Unione Sportiva Avellino 1912, commonly known as US Avellino, is an Italian professional football club based in Avellino,

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

. It competes in

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 ...

, the third tier of

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 ...

. It is the official continuity club of US Avellino 1912, known worldwide for having competed 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 Cop ...

for ten consecutive seasons, from 1978-1979 to 1987-1988. The team went through two major reboots: once, in 2009, when it went bankrupt, and then, in 2018, when it was excluded from

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie 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 season. It had been ...

. In both cases, new clubs were founded to join the

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 ...

league. The club was renamed as ''Avellino Calcio.12 Società Sportiva Dilettantistica'' in 2009, then ''Associazione Sportiva Avellino 1912'' in 2010, and restored to the original ''Unione Sportiva Avellino 1912'' in 2015, although initially taking the name ''Calcio Avellino Società Sportiva Dilettantistica'' for the 2018-2019 season.

History

Foundation

The club was founded as ''U.S. Avellino'' on 12 December 1912 to give the town of Avellino a footballing representative. The early history of the club is quite obscure as they only competed at a lower level against regional sides. Avellino competed in ''IV Divisione'' from 1913 until after the Second World War; today's equivalent of that level is

Post-war emergence

For the earlier part of their history the club did not achieve anything of note, until being placed in

for the 1945–46 post-War season. In the 1946–47 season they narrowly missed out on getting through to the interregional final, after finishing third in their group. Avellino beat out the likes of Catania,

Reggina Reggina 1914 S.r.l., commonly referred to as Reggina, is an Italian football club based in Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo. They are n ...

and Messina to win promotion to

at the end of the 1940s. However, the club were accused of match fixing and the federation decided to strip them of their promotion, instead relegating them down to

. Although they were able to return to Serie C after one season, Avellino were relegated back down to spend six seasons in a row at Serie D level. Eventually Avellino returned, but, in the space of six seasons, Avellino gained promotion to Serie C in three of them and were relegated back down twice.

1970s: rise and ten consecutive seasons in Serie A

US Avellino 1986-87 - Walter Schachner e Dirceu

Avellino were promoted to

in 1973 and Serie A in 1978. A truly remarkable feat for a southern provincial side was a 10-year stay in Serie A between 1978 and 1988, with the club holding a mid-table place for the majority of that period. Their best finish was 8th in 1987, with a team starring Angelo Alessio, Paolo Benedetti, Franco Colomba and

Dirceu Dirceu José Guimarães, known as Dirceu (; 15 June 1952 – 15 September 1995), was a Brazilian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, notably for Botafogo and the Brazil national team as well as numerous Italian teams in the 1980s� ...

1990s and 2000s: decline, ups and downs, and bankruptcy

The club tended to shift between

and Serie C1 in the decade following relegation from

in 1988. The club marked a surprising

return after defeating neighbors and football powerhouse

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

in the 2004-05 Serie C1/B

play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

finals. An unsuccessful 2005–06 campaign ended in a loss on relegation playoffs to Albinoleffe (0–2, 3–2). The 2006–07 season, with

Giuseppe Galderisi Giuseppe Galderisi (; born 22 March 1963) is an Italian football manager and a former footballer who played as a forward, most recently in charge as head coach of Serie C club Mantova. Club career At club level, Galderisi played for several ...

as head coach, then replaced by

Giovanni Vavassori Giovanni Vavassori (born 16 January 1952) is an Italian football manager and former player who last managed Verona. Playing career Born in Arcene, Bergamo, Vavassori started his playing career with Atalanta, where he made his Serie A debut in ...

, ended in a second place in the Serie C1/B regular season; this was then followed by a successful campaign in the promotion play-offs, in which Avellino defeated Foggia in the finals, being therefore promoted to Serie B once again. However, this was followed by Vavassori's resignations on 16 July 2007, shortly after his confirmation as Avellino boss, being then replaced by

Maurizio Sarri Maurizio Sarri (; born 10 January 1959) is an Italian professional football manager who is the current manager of club Lazio. Sarri did not play football professionally, taking part as an amateur centre back and coach while working as a banker. ...

