Football Club Trapani 1905, commonly referred to as Trapani, is an

Italian football Football ( it, calcio ) is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italy national football team is considered to be one of the best national teams in the world. They have won the FIFA World Cup four times (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), trailing only Bra ...

club based in

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. They are nicknamed the ''Granata'' (the Maroons), after their kit colour.

History

Foundation

The club's roots can be traced back to 1905; on 2 April of that year, local newspaper the Gazzetta di Trapani ran an

advert Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

requesting young people to form a football association for Trapani. The club founded, by professor Ugolino Montagna and young native Abele Mazzarese to represent the West-Sicilian town was named Unione Sportiva Trapanese. It is one of the oldest teams on the island, after

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

and

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

. U.S. Trapanese's first president was Giuseppe Platamone, and the club played its games at Via Spalti. The club's first official game came against

in October 1908; the more experienced Palermitan team won emphatically, scoring 12 goals. The Trapanese bounced back, however, playing local derbies against teams from

Marsala Marsala (, local ; la, Lilybaeum) is an Italian town located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth in Sicily. The town is famous for the docking of Gius ...

and

Erice Erice (; scn, Èrici) is a historic town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, Sicily, in southern Italy. Geography The main town of Erice is located on top of Mount Erice, at around above sea level, overlooking the city of Trapani, the ...

Post-war times

After World War I, in 1921, three local teams rose: Vigor, Bencivegna and Drepanum. During the 1921–22 season, Vigor finished 6th in the Sicilian section of the national championship of the C.C.I. (Confederazione Calcistica Italiana). On 22 January 1923, a merger occurred between Vigor and Drepanum; the club decided to revive the previous name U.S. Trapanese. In June 1926, the club's name was changed to A.S. Trapani. In the 1930–31 season, under the name Juventus Trapani, the club won promotion from III Divisione to II Divisione. The following season, they achieved promotion again, this time into the early 1930s equivalent of

Serie C The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C. The unification of the Lega Pro ...

. They finished 8th in Serie C in the 1942–43 season, but then football in Italy was put on hold for World War II.

1940s, 50s and 60s

Just after World War II, the club used the name A.S. Trapani for one season before changing its name to A.S. Drepanum. They were entered into

, which, at the time, was divided into many regional groups. For the 1947–48 season, they qualified for the new, smaller Serie C, even finishing above

. Unfortunately for the club, they were relegated to

Serie D The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...

in the 1949–50 season after finishing second from bottom.

1990s: peak and decline

With former

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

player

Ignazio Arcoleo Ignazio Arcoleo (born 15 February 1948 in Palermo) is an Italian footballer and manager. Playing career Arcoleo, born in Mondello, a Palermo maritime ''frazione'', to a fishermans' family, started his professional career in 1966/1967 for his ...

as head coach, Trapani experienced two consecutive promotions from

Serie C1 Lega Pro Prima Divisione was the third highest football (soccer), football league in Italy. It consisted of 33 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 16 and 17 teams for group A and B respectively. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1 ...

in the early 1990s. In 1995, a strong and qualified team composed mostly of young promising players such as

Marco Materazzi Marco Materazzi (; born 19 August 1973) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. Early in his career, Materazzi played with various Italian teams in Serie B and Serie C, and with Everton in the Premier League. He spent two per ...

and more experienced local footballers such as

Francesco Galeoto Francesco Galeoto (born March 17, 1972) is an Italian football defender. Career After spending his early years as a youth player for hometown club Palermo, he left for Cerveteri in 1993. Since then, he played for several Serie B and Serie C1 ...

qualified to the promotion play-off, but ultimately lost to

Walter Novellino Walter Alfredo Novellino (born 4 June 1953; ), is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as a midfielder. Club career Novellino was born at Montemarano, province of Avellino. After spending his childhood in São Paulo, Brazi ...

's Gualdo in the semi-finals with a late goal scored on injury time. After that, Trapani experienced a slow but continuous decline despite attempts to repeat past successes: Arcoleo left Trapani to coach

along with some of the best players, including Galeoto. The club then relegated to

Serie C2 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of 2 ...

in 1997,

in 2000 and even Eccellenza in the 2005–06 season, despite a late attempt by Arcoleo and former star

Gaetano Vasari Gaetano "Tanino" Vasari (born 9 January 1970 in Palermo) is an Italian former football midfielder. Career Vasari, a native of the Palermo neighbourhood of ''Borgo Vecchio'', started his playing career with Partinicaudace, a team from Partinic ...

to save the team from relegation. In addition, the club also received a 12-point deduction for the 2006–07 season following a match-fixing attempt recognized by the Football Federation. In its 2006–07 Eccellenza campaign, Trapani, coached by former

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

midfielder

Tarcisio Catanese Tarcisio Catanese (6 September 1967 – 2 March 2017) was an Italian professional football midfielder who was later involved in the sport as a manager. He played in Serie A for many years and amassed 79 appearances in two spells at Parma F.C., ...

