S.P.A.L. Managers
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Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor, commonly known as S.P.A.L. (), is a professional football club based in
Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
,
Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...
, Italy. The team plays in
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 ...
, the second tier of the
Italian football league system The Italian football league system, also known as the Italian football pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for association football in Italy. It consists of nine national and regional tournaments, the first three b ...
. Founded in 1907, since 1928 they have played their home matches at
Stadio Paolo Mazza Stadio Paolo Mazza (formerly Stadio Comunale) is a multi-use stadium in Ferrara, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of SPAL. Located in the Rione Giardino, west of Ferrara within the city walls, it was ...
, named after
Paolo Mazza Paolo Mazza (21 July 1901 – 31 December 1981) was an Italian football manager. He was co-manager of the Italy national football team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup, together with Giovanni Ferrari. Mazza career as a footballer was served entirely in ...
(chairman of the club 1946–1977). In total, SPAL have participated in 24 top-tier, 28 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 The 1959–60 Serie A season was won by Juventus. Teams Atalanta and Palermo had been promoted from Serie B. Events A modern professional structure was introduced, together with a third relegation. Final classification Results Top goalsco ...
; they also reached the 1961–62
Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
final. The club is chaired by the American Joe Tacopina, the current manager is Daniele De Rossi.


History


From foundation to World War II

The club was founded in March 1907 as Circolo Ars et Labor (
latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, they played in
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 ...
and
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 ...
: in this period, the club's all-time top striker
Mario Romani Mario Romani (16 December 1907 – 25 May 1977) was an Italian professional footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, ...
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 Paolo Mazza (21 July 1901 – 31 December 1981) was an Italian football manager. He was co-manager of the Italy national football team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup, together with Giovanni Ferrari. Mazza career as a footballer was served entirely in ...
became chairman of the club. After five consecutive seasons in
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 ...
, SPAL won promotion to
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 ...
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 The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
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 Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional football manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL 1907, Roma, Milan and Juventus. He played as a midfielder and won several trophies during his career which ...
. 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 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 ...
and
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 ...
/ C1.
Paolo Mazza Paolo Mazza (21 July 1901 – 31 December 1981) was an Italian football manager. He was co-manager of the Italy national football team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup, together with Giovanni Ferrari. Mazza career as a footballer was served entirely in ...
quit the presidency in December 1976 and was replaced by Primo Mazzanti. The former chairman died in December 1981 and three months later
Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
'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 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 ...
to Serie B, under the management of
Giovan Battista Fabbri Giovan Battista Fabbri (8 March 1926 – 2 June 2015) was an Italian football player and manager. Career Fabri managed a number of Italian club sides, including Varese, SPAL , Sangiovannese, Giulianova, Livorno, Piacenza, Vicenza, Ascoli, Cese ...
. 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, and were reformed as SPAL 1907 S.r.l., under the terms of
Article 52 of N.O.I.F. ("Article 52 of the Italian Football Federation regulations for internal organisation") governs the status of phoenix clubs in football in Italy. The article was revised in 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2014. Comma 1 describes the matter of the article, ...
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 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 ...
again under
Article 52 of N.O.I.F. ("Article 52 of the Italian Football Federation regulations for internal organisation") governs the status of phoenix clubs in football in Italy. The article was revised in 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2014. Comma 1 describes the matter of the article, ...
At the end of the
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
season the club took back its original name. Giacomense, a club founded in 1967 at Masi San Giacomo, a ''
frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...
'' of Masi Torello, had moved to the city of
Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
; 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 Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
. 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 The 2013–14 Seconda Divisione season is the thirty-sixth and final football league season of Italian Seconda Divisione since its establishment in 1978, and the sixth since the renaming from Serie C to Lega Pro. It is divided into two phases: t ...
season in sixth place, thus qualifying for the inaugural unified
2014–15 Lega Pro The 2014–15 Lega Pro was the first season of the unified Lega Pro division in place of the old Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione. The league is composed of 60 teams divided into three different groups of 20 each. Teams A total of 60 team ...
season. In 2015–16, the squad won promotion 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 since the 1992–93 season, after finishing first in group B of the
Lega Pro 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 ...
. The following year they came first in Serie B, thus obtaining promotion to
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 ...
after a 49-year absence. In their first season back in Serie A, SPAL avoided relegation by finishing in 17th place. 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. 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 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 ...
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 Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
's civic colours. Currently the badge features an oval-shaped light blue
escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...
, 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 Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
, 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 Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
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 Paolo Mazza (21 July 1901 – 31 December 1981) was an Italian football manager. He was co-manager of the Italy national football team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup, together with Giovanni Ferrari. Mazza career as a footballer was served entirely in ...
, who died two months earlier. Initially it had a capacity of 4,000. Then, in concomitance with the promotion of SPAL to
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 ...
, 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 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 ...
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.


