U.S.D. Mazara, commonly known just as Mazara, 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 ...
team from
Mazara del Vallo
Mazara del Vallo (; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, southwestern Sicily, Italy. It lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river.
It is an agricultural and fishing centre and its port gives shelter to the ...
,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, demographi ...
. They currently play in the league
Eccellenza Sicily
Eccellenza Sicily ( it, Eccellenza Sicilia) is the regional Eccellenza football division for clubs in Sicily, Italy. It is competed amongst 32 teams, in two different groups (A and B). The winners of the Groups are promoted to Serie D. The clubs w ...
.
History
Foundation and early years
Mazara was founded in 1946. However, a team representing Mazara del Vallo — ''Unione Sportiva Mazara — was not founded until 1957–1958. Initially, the team played in the ''Promozione'' league. They played in
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 ...
from 1960 to 1961 but were relegated three years later. The club played in Serie D from 1971 to 1972 before they were relegated again. They returned to play in Serie D in 1976–1977 after winning a promotion playoff to
Canicattì
Canicattì (; scn, Caniattì) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about east of Agrigento. In 2016, it had a population of 35,698.
Histo ...
1–0. The playoff match took place at
Stadio Renzo Barbera,
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 ...
, attended by 12,000 people, the majority of whom were Mazara supporters. Following the promotion, the club consecutively played in Serie D for 19 seasons.
Promotion attempts
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Mazara often aimed to win the Serie D league but always missed their goal. In 1985, coach
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 h ...
led Mazara to win Serie D, so they were planned to be promoted 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 ...
, but the Football Federation later cancelled the promotion because of alleged match-fixing, and Mazara's bitter rivals
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 ...
s were promoted in their place. Mazara narrowly missed promotion on several occasions: the club placed second in 1988–1989, just one point behind winners
Acireale
Acireale (; scn, Jaciriali, locally shortened to ''Jaci'' or ''Aci'') is a coastal city and ''comune'' in the north-east of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy, at the foot of Mount Etna, on the coast facing the Ionian Sea. ...
; in 1990–1991, third behind
Gangi, who then lost the playoff match to
Matera
Matera (, ; Materano: ) is a city in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy.
As the capital of the province of Matera, its original settlement lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a comple ...
; in 1993–1994, seventh after having led the point count for almost the whole first half of the season.
Relegation, decline and merger
After nineteen Serie D seasons, Mazara encountered serious financial troubles. In 1994–1995, they were relegated to
Eccellenza
The Eccellenza (, "excellence") is the fifth level (since 2014–15) of Italian football. It is a regional league, composed of 28 divisions divided geographically. All 20 regions are represented by at least one division except for Piedmont and Ao ...
, where another local team, S.C. Mazara 2000, was already playing. Mazara 2000 was a minor, young team that quickly climbed the football pyramid to Eccellenza. Mazara proper appeared to be an old team under decline. Both teams played in Eccellenza in 1995–1996, challenging each other in a
local derby
Local may refer to:
Geography and transportation
* Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand
* Local, Missouri, a community in the United States
* Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...
. Mazara placed fourth at the end of the season, whereas Mazara 2000 obtained seventh place. Mazara, under growing economic difficulties, agreed to merge with Mazara 2000. The merged team's name was Gruppo Sportivo Mazara 1946 (Mazara 1946 Sports Group).
The new football team included almost all the best players from the two former local clubs. Their first season in 1996–1997 was very successful, winning Eccellenza hands down and returning to Serie D. The first season for the new club in the Italian fifth-ranked division ended with just Mazara earning one point above the relegation limit. The 1998–1999 campaign was even harder. Since Mazara ended the season with the same number of points as Sancataldese, they were forced to play a single-legged relegation playoff. Held in
Termini Imerese
Termini Imerese (; scn, Tèrmini ) , grc, Θερμαὶ αἱ Ἱμερᾶαι , grc, Θερμαὶ Ἱμέραι , or grc, Θερμὰ (Ἱμεραῖα) ; la, Thermae Himerenses; literally "Himera's hot springs". is a town of the Metropo ...
, the match ended in a 1–0 win for Mazara, which escaped relegation again.
Affected by heavy financial struggles, Mazara's team comprised young and inexperienced players in the 1999–2000 Serie D season. They were relegated to Eccellenza with just 8 points in 34 matches, placed last in number of points in the league.
Mazara experienced a period of decline. It was relegated to the
Promozione
The Promozione (, "promotion") is the sixth level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Promozione level progresses to their closest regional league in the Eccellenza level. Depending on each league's lo ...