, ended the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...

phase to eleventh place and escaped relegation after having won relegation play-offs to Terrasini in a 5–0 single-legged win. From 2007 onwards, Trapani competed in the Serie D with little success.

From Serie D to Serie B and league exclusion

In 2009, chairman Vittorio Morace appointed

Roberto Boscaglia Rocco "Roberto" Boscaglia (born 24 May 1968 in Gela) is an Italian football coach and former midfielder. He was most recently the head coach of Foggia. Career A former amateur midfielder, Boscaglia took his first head coaching role in 2004 at t ...

as new head coach, intending to bring the club's return into professionalism; in his first season in charge, Trapani ended as runner-up behind

Milazzo Milazzo ( Sicilian: ''Milazzu''; la, Mylae; ) is a town (''comune'') in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy; it is the largest commune in the Metropolitan City after Messina and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. The town has a p ...

. However, later in August, due to the high number of resignations of clubs in the higher tiers, Trapani was admitted into the

2010–11 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione The 2010–11 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione season was the thirty-third football league season of Italian Lega Pro Seconda Divisione since its establishment in 1978, and the third since the renaming from Serie C to Lega Pro. It was divided into t ...

(formerly Serie C2), thus ending the club's 13-year absence from the professional tiers. In 2010–11, Trapani finished as runner-up in the

Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of 2 ...

Group C and successively won the promotion play-offs to

Lega Pro Prima Divisione Lega Pro Prima Divisione was the third highest football league in Italy. It consisted of 33 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 16 and 17 teams for group A and B respectively. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1. Before the 1978� ...

. In the first campaign in the third tier, Trapani surprised everyone by topping the league against all odds; an end-of-season crisis, however, led to the Sicilians being overtaken by Spezia in the penultimate week of the season and losing a direct promotion. In the subsequent promotion play-offs, after defeating

Cremonese Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' (Po Valley). It is the capital of the ...

in the semi-finals, Trapani lost a two-legged final to fourth-placed outsiders

Lanciano Lanciano (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Langiàne ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Chieti, part of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It has 36,304 inhabitants as of 2011. The town is known for the first recorded Catholic Eucharistic ...

. In the following season, however, Trapani were crowned champions (this time in group A) and finally promoted to

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...

for the first time ever. In 2015–16, with

Serse Cosmi Serse Cosmi (born 5 May 1958) is an Italian football coach, most recently in charge of Rijeka. Career Early career Cosmi was born in 1958 in Ponte San Giovanni, a Perugia ''frazione''. His father, a cycling fan, called him Serse after Faust ...

as their coach, they finished in 3rd place, losing to

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

in the playoff final. However, they started off badly the following season, sacking Cosmi on 30 November with the club in last place. The appointment of

Alessandro Calori Alessandro Calori (born 29 August 1966) is an Italian association football, football coach and former player, last in charge as head coach of Ternana Calcio, Ternana. As a defender (association football), defender, he is mostly remembered for his ...

saw an improvement in form, and they ended the season in 19th place, sitting in the relegation play-off spots. Unfortunately, 18th placed

Ternana Ternana Calcio, commonly referred to as Ternana, is an Italian football club based in Terni, Umbria. The club was founded in 1925 and refounded in 1993. In its history, Ternana has twice played in Serie A (in the 1972–73 and 1974–75 seas ...

finished five points above the Granata, meaning the club were relegated to Serie C for the 2017–18 season. Trapani's first season return to the third tier, with Calori still in charge, saw the ''Granata'' ending in third place (behind US Lecce and

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

) and then being eliminated at the playoff stage by eventual winners

Cosenza Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...

. During the summer of 2018, Trapani's ownership announced their intention to sell the club and reduce the budget due to financial and legal issues surrounding the parent company, Ustica Lines.

Vincenzo Italiano Vincenzo Italiano (born 10 December 1977) is an Italian football manager, who is currently in charge of Serie A club Fiorentina, and a former player. Playing career Born in Karlsruhe, Germany to Italian parents, Italiano never played professiona ...

was hired as the new head coach in place of Calori, with Raffaele Rubino as sporting director for the new season. The season also saw the club being sold from the Morace family to the FM Service company, owned by Maurizio De Simone. The club ended the season in second place, and had a successful campaign in the subsequent promotion playoffs, making it to the finals against Piacenza after defeating

in the semi-finals. On 5 June 2019, just a few days after the first leg of the playoff finals, the Trapani playing squad announced their intention to send their

notice of default In law, a default is the failure to do something required by law or to comply with a contractual obligation. Legal obligations can arise when a response or appearance is required in legal proceedings, after taking out a loan, or as agreed in a cont ...

after the new ownership had repeatedly failed to pay their salaries. On 15 June 2019, Trapani defeated Piacenza 2–0 to win their second promotion to Serie B in the club's history. The very next day, Rome-based property developer Giorgio Heller (who was already linked to the club in the past) announced his acquisition of a majority 80% share of the club. The takeover was formally finalized on 21 June 2019, in time to allow the club to successfully register for the

2019–20 Serie B The 2019–20 Serie B (known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons) was the 88th season since its establishment in 1929. The 20-team format returned after 16 years, the last time being in the 2002–03 season. The season was scheduled to run from ...

season. However, after an unfavourable season that ended with immediate relegation to Serie C, Trapani were excluded altogether on 5 October 2020 due to outstanding financial issues.