Sponsors


Kit sponsors

* 1981–86:
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
* 1986–87: Meyba * 1987–89: Fitness * 1989–91: WBS * 1991–04: Asics * 2004–05: Zeus * 2005–09: Legea * 2009–10: Asics * 2010–12: Givova * 2012–13: Legea * 2013–16:
Erreà Erreà () is an Italian sports equipment company supplier. Erreà was the first Italian sportswear company to be accredited with the Oeko-tex standard certification, which assures that garments textiles are free from harmful chemicals. Backgrou ...
* 2016–17: HS Football * 2017–23: Macron


Official sponsors

* 1981–82: Sauber * 1982–89: Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara * 1989–90: Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara, Ravani Acciai * 1990–05: Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara * 2005–08: Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara, Tomasi Case * 2008–09: Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara * 2009–10: Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara, Lega del Filo d'Oro * 2010–11: Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara, Trasea * 2011–13: Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara * 2013–15: Vetroresina, Veneto Banca * 2015–16: Vetroresina, Reale Mutua, BMW ErreEffe Group * 2016–17: Vetroresina, Magnadyne, 958 Santero, BMW ErreEffe Group * 2017–18:
InterSpar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...
, Tassi Group, BMW ErreEffe Group * 2018–19: Tassi Group, BMW ErreEffe Group, Pentaferte * 2019–20: Omega Group, Krifi Caffè, OrOil, VB Impianti, Errebi Technology, Pentaferte * 2020–21: Omega Group, Adamant BioNRG, Errebi Technology, Pentaferte * 2021–22: Adamant BioNRG, Omega Group, Golden Group, Errebi Technology * 2022–23: Adamant BioNRG, Errebi Technology, Iosco Group, EdilAlba


