The Seconda Categoria is a level of football in

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 ...

. It is the 8th level (since 2014-15) in 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 be ...

. Each individual league winner within the Seconda Categoria level progresses to their closest regional league in the

Prima Categoria The Prima Categoria is a level of football in Italy. It is the seventh level (since 2014–15) in the Italian football league system and is organized by the National Amateur League by the Regional Committees. Each individual league winner within ...

level. Depending on each league's local rules, a number of teams each year are relegated from each league, to the 9th level of Italian football, the Terza Categoria. This level of Italian football is completely amateur and is run on a regional level by a Regional Committee (Comitato Regionale).

History

In the past, from 1904 since 1912, had been the 2nd level of Italian local regional tournaments in which main teams used to field apprentices and reserves. New teams entering F.I.F. (Italian Football Federation, was the old name of Italian Football Federation (F.I.G.C.) until 1909) were added to this championships. In February 1912 in Turin some F.I.G.C. Federal counsellors started elaborating a new rule introducing promotions and relegations from Seconda Categoria to

. This new rule was set during the July 1912 federal annual meeting so that this category changed name into Promozione because winning teams were awarded "promotion" to upper level. This category name too was given to the second level of youth tournaments in 1919 when created by a new local and independent federation called U.L.I.C. (Unione Libera Italiana del Calcio) which was set in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

in 1917. Later entered the main Italian federation system F.I.G.C. in 1927 and had been in use up to 1947 at local committees. Despite Regional F.I.G.C. championships and tournaments U.L.I.C. was birth date limited (not yet 21 years' old). Unused for a long time by the F.I.G.C. just because most of lower federal categories got another name (Division), got back in 1959 because of birth of the "Amateur League" (Italian: Lega Nazionale Dilettanti) and all "Divisions" (Divisioni in Italian) were converted into "Categories" (Categorie in Italian) and First Division ( Prima Divisione) become Seconda Categoria. With the reform 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 ...

before the 2014–2015 season in which the

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 ...

and Lega Pro Seconda Divisione were unified restoring Serie C as the new third national level, the championship became the eighth national level, but remained the fourth highest regional competition.

History

See also