Libero Lolli stadium is a sport facility in Mirandola, in the province of Modena,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The stadium is dedicated to the memory of Libero Lolli, a Mirandola footballer who died prematurely on 23 September 1934 at the age of just 24, shortly before his debut in

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 ...

with the Livorno, and brother of Nino Lolli (first mayor of Mirandola after 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 ...

). The stadium hosted the home matches of the Unione Sportiva Mirandolese from 1920 to 2005, and later those of Mortizzuolese. In the 1998–1999 season, all the home matches of the women's Serie A championship of Bellentani Modena, holder of the title of Italian champion at the time, were played at Lolli stadium.

History

History of football in Mirandola began on 15 March 1911, when the "Foot-Ball Club Giovanni Pico" was founded, which asked the municipal administration for the concession of a plot of land of about 3 biolche () placed in the 9th trunk Spalti in order to build a sports field. However, the land was leased, so the first playing field was built on the side of the west ring road. This first football experience ended, however, with the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. During the Fascist era it was decided to build a larger sports facility, also to serve the military of the Mussolini barracks and the students of the National Physicall Education School of

Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale The Voluntary Militia for National Security ( it, Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts ( it, Camicie Nere, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the Nation ...

(MVSN) for premilitary instructors and sportmen. The school managed to train about 2,000 instructors a year, reaching its peak in 1934 with almost 5,000 graduates. In the 1928–1929 season, the

U.S. Mirandolese Unione Sportiva Mirandolese was an Italian football club based in the city of Mirandola, in the province of Modena, Italy. History The history of football in Mirandola began on 15 March 1911, when the 'Foot-Ball Club Giovanni Pico' was founded, ...

team reached the first place in group E of the Second Division on equal terms with GS Farini, who was beaten (2-0) in the play-off played in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

on 9 June 1929. The victory allowed Mirandolese to play in the

Prima Divisione Prima Divisione (''First Division'') was the name of the first level of the Italian Football Championship from 1921 to 1926. The competition was initially founded in opposition to the FIGC by the richest clubs of Northern Italy, which disagreed the ...

for 3 years. In 1929 construction work began on the spectator stand, designed by architect Mario Guerzoni (1884-1956) and inaugurated in 1930. Among Mirandola's footballers who played on the field of the Lolli Stadium are to be remembered:

Oreste Benatti Oreste Benatti (born 11 June 1906) was an Italian footballer who played as a forward, usually as a winger, although he was also capable of playing as a striker. Known in particular for his speed, offensive movement, quick feet, technical abilit ...

(''Bighina''), Mario Castorri (''Bacic''), Libero and Nino Lolli, Evaristo Malavasi (''Beg''), Emilio Furlani (''Milietto''), Gianni Cappi, Silvano Bottecchi (Spinon), Fermo Benatti, Nando Paltrinieri, Antonio Marchetti, Livio Luppi, Nunzio Cavazza, Ilario Righini, Marco Marchetti, Mauro Muracchini and Roberto Razzaboni. Inside the sports area, in 1954 a skating rink was built next to the grandstand on which the Polisportiva Giovanni Pico roller hockey team competed for many years. In May 2012 the historical building of the stands and the surrounding wall were damaged by the earthquake in Emilia. In November 2012, temporary changing rooms were set up and the "Coverciano grandstand" was repaired. 347 donations were received from private citizens for a total of €55,489.66 for the restoration of the stadium. In 2017 the municipal administration announced the disposal of the Lolli stadium, whose grassy land will be used for the construction of new flats and shops. In addition, the grandstand (bound by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage as a historic building) will be refurbished to serve a public garden.

History

References

Bibliography

Filmography

See also