two days later. Sarri himself resigned one month later, being replaced by Guido Carboni and later Alessandro Calori. Despite this, the club did not manage to escape relegation, ending the season in 19th place. The club was however readmitted to Serie B later on to fill a league vacancy created by Messina's disbandment. The team finished second from bottom in the 2008–09 season and was therefore relegated again. On 9 July 2009, the Covisoc (''Commissione di Vigilanza sulle Società Calcistiche'', Vigilancy Commission on Football Clubs) organization announced that the team did not pass the financial requirements in order to be admitted to the league. The club was allowed to appeal the decision until 11 July 2009. On 11 July, Avellino failed to appeal the exclusion. Avellino Reggiana Coppa Italia 2008-2009

Avellino Reggiana Coppa Italia 2008-2009

Avellino Calcio.12 S.S.D. restarts from Serie D

A new club founded in the summer 2009 as ''Avellino Calcio.12 S.S.D.'' restarts from Serie D, finishing 5th, but 4 August 2010 they were later admitted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione to fill vacancies. This ordeal saw them become the latest in a long line of Italian clubs that have faced severe financial difficulties, such as Napoli and Fiorentina.

From Lega Pro Seconda Divisione to Serie B

In the 2010–11 season the team became Associazione Sportiva Avellino 1912 and played in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione finishing 4th, being defeated by

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 imp ...

in the play-off final, but 4 August 2011 it was later admitted 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 ...

, again, to fill vacancies. In the season 2012–13 Avellino won

and the team obtained the promotion in

, under manager

Massimo Rastelli Massimo Rastelli (born 27 December 1968) is an Italian football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current head coach of club Avellino. Career Playing A second striker/winger, Rastelli started his career with Serie D ...

. In 2014-2015, Rastelli led the team to the play-off semi-finals, when they are eliminated by the more prestigious

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

team despite a 3-2 win away.

2018 Serie B exclusion

In 2018, Avellino was excluded from Serie B due to submitting a league membership paperwork that was deemed as incomplete, due to a late bank guarantee. Due to this, a new club was re-founded within days in order to submit application to play at

instead. In 2019 Avellino won Serie D and the Scudetto Serie D, reaching the promotion in

for the next season. In 2020-2021, they once again reached the play-off semi-finals, losing to Padova.

Colours and badge

Its traditional colours are green and white. Avellino are nicknamed the "Lupi", which means wolf, and their club crest displays a wolf head.

Players

''As of 31 January 2023.''

Out on loan

Retired numbers

10 –

Adriano Lombardi Adriano Lombardi (7 August 1945 – 30 November 2007), nicknamed ''il rosso di Ponsacco'', was an Italian football player and a football coach, mostly known for his time spent at Avellino. Career He played as a midfielder with many teams, in ...

Midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

(1975–79) – ''posthumous honor, number retired in 2007.''

Notable former players

Notable former coaches

Antonio Vojak Antonio Vojak (, ; 19 November 1904 – 9 May 1975) was an Italian footballer who played as a striker or midfielder. His playing career was played out during the 1920s and 1930s. He is most noted for his time with Italian sides Juventus and Na ...

(1947) *

Oronzo Pugliese Oronzo Pugliese (5 April 1910 – 11 March 1990) was an Italian football manager from Turi in the Province of Bari. Over the course of his career, Pugliese managed several notable clubs in Italian football, among them were; Roma, Fiorentina and ...

(1974–75) *

Giuseppe Baldini Giuseppe Baldini (; 11 March 1922 – 26 November 2009) was an Italian association football, football player and manager. During his playing career, Baldini played at both professional and international levels as a Forward (association football) ...

(1976–77) *

Luís Vinício Luís Vinícius de Menezes, more famously known as Vinício (born 28 February 1932) is a professional football player, who played as a centre forward. Although he is a Brazilian, Vinício played his entire career in Italy, and because of this, ...

(1980–82) *

Giuseppe Marchioro Giuseppe Marchioro (born 13 March 1936) is an Italian professional former footballer and manager. Career Footballer As a footballer, he grew up in A.C. Milan youth team, winning a Torneo di Viareggio in 1957. Later, he played only in lower Ital ...

(1982) *

Fernando Veneranda Fernando Veneranda (23 May 1941 – 1 March 2007 in Porto San Giorgio) was an Italian football (soccer) player and manager. Playing career Veneranda, a forward, started his professional career for Fiorentina, where he played from 1960 to 1963. He ...