Players


Current squad


Out on loan


Notable former players

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Mirco Antenucci Mirco Antenucci (born 8 September 1984) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Bari. Club career Giulianova Antenucci began his professional career in 2002, with Serie C1 club, Giulianova, where in two seasons wit ...
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Mario Astorri Mario Astorri (7 August 1920 – 3 December 1989) was an Italian football player and coach, who played as a forward. He won the Danish Superliga twice, the first time while coaching AB Gladsaxe in 1967, and the second time while in charge of Kjà ...
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Osvaldo Bagnoli Osvaldo Bagnoli (born 3 July 1935) is an Italian former football coach and player who played as a midfielder. Playing career Born in the Bovisa district of Milan, Bagnoli began his professional career as a midfielder with his hometown club A.C. ...
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Gastone Bean Gastone Bean (; born 11 August 1936) is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Growing up in San Canzian d'Isonzo, he joined A.C. Milan as a youngster.
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Savino Bellini Savino Bellini (born 1 December 1913 in Portomaggiore; died 4 November 1974 in Portomaggiore) was an Italian footballer who played as a midfielder. Honours ;Juventus * Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competiti ...
*
Etrit Berisha Etrit Fadil Berisha (; born 10 March 1989) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Italian club Torino and captains the Albania national team. Berisha began his career at local club KF 2 Korriku as a youngster, as w ...
* Niels Bennike *
Ottavio Bianchi Ottavio Bianchi (; born 6 October 1943) is an Italian former Association football, football player and coach who played as a midfielder. Bianchi was born in Brescia. During his playing days, he has won two caps for Italy national football team ...
* Alberto Bigon *
Kevin Bonifazi Kevin Bonifazi (born 19 May 1996) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bologna. Club career He began his playing career with Tor di Quinto and Nuova Tor Tre Teste. At age 15 he was sold to Siena, but following the ...
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Marco Borriello Marco Borriello (; born 18 June 1982) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Throughout his career, Borriello played for several Italian clubs, including Treviso, Triestina, Milan, Empoli, Reggina, Sampdoria, Geno ...
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Gianfranco Bozzao Gianfranco Bozzao (August 3, 1936 - May 24, 2019) 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'' normally m ...
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Ottavio Bugatti Ottavio Bugatti (; 25 September 1928 – 13 September 2016) was an Italian footballer from Lentate sul Seveso, in the province of Milan, who played as a goalkeeper. Club career Bugatti played club football for Napoli and Inter; while at Napoli h ...
* Ruben Buriani *
Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional football manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL 1907, Roma, Milan and Juventus. He played as a midfielder and won several trophies during his career which ...
*
Lucas Castro Lucas Nahuel Castro (born 9 April 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Sarmiento, as a winger. Club career Gimnasia La Plata Castro began his career within the youth ranks of Argentine club Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata in ...
* Sergio Cervato *
Giacomo Cipriani Giacomo Cipriani (born 28 October 1980) is an Italian footballer who played as a forward. Football career Cipriani started his career at Bologna. His impression in youth national teams led Juventus to buy half of his registration rights in 2000 f ...
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Dante Crippa Dante Crippa (10 March 1937 – 27 February 2021) was an Italian professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Crippa began his youth career with Fanfulla, making his Serie C and his IV Division debut with the senior squad. He wa ...
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Carlo Dell'Omodarme Carlo Dell'Omodarme (born 11 February 1938) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Throughout his career, Dell'Omodarme played for Italian clubs Juventus, Parma, Como, and SPAL, before retiring with the ...
* Luigi Delneri *
Federico Di Francesco Federico Di Francesco (born 14 June 1994) is an Italian professional association football, footballer who plays as a winger (association football), winger for club U.S. Lecce, Lecce. Club career Pescara Di Francesco began his career on Delfino ...
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Beniamino Di Giacomo Beniamino Di Giacomo (; born 13 November 1935) is a retired Italians, Italian professional Association football, football player and manager who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Honours ;Inter * Serie A champion: 1962–63 Se ...
*
Dan Ekner Dan Heimer Ekner (5 February 1927 – 17 April 1975) was a Swedish footballer who played as a striker. He played professionally in England, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United States, and the Netherlands during a club career that spanned ...
*
Bülent Esel Bülent Esel (23 July 1927 – 17 August 2004) was a Turkey international football forward who played for clubs in Turkey and Italy. Career Born in Izmir, Esel began playing youth football for Kırıkkalespor. He played senior football for Kı ...
* Felipe Dal Bello * Mohamed Fares *
Matteo Ferrari Matteo Ferrari (; born 5 December 1979) is an Italian former footballer who played as a defender He played top-flight football for several Italian clubs in Serie A, Everton of the Premier League, and for the Montreal Impact in Major Leagu ...
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Sergio Floccari Sergio Floccari (; born 12 November 1981) is a former Italian footballer who plays as a striker. Club career Early career Floccari began playing football as a junior with the local side of his town, Nicotera, before moving into the youth system ...
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Adolfo Gori Adolfo Gori (; born 13 February 1939) is a retired Italians, Italian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender. Club career Rochester Lancers In 1972, Gori became a player-coach ...
* Matthew Kemp * Jasmin Kurtić *
Manuel Lazzari Manuel Lazzari (; born 29 November 1993) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a right midfielder or right-back for club Lazio. Club career SPAL Following the merger with Giacomense, Lazzari joined SPAL. Lazzari made his profes ...
*
Saul Malatrasi Saul Malatrasi (; born 17 February 1938) is a former Italian football player and coach who played as a defender for Inter Milan and A.C. Milan and was part of their European Cup victories in 1965 and 1969 respectively, thus becoming the first play ...
* Marco Mancosu *
Thomas Manfredini Thomas Manfredini (born 27 May 1980) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Career SPAL Udinese Atalanta Manfredini was signed by Serie B club Atalanta B.C. on 27 June 2005 for €1.2 million.Atalanta B.C. ...
*
Alex Meret Alex Meret (; born 22 March 1997) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Napoli and the Italy national team. Born in Udine, Meret began his career at an early age with amateur club Donatello Calcio before ma ...
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Simone Missiroli Simone Missiroli (born 23 May 1986) is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder. Club career Reggina A native of Reggio Calabria, he made his Serie A debut with the local team Reggina on 24 April 2005 against Brescia Calcio. He also sp ...
* Egidio Morbello *
Marco Nappi Marco Nappi (born 13 May 1966), also known as ''Nippo'', is an Italian former professional footballer and current manager, who played as a striker. He was most recently the head coach of Pomigliano. Playing career Nappi was born in Rome. After ...
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Fulvio Nesti Fulvio Nesti (; 8 June 1925 – 1 January 1996) was an Italian footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Born in Lastra a Signa, Nesti played club football for ACF Fiorentina, S.S. Scafatese Calcio 1922, SPAL 1907, F.C. Internazionale M ...
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Oscar Massei Oscar Alberto Massei (born 29 September 1934) is an Argentine retired professional football player and coach. He also holds Italian citizenship. Honours * Primera División Argentina Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera ...
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Dante Micheli Dante Micheli (10 February 1939 – 10 June 2012) was an Italian footballer who played as a forward. He scored 68 goals from 479 league appearances, of which more than 250 were made in Serie A. Micheli played for Mantova, SPAL, Fiorentina and Fog ...
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Alberto Paloschi Alberto Paloschi (; born 4 January 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Siena. Club career Milan Paloschi won the National Under-17s Championship with Milan in the 2006–07 season. He scored 3 goals in a ...
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Egisto Pandolfini Egisto Pandolfini (; 17 February 1926 – 29 January 2019) was an Italian footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Pandolfini was born in Lastra a Signa. He played for 12 seasons (316 games, 75 goals) in the Serie A for ACF Fiorenti ...
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Michele Paramatti Michele Paramatti (born 10 March 1968 in Salara) is a retired Italian professional football player who played as a defender. Career Paramatti began his career with SPAL in 1986 in the lower divisions of the Italian football league, spending nin ...
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Fausto Pari Fausto Pari (born 15 September 1962 in Savignano sul Rubicone) is a retired Italian professional footballer who played as a defender. Honours ;Internazionale * Serie A champion: 1979–80 (on the squad, but did not play in any league games) ...
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Luigi Pasetti Luigi Pasetti (born 9 September 1945, in Francolino) is a retired Italian professional footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are associati ...
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Sergio Pellissier Sergio Pellissier (, ; born 12 April 1979) is an Italian former professional footballer who plays as a forward. He is currently working as general director of Rovigo and player, owner and chairman of Eccellenza amateurs FC Clivense, a club he fo ...
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Andrea Petagna Andrea Petagna (; born 30 June 1995) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club Cagliari Calcio, Cagliari, on Loan (sports), loan from AC Monza, Monza. He has also ...
* Armando Picchi * Gennaro Olivieri *
Alberto Orlando Alberto Orlando (; born 27 September 1938) is an Italian former footballer who played at both professional and international levels as a forward. Although not gifted with the best technical ability, he was a fast, physical, energetic, opportunis ...
* Dion Ørnvold *
Edoardo Reja Edoardo Reja (born 10 October 1945) is an Italian professional football coach and former player who last manages the Albania national football team. After a career as a midfielder spent mostly with SPAL and Palermo, he began working as a manage ...
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Mario Romani Mario Romani (16 December 1907 – 25 May 1977) was an Italian professional footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, ...
* Giuseppe Rossi *
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David Sesa David Sesa (born 10 July 1973) is a Swiss football manager and former player. He is the manager of Rapperswil-Jona. A midfielder or forward, he made 36 appearances for the Switzerland national team. He is the current manager of Bellinzona in the ...
* Abdon Sgarbi *
Mirko Valdifiori Mirko Valdifiori (; born 21 April 1986) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. A Cesena youth-product, he began his career with the senior side in 2004, but was sent on loan to Serie C sides Pavia and Legnano, before m ...
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* Federico Viviani *
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Erwin Waldner Erwin Waldner (24 January 1933 – 18 April 2015) was a German footballer. Club career He was one of not that many West German players in the early 1960s who played his club football abroad. After spells at FC Zürich in Switzerland and Real SP ...
* Franco Zaglio


