U.S. Città di Pontedera

The Unione Sportiva Città di Pontedera is an Italian football club from the small Tuscan town of Pontedera. The history of the association is characterized by a series of ascents and descents, in which the third-highest league level is the highest ever achieved. Since the 2013/14 season, the club plays in the third-highest professional league in Italy, the Lega Pro Prima Divisione. The players are also called Granata according to the team colors dark red and white. U.S. Città di Pontedera is particularly known by their former coach Marcello Lippi, who began his coaching career here.

History

In 1912 the club was founded by students because of football in Italy enjoyed increasing popularity. Became the first president of the journalist and politician Lando Ferretti. The first time you spent in amateur leagues, but celebrated the greatest success of the club in the Coppa Italia, as is 1937/38, failed in the extension of the AS Roma until the second round.

The club took from the season 1948/49, at the Promozione, a forerunner of the later series D, in part. Just one year later, was the rise in the C series, but the leagues were restructured two years later, so that the U.S. Città di Pontedera again took place in the newly formed Quarta series. In this precursor to the Series D remained one until the season 1966/67, when you were first in Girone C and thus rise in the C series. There, however, the team was unable to establish and were referred directly to the last rank, which was equivalent to the re descent.

In the season of 1973/74 it got even worse for the Granata, who descended into the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti, but the direct resurgence managed. The renewed decline from 1979 was followed by the further restructuring of the Italian leagues, so you made ​​the promotion to Serie C2 in the newly created, fünftklassigen Campionato Interregional 1982. There they remained until a short trip to the Serie C1 in 1994/95 by the year 2000.

In the 80 years was the former player Ettore Mannucci, who stood as an active inter alia at Juventus under contract, the build named after him Stadio Ettore Mannucci for the club. This will hold approximately 5,000 spectators.

Also in the 80 's, the team celebrated a major trophy success, as the English- Italian you could win Cup against AS Livorno 1985. This success could almost repeat, as they lost in the final Piacenza Calcio, the club the following year. After relegation in 2000, the league system was changed again, so the competition was greater there and the U.S. Città di Pontedera was passed directly into the Sechstklassigkeit.

It was only in 2005, managed to re- promotion to the top amateur league and played in the 2010/11 season even with the ascension failed in the play-off but in the third round. A year later, however, on the 100th anniversary club, finally reached the summit in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione the by the 1st place in Girone E. achievement in the 2012/13 season the club was relegated for the second time in a row and returned by first time back in the now under the name of Lega Pro Prima Divisione functioning third highest league for almost 20 years.

Larger It became famous club in Italy by Marcello Lippi, who began his successful coaching career in the small Tuscan town club in the 1985/86 season.

League membership

* Due to the restructuring of the transition to the Fünftklassigkeit was not sporting descent, but a downgrade by the association.

Achievements

• English- Italian Cup: 1985 ( Finalist 1986)
• First place in the Serie D Girone own: 1966/67 and 1981/82

Well-known former players and coaches

• Giuseppe Baldini ( -1939 ), later et al Inter Milan and Genoa
• Alberto Bertuccelli (1942-1945), and later, among others Fiorentina and Sampdoria
• Ettore Mannucci (1949-1950), and later, among others Juventus
• Alfredo Aglietti (1993-1994), and later, among others SSC Napoli and Chievo Verona
• Giulio Drago (1993-1994 and 1995-1999) earlier among other Juventus and FC Empoli

• Marcello Lippi (1985-1986), and later, among others Coach of Juventus, Inter Milan and the Italian national team