasso go undefeated in league and cup play, winning a trio of trophies – the league title, the regional cup and the Italian national amateur cup, which they captured in Florence against Ponsacco. In July 2017, after a challenging summer where the club was facing financial difficulties, Campobasso was finally rescued by the De Lucia family that was able to keep the team in Serie D for the following season.
The Present[]
July 25, 2018 began the new era of Campobasso Calcio. Businessman Nicola Circelli purchased a majority interest in the club alongside a group of Italian financiers with interests in England and Switzerland led by current club president Mario Gesuè. On July 5, 2019, Swiss-based hedge fund Halley Holding, which is run by Gesuè, acquired 100 percent control of the club and provided an historic capital infusion and investment with the goal of building the club to compete in Italy's highest divisions.
Within two years of the initial investment, Gesuè and Halley Holding have brought the club back stronger than ever before. The club's valuation has increased by 50 percent as a result of increased ticket sales, merchandising and e-commerce revenues, and significant investments to expand the club's global reach and fanbase. Under Gesuè's leadership, the club has developed one of the most successful youth systems in central and southern Italy and has competed at the top of the table each season.
In December 2020, New York-based family office holding company North Sixth Group acquired a significant interest in the club from Halley Holding. In addition to capital contributions, North Sixth Group will support the club's global expansion, brand image and investor reach. As of 2021, North Sixth Group and Halley Holding hold a 100 percent ownership stake in the club.
The club achieved promotion to Serie C on June 13, 2021 with a 2-1 win over Rieti.
Colors and badge[]
The official home colours are red and blue. The home kit usually features red and blue stripes. The official away colours are white, red and blue. Their kit manufacturer is the Italian sportswear supplier Erreà.
The clubs badge features the coat of arms of Campobasso on a field of red and blue vertical stripes. Above are the words ‘Città di Campobasso’ (City of Campobasso) and below is the year 1919, when the club was originally founded.
Stadium[]
The club play their home matches at the Stadio Nuovo Romagnoli, located in Campobasso, Molise.
The stadium was designed by architect Costantino Rozzi. Construction began in 1983 and the stadium opened on February 13, 1985 when Campobasso defeated Juventus F.C. 1-0 in a Coppa Italia match.
The stadium is owned by the city of Campobasso. The pitch surface is grass and it has a capacity of 21,800.
Current squad[]
- As of 19 October 2021[1]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan[]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Youth System[]
After Halley Holding took control of the club it saw a major investment to its youth system. Mario Gesuè, who runs Halley Holding, is also the president of S.S. Campobasso. Under Gesuè’s leadership, the club has developed one of the most successful youth systems in southern Italy.
Honours[]
- Coppa Italia Dilettanti:
- Champion : 2013–14
References[]
- ^ "Prima squadra". S.S. Città di Campobasso (in Italian). Retrieved 4 August 2021.
External links[]
- (in Italian) Official homepage
- Football clubs in Italy
- Football clubs in Molise
- Campobasso
- Association football clubs established in 1919
- Serie B clubs
- Serie C clubs
- 1919 establishments in Italy