(7th-ranked division) in 2003–2004 after losing relegation playoffs to
Licata
Licata (, ; grc, Φιντίας, whence la, Phintias or ''Plintis''), formerly also Alicata (), is a city and ''comune'' located on the south coast of Sicily, at the mouth of the Salso River (the ancient ''Himera''), about midway between Agr ...
. With a new property, the club returned to Eccellenza in 2005–2006 under coach
Filippo Cavataio, a native of Mazara and a former
centre back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
of several
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 ...
teams. In 2006–2007, the club, again coached by Cavataio, ended the regular season phase in third place, behind
Alcamo
Alcamo (; scn, Àrcamu, italic=no) is the fourth-largest town and commune of the Province of Trapani, Sicily, with a population of 44.925 inhabitants. It is on the borderline with the Metropolitan City of Palermo at a distance of about 50 kilo ...
and Carini. They were admitted to the promotion playoff semifinal, where they eliminated Kamarat (from
Cammarata
Cammarata is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about north of Agrigento on the eponymous mountain, which has an elevation above sea level in a territory ...
) in a one-legged semifinal after a 0–0 tie. Mazara moved to the next round because of their best placement in the regular season. However, another tie with second-placed Carini in the final caused Mazara to be eliminated. Mazara failed to receive promotion in the following season, finishing in fifth place after a long battle with
Nissa and bitter rivals
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 ...
, who then defeated and eliminated Mazara in the following promotion play-off tournament. All three matches (two in the regular season, plus a one-legged play-off match) against Trapani were played
behind closed doors.
In 2008–09, Mazara returned, expecting to win the league, and established themselves in the top positions of the league. However, in January 2009, the club unwillingly gained national news coverage due to a key home game against first-placed Villabate. Mazara striker Francesco Erbini scored a goal in the first minutes of the match, but the referee disallowed the goal and restarted the game as Mazara's players were celebrating, thus allowing Villabate to score a goal with no significant opposition on the pitch. Due to heavy protests, the referee sent off three Mazara footballers in succession and abandoned the pitch minutes later. The Sicilian Football Federation then announced that the match was to be replayed on 10 March; Mazara won the game 2–0 and established themselves in first place. On 22 March, after a 4–0 home win against Marsala in a local derby, Mazara mathematically ensured first place in the league table. They had a six-point advantage over Villabate and only one remaining match to be played, marking their return to the Serie D after nine years.
Serie D and fusion
The club's comeback season to Serie D was hailed by financial problems, mostly caused by the move from a regional league to a national one. Former player Giovanni Iacono was appointed head coach on an unusual part-time basis. Throughout the season, Mazara found themselves at the bottom side of the league despite managing to achieve some prominent results, such as home wins to fallen giants
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 ...
, and arch-rivals and league leaders
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 ...
. The club also experienced the loss of former
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 ...
striker and its team captain, Francesco Erbini. He was banned from the league for ten months in February 2010 because he greeted two club staff members under criminal investigation. Despite these issues, the club ended the season above the relegation playoff zone, ensuring that they would play in the next Serie D season. In July 2010, a fusion was announced between the main Mazara club and the historical local youth system club Aurora Mazara. The new club took the name Mazara Calcio A.S.D.
Mazara successfully returned to Serie D in 2010 as Eccellenza Sicily champions and played two seasons. They were relegated in 2011 as second-last placed in the Round I of the top amateur league in Italy. In their first season back in Eccellenza, Mazara clearly stated their intent to return immediately to Serie D by acquiring several top players, including former
Torino
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
striker
Akeem Omolade
Akeem Oluwashegun Omolade (4 March 1983 – 13 June 2022) was a Nigerian professional footballer.
Career
Omolade arrived in Italy at the age of 17, joining Treviso, with whom he made his professional debut in the Serie B league. He subsequen ...
. Despite several attempts, the club suffered difficult times. The 2013–14 season was particularly disastrous: Mazara narrowly escaped relegation through playoffs, which were decided by a last-minute extra-time draw against Rocca di Caprileone.
For the 2014–15 season, Mazara appointed Nicola Terranova, former assistant coach and older brother of
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 ...
defender
Emanuele Terranova
Emanuele Terranova (born 14 April 1987) is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for club Benevento.
Career
Terranova started his career playing with a number of local amateur teams, including Eccellenza side Campobello, then joining ...
, as the new head coach. The club ended the season in second place behind winners Marsala. Qualifying for the national playoff phase, they were eliminated in the finals by
Apulia
it, Pugliese
, population_note =
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-based club
Nardò.
