Volley Bergamo is an Italian women's

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

club based in

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Com ...

and currently playing in the Serie A1.

Previous names

Due to sponsorship, the club have competed under the following names: * Volley Bergamo (1991–1992) * Foppapedretti Bergamo (1992–2000) * Radio 105 Foppapedretti Bergamo (2000–2006) * Play Radio Foppapedretti Bergamo (2006–2007) * Foppapedretti Bergamo (2007–2010) * Norda Foppapedretti Bergamo (2010–2012) * Foppapedretti Bergamo (2012–2018) * Zanetti Bergamo (2018–2021) * Volley Bergamo 1991 (2021– )

History

Beginnings (1991–1994)

Volley Bergamo was founded in 1991 by Mauro Ferraris and first played in the 1991–92 Serie B1 (third tier). In the following season (1992–93) it started a partnership with Foppapedretti and gained promotion to the Serie A2 (second tier). The club gain a second successive promotion in 1993–94 by winning the Serie A2 and being promoted to the Serie A1 (first tier).

Major success (1995–2007)

In 1994–95, its debut season at Serie A1, the club finished in fifth position, earning for the first time qualification for a European competition (

CEV Cup The CEV Cup is the second tier official competition for men's Volleyball clubs of Europe. The competition takes place every year. Until 2000, it was the CEV Cup Winners' Cup. In 2000 it was renamed CEV Top Teams Cup and in 2007 it was renamed CE ...

). In the following season it won both the Serie A1 and the Coppa Italia for the first time. In the 1996–97 the club won the Serie A1, Coppa Italia, Italian Super Cup and the

CEV Champions League The CEV Champions League is the top official competition for men's volleyball clubs from the whole of Europe. The competition is organised every year by the European Volleyball Confederation. Formula (2018–19 to present) Qualification A t ...

. For the next decade the club became one of the strongest women's volleyball clubs in Europe, winning another five Serie A1 (1997–98, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06), two Coppa Italia (1997–98, 2005–06), four Italian Super Cups (1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2004–05), four CEV Champions League (1998–99, 1999–00, 2004–05, 2006–07) and one CEV Cup (2003–04).

Recent years (2008–present)

Despite not being as dominant as before, the club after 2008 won the Serie A again (2010–11), the Coppa Italia (2007–08 and 2015–16), the Italian Super Cup (2011–12) and the CEV Champions League ( 2008–09 and 2009–10). It is the most successful Italian team in the CEV Champions League history with 7 titles and the second most successful team in Serie A history with 8 titles, having never being relegated since its debut in the 1994–95 season.

Team

''Season 2022–2023, as of June 2022.''

Notable players

Retired numbers * 11 Giseli Gavio; the number was retired in 1999 * 12 Francesca Piccinini; the number was retired in 2013

Head coaches

* Francesco Sbalchiero (1993–1995) * Atanas Malinov (1995–1997) * Marco Bonitta (1997–2000) * Giuseppe Cuccarini (2000–2002) * Mario Di Pietro (2002–2003) * Giovanni Caprara (2003–2005) * Marco Fenoglio (2005–2007) * Lorenzo Micelli (2007–2010) * Davide Mazzanti (2010–2012) *

Stefano Lavarini Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ac ...

(2012–2017) *

Stefano Micoli Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...

(2017–present)

Honours

National competitions

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

: 8 :1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2010–11 * Coccarda Coppa Italia

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 ...

: 6 :1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2015–16 * Supercoppa italiana di pallavolo maschile

Italian Super Cup: 6 :1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2004–05, 2011–12

International competitions

: 7 :1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10 * Challenge Cup trophy

CEV Challenge Cup The CEV Challenge Cup is the third tier official competition for men's volleyball clubs from the whole of Europe. It started in the 1980–81 season under the name CEV Cup. In 2007 it was renamed CEV Challenge Cup. History * CEV Cup (1980– ...

: 1 :2003–04 * Simple gold cup

Women's Top Volley International: 2 :1996 :1998 (January)

References

External links

Official website

Official supporters website
{{Italian women volleyball league Italian women's volleyball clubs Volleyball clubs established in 1991 1991 establishments in Italy Sport in Bergamo Serie A1 (women's volleyball) clubs