Captains

Below a chronological list of SPAL captains since 1950.


Technical staff


Chairmen history

SPAL have had several presidents (chairmen) ( it, presidenti, lit=presidents or it, 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 Paolo Mazza (21 July 1901 – 31 December 1981) was an Italian football manager. He was co-manager of the Italy national football team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup, together with Giovanni Ferrari. Mazza career as a footballer was served entirely in ...
.


Managerial history

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


Honours


Domestic


League titles

*
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 ...
** Winners (2): 1950–51, 2016–17 *
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 ...
/ 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 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 ...
** Winners (1): 1997–98 ** Runners-up (1): 1990–91


Cups

*
Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
** Runners-up (1): 1961–62 *
Coppa Italia Serie C Coppa Italia Serie C ( it, Serie C Italian Cup), formerly named Coppa Italia Lega Pro, is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Serie C in Italian football first held in 1972. Format There are a total of six rounds in the c ...
** Winners (1): 1998–99 ** Runners-up (1): 1988–89 *
Supercoppa di Serie C The Supercoppa di Serie C, formerly named Supercoppa di Lega Pro, is an Italian football competition played by the three group winners of Serie C, inaugurated in 2000. Forerunners The FIGC introduced a third-level national football championship f ...
/ Lega Pro ** Winners (1): 2016


European

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


Youth

* Campionato Primavera Serie B ** Winners (1): 1964–65 * Campionato De Martino Serie A ** Winners (1): 1967–68 * Campionato Nazionale Under-18 ** Winners (1): 2021–22


Divisional movements

89 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929 ✟= Relegation due to bankruptcy.


References


External links


Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:S.P.A.L. Football clubs in Italy Football clubs in Emilia-Romagna Association football clubs established in 1907 Italian football First Division clubs Serie A clubs Serie B clubs Serie C clubs Serie D clubs 1907 establishments in Italy Phoenix clubs (association football) 2005 establishments in Italy 2012 establishments in Italy Coppa Italia Serie C winning clubs