The 2015–16 season started with Terranova again at the team's helm. A Palermo-based consortium took over the club. New leader Elio Abbagnato (former club chairman from 1989 to 1991, and father-in-law of former Italy international
Federico Balzaretti
Federico Balzaretti (; born 6 December 1981) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a left-sided full-back, currently in charge as director of football of Vicenza.
A product of the Torino youth system, his first experience a ...
) appointed former Serie A player
Tommaso Napoli
Tommaso Maria Napoli (16 April 1659 – 12 June 1725) was an Italian architect, Dominican Order monk, engineer and mathematician.
Biography
Born at Palermo, Tommaso Napoli received his training under Andrea Cirrincione as a novitiate in the Conv ...
as Mazara's new manager. Playing in Eccellenza, the club ended in seventh place. Mazara had a very successful campaign in the
Coppa Italia Dilettanti
The Coppa Italia Dilettanti ( Italian for: Italian Amateurs Cup) is an annual knock-out competition for teams from the fifth and sixth levels of Italian football: the Eccellenza and the Promozione. All ties except for the final, which is held at t ...
, winning the regional cup for the first time. They ended the national phase, which offered an additional
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 ...
spot to the competition winners, as runners-up, losing to
Unione Sanremo in the final.
In the new season, Andrea Pensabene became the new head coach, replacing Mazara-born
Giacomo Modica in September. In November 2016, Abbagnato sold the club to managing director Filippo Franzone.
The club changed ownership again in 2019, sold by Palermo-based Franzone to a local consortium. In 2023, the club was renamed U.S.D. Mazara.
Colours and badge
The official team colours for every major sports team in Mazara are canary yellow and blue, which are also the official colours of Mazara del Vallo.
Mazara's original team badge was reminiscent of the 1996 merger between the two local and rival clubs U.S. Mazara and S.C. Mazara 2000. Both two characteristic elements of the respective original crests, respectively the
canary
Canary originally referred to the island of Gran Canaria on the west coast of Africa, and the group of surrounding islands (the Canary Islands). It may also refer to:
Animals Birds
* Canaries, birds in the genera ''Serinus'' and ''Crithagra'' i ...
bird and the
seahorse
A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or " ...
, were present on it, along with the words "GS MAZARA 1946". That logo was dropped in 2010 in favour of a new version depicting only the canary.
Stadium
Mazara plays its home matches at Stadio Nino Vaccara, a small stadium along the local
Mazaro
The Mazaro (spelt also as Màzaro) is a river in Sicily, Italy.
The Mazaro river flows across south-western Sicily, from its source in Rapicaldo, located within the Salemi city boundaries, to the Mediterranean Sea in Mazara del Vallo.
It is ...
river. Originally a dirt floor stadium without seats, Stadio Nino Vaccara undertook a massive restructuring in the early 2000s, implementing a synthetic field and a numbered seats-only grandstand with a roof.
The stadium is divided into three sectors: the numbered grandstand (''tribuna centrale'') with a capacity of 1,086; the ''curva'' (not a curved sector), where organized supporters sit down, with a capacity of 800; and the ''gradinata'' in front of the grandstand, with a capacity of 1,380, usually opened in exceptional cases.
Outside the stadium, right beside the main entrance, murals depict fishermen and fishing boats characteristic of Mazara del Vallo.
List of seasons
Notable managers
*
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 h ...
(
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 ...
coach in the 1990s)
*
Giuseppe Caramanno (
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
Foggia
Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known ...
coach in the 1990s)
*
Čestmír Vycpálek (
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
coach in the 1970s)
Achievements
*
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 ...
:
** Runners-up (2): 1984–1985,
[Including 5-points deduction because of alleged matchfixing] 1988–1989
*
Coppa Italia Dilettanti
The Coppa Italia Dilettanti ( Italian for: Italian Amateurs Cup) is an annual knock-out competition for teams from the fifth and sixth levels of Italian football: the Eccellenza and the Promozione. All ties except for the final, which is held at t ...
:
** Runners-up (1): 2015–2016
*
Coppa Italia Dilettanti Sicilia:
** Winners (1): 2015–2016
*
Eccellenza Sicilia:
** Winners (2): 1996–1997, 2008–2009
*
Promozione Sicilia:
** Winners (3): 1970–1971, 1975–1976, 2005–2006
** Runners-up (1): 1972–1973
References
External links
Official club websiteLND page for GS Mazara 1946History of US Mazara with photos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazara
1946 establishments in Italy
Association football clubs established in 1946
Football clubs in Italy
Football clubs in Sicily
Mazara del Vallo