Restart from Serie D and Serie C return

In the summer of 2021,

Paceco Paceco ( Sicilian: ''Paceca'') is a town and ''comune'' in Western Sicily, Italy, administratively part of the province of Trapani, located nearby the Trapani city area, a distance of . Paceco is a small rural centre: among its agricultural pr ...

-based

club Dattilo acquired the footballing rights of Trapani, including the logo, and renamed themselves as Football Club Trapani 1905. In their debut season under the new denomination, Trapani ended in a mid-table finish. In April 2023, the club was bought for €1,240,000 by Valerio Antonini. Under his tenure, Trapani dominated the 2023–24 Serie D Group I, without losing a single match in the league, winning promotion to Serie C immediately. On 29 May 2024, Trapani also won the Coppa Italia Serie D title, defeating Follonica Gavorrano in a two-legged final.

Rivalries

Trapani's main rivals are Marsala 1912 and Mazara, from the neighbouring cities of

and Mazara del Vallo. A rivalry with

also exists but has rarely been contested: Palermo and Trapani briefly played together in

and renewed their rivalry in the 2013–14 Serie B campaign.

Honours

Domestic

League

**Winners: 2012–13 *

**Winners: 1993–94 *

**Winners: 1971–72, 1984–85, 1992–93, 2023–24 *II Divisione **Winners: 1931–32 *III Divisione **Winners: 1930–31

Cup

* Coppa Italia Serie D **Winners: 2023–24

Notable former managers

Heinrich Schönfeld Heinrich Schönfeld (3 August 1900 – 3 September 1976) was an Austrian footballer who played as a forward, and football manager. Club career Nicknamed "Beppo", Schönfeld was born in Kolozsvár, Austria-Hungary, and was Jewish. He made his p ...

(1930–33) *

Achille Piccini Achille Piccini (; 24 October 1911 – 14 February 1995) was an Italian footballer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. A native of Carrara, Piccini played as a midfielder or as a defender. Career Piccini played for several Italian club ...

(1949–50) * Ferenc Plemich (1953) *

Gastone Prendato Gastone Prendato (March 4, 1910 in Padua – 1980) was an Italian professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normal ...

(1955–57), (1961–62) *

Leandro Remondini Leandro Remondini (; 17 November 1917 – 9 January 1979) was an Italian association football player and manager, who played as a midfielder or as a defender. Club career Born in Verona, Remondini was a defensive midfielder, who capable of cover ...

(1962–63) *

Alberto Eliani Alberto Eliani (; 14 January 1922 – 8 January 2009) was an Italian professional football player and manager, who played as a defender. Club career Eliani played for 9 seasons (216 games, 4 goals) in the Serie A for ACF Fiorentina and A ...

(1972–73) * Egizio Rubino (1977–79) *

Washington Cacciavillani Washington Cacciavillani (January 1, 1934 in Salto – 1999) was an Uruguayan professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''footb ...

(1981–83) *

Mario Facco Mario Facco (23 January 1946 – 31 August 2018) was an Italian professional football coach and player. Honours * Serie A champion: 1965/66, 1973/74. * Coppa delle Alpi Coppa delle Alpi (translated as ''Cup of the Alps'') was a friendly foot ...

(1989–90) *

(1992–95) *

Ivo Iaconi Ivo Iaconi (born 11 March 1956 in Teramo) is an Italian football manager and former player. Playing career Iaconi played mostly with Serie C and amateur clubs, starting his career with Giulianova in the 1970s. He retired in 1992 after Giulianov ...

(1996–97) *

Ezio Capuano Ezio "Eziolino" Capuano (born 19 January 1965) is an Italian football coach, currently in charge as head of club Taranto. Career Coach Capuano is a head coach with massive experience as head coach in the lower ranks of Italian football, all ...

(1999–00) *

(2006–08) *

(2009–15) *

(2015–16) *

(2018–19) *

Francesco Baldini Francesco Baldini (born 14 March 1974) is an Italian football coach and a former player who played as a defender. Club career Throughout his club career, Baldini played for Italian clubs Massese, Juventus, Napoli, Roma, Genoa, Perugia, as we ...

(2019–2021)

Former players

Ivo Banella Ivo Banella (born 29 September 1953 in Castiglione del Lago) is a retired Italian football player. His debut professional game in the 1971/72 season for A.S. Roma remained his only Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for nation ...

(1974–1978)

References

External links

*
Official homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trapani Football clubs in Italy Trapani Football clubs in Sicily Association football clubs established in 1905 Serie C clubs 1905 establishments in Italy