(1982–84) * Ottavio Bianchi (1983–84) *

Tomislav Ivić Tomislav Ivić (; 30 June 1933 – 24 June 2011) was a Croatian professional football player and manager. Often described as a brilliant strategist, Ivić is credited with helping develop the modern style of the game. In April 2007, Italian spo ...

(1985–86) *

(1986–88) *

Enzo Ferrari Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (; 20 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobil ...

(1988) *

Eugenio Fascetti Eugenio Fascetti (born 23 October 1938 in Viareggio, Province of Lucca) is an Italian professional football coach and a former player, who played as a midfielder. Honours Player ;Juventus * Serie A champion: 1960–61. Manager * As a coach, won ...

(1988–89) *

Nedo Sonetti Nedo Sonetti (born 25 February 1941) is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as a defender. Biography Sonetti was born in Piombino, southern Tuscany and lives now in Gorle. Playing career As a defender, Sonetti played in ...

(1989–90) *

Bruno Bolchi Bruno Bolchi (; 21 February 1940 – 27 September 2022) was an Italian football manager and player, who played as a midfielder. Throughout his playing career, he played for Inter, Verona, Atalanta, and Torino, as well as the Italy national team ...

(1991–92) *

Francesco Graziani Francesco "Ciccio" Graziani (; born 16 December 1952) is an Italian football manager and former football player who played as a forward. He began his career with Arezzo in 1970, and later joined Torino in 1973, where he remained until 1981 ...

(1991–92) *

(1992–93) *

Giuseppe Papadopulo Giuseppe Papadopulo (born 2 February 1948) is an Italian football manager and former player who played as a defender. He was last in charge as head coach of Torino. Career Papadopulo was born in Casale Marittimo, Pisa. He played for Livorno, La ...

(1994–95) *

Zbigniew Boniek Zbigniew Boniek (; born 3 March 1956) is a Polish former footballer and manager as well as current UEFA vice-president. A former midfielder, who was also capable of playing mostly as a right winger and second striker, he is considered one of t ...

(1994–96) * Corrado Orrico (1995–96) * Giuliano Zoratti (1996–97) *

(1997–98) *

Giuliano Sonzogni Giuliano Sonzogni (born 2 February 1949) is an Italian football manager. Previously he managed the Bulgarian football club Botev Vratsa Botev ( bg, Ботев) is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Vratsa, that competes in the ...

(2001–02) *

Massimo Ficcadenti Massimo Ficcadenti (born 6 November 1967 in Fermo) is an Italian football manager and former midfielder. Career Playing Ficcadenti started his playing career with Sambenedettese, where he played from 1985 to 1989. He then signed for Messina, pl ...

(2002) * Zdeněk Zeman (2003–04) *

Antonello Cuccureddu Antonello Cuccureddu (, ; 4 October 1949) is an Italian association football coach and former player who played as a defender. He last managed Lega Pro Prima Divisione club Grosseto in 2014. Club career A central defender, Cuccureddu spent hi ...

(2004–05) * Franco Colomba (2005–06) *

(2006–07) *

(2007) *

(2007) * Guido Carboni (2007–08) * Alessandro Calori (2008) * Giuseppe Incocciati (2008) * Salvatore Campilongo (2008–09) * Giovanni Bucaro (2011–12) *

(2012–15) *

Attilio Tesser Attilio Tesser (born 10 June 1958) is an Italian association football manager and former defender, who is currently the head coach of Modena. Playing career Tesser, a defender, started his playing career with Treviso. He moved to Napoli in 19 ...

(2015–16) * Walter Novellino (2016–18)

Honours

**Runners-up: 1977–1978 * Serie C1 **Champions: 2002–03, 2012–13 **Runners-up: 1994–95, 2004–05, 2006–07 *

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 ...

**Runners-up: 1972–73 *

Supercoppa di Lega di Prima Divisione 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 ...

**Champions: 2013 *

**Champions: 1961–1962, 1963–1964, 2018–2019 * Scudetto Serie D **Champions: 2018–2019

Competitions

References

External links

Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avellino Football clubs in Italy Football clubs in Campania Avellino Association football clubs established in 1912 Serie C clubs Serie A clubs Serie D clubs Serie B clubs 1912 establishments in Italy 1944 establishments in Italy Phoenix clubs (association football) 2009 establishments in Italy 2018 establishments in Italy