The 2011–12

Serie D The Serie D () is the highest level of semi-professional football in Italy, and the fourth tier of the Italian national league system. It sits beneath the third and lowest fully professional league, Serie C, and feeds in to it through promotion ...

was the sixty-fourth edition of the top level Italian non-professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

championship. It represented the fifth tier 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 b ...

. It consisted of 168 teams divided into six 18-team divisions and three 20-team divisions. In the summer 2011 Montecchio Maggiore was readmitted in Serie D to the judgment of the High Court of Justice, that has transformed the score of Montebelluna-Este from 2–1 to 0–3, for infringement of the rule on under. And the last team admitted was Verbano, increasing the total number of teams to 168. On December 15, 2011 Aquanera was excluded by the National Disciplinary Committee for irregularities at registration, reducing the total number of teams to 167. All matches played by the team have been annulled. Each team played two matches against every other team in its own division; a total of 34 matches for the five groups of 18 teams, 36 matches for the group A of 19 teams and 38 matches for the groups B-D of 20 teams.

Promotions

The nine division winners are automatically promoted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione 2012–13. On 25 April 2012 Sterilgarda Castiglione and

Pontedera Pontedera (; ) is an Italian comune with a population of 30070, located in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, Central Italy, central Italy. The town is located 20 km (12 miles) from Pisa and 50 km (31 miles) from Florence. It houses the headquarte ...

became the first teams to be promoted from Serie D in the season, winning respectively the Girone B and E with two weeks remaining in the schedule. On 29 April 2012 were promoted

Venezia Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...

Teramo Teramo (; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines ( Gran Sasso d'Italia) and the Adriatic coast. Th ...

and HinterReggio winning respectively the Girone C, D, F and I with one week remaining in the schedule. On 6 May 2012 were promoted V.d.A. Saint-Christophe,

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

and

Martina Franca Martina Franca, or just Martina (Bari dialect, Martinese: ), is a town and ''comune, municipality'' in the province of Taranto, Apulia, Italy. It is the second most populated town of the province after Taranto, and has a population (2016) of ...

winning respectively the Girone A, G and H.

Playoffs

Teams placed second through fifth in each division enter a playoff tournament, after the regular season, where the nine winners will compete among themselves with the best semifinalist and the finalist of

Coppa Italia Serie D Coppa Italia Serie D (Italian language, Italian for Serie D Italian Cup) is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Serie D in Italy, Italian football (soccer), football. The competition is held since the 1999–2000, when Ser ...

to determine three of the four semi-finalists. The fourth is the winner of

. The final match of playoffs, between the winners of the semifinals, was won by

Cosenza Cosenza (; Languages of Calabria#Northern Calabrian (Cosentian), Cosentian: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city located in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000, while the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. ...

, but it is not automatically promoted. It finishes first and the other finalist SandonàJesolo comes in second in this 39-team playoff. Eventually these teams may be included up to

Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Serie C2 was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. History Before the 1978–79 season, there were only three professional football leagues in Italy, the third being Serie C. The league menaging ...

if one or more current teams runs into financial difficulties and so are not admitted in this league.

Relegations Playout

* In the groups C-E-F-G-H-I of 18 teams the two last-placed teams (17th and 18th) with the 16th, if the 13th place is more of 8 points ahead of it and the 15th, if the 14th place is more of 8 points ahead of this, are ''relegated directly''. Otherwise the teams ranked 13th to 16th play a two-legged ''playout'' (13th vs 16th, and 14th vs 15th). * In the group A of 19 teams the last-placed team (19th) with the 18th, if the 15th place is more of 8 points ahead of it and the 17th, if the 16th place is more of 8 points ahead of this, are ''relegated directly''. Otherwise the teams ranked 15th to 18th play a two-legged ''playout'' (15th vs 18th, and 16th vs 17th). * In the groups B-D of 20 teams the two last-placed teams (19th and 20th) with the 18th, if the 15th place is more of 8 points ahead of it and the 17th, if the 16th place is more of 8 points ahead of this, are ''relegated directly''. Otherwise the teams ranked 15th to 18th play a two-legged ''playout'' (15th vs 18th, and 16th vs 17th).

Tie-Breakers

If the two teams finish in an aggregate tie for to decide who is promoted and relegated, one tie breaker will be played in neutral ground, with possible extra time and penalties.

Scudetto Dilettanti

The nine division winners enter a tournament to determine the over-all Serie D champion and is awarded the Scudetto Dilettanti. The winner is

Events

Start of season

Given a normal season where there are no team failures and special promotions, Serie D would feature 9 teams that had been relegated from

, 36 teams that had been promoted from

Eccellenza The Eccellenza (, "excellence") is the fifth level (since 2014–15) of Italian football.Official ...

, and 122 teams that had played in Serie D the year before. Due to ten bankruptcies and one extra promotion in Serie D, the 2011–12 season was to feature 3 teams that played in the 2010-11 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione season, including the admitted

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

(Girone H) that went bankrupt in that league, 42 teams that played in the 2010-11 Eccellenza season and 119 teams that played in 2010–11 Serie D, including the readmitted

Montecchio Maggiore Montecchio Maggiore () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is situated approximately west of Vicenza and east of Verona; SP 246 provincial road passes through it. Montecchio Maggiore borders the following muni ...

and the excluded Aquanera respectively after the judgment of the ''High Court of Justice'' and the ''National Disciplinary Committee''. The league also admitted three of the teams that were excluded from the professional leagues.

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

(Girone D),

, formerly Salernitana (Girone G) and

(Girone I) which all played in the 2010-11 Lega Pro Prima Divisione season. The league further admitted eleven teams from Eccellenza to fill the vacancies created. These teams are: * Villafranca which finished 14th in Serie D 2010–11 Girone B * Carpenedolo which finished 15th in Serie D 2010–11 Girone D * Sestese which finished 13th in Serie D 2010–11 Girone E * Miglianico which finished 18th in Serie D 2010–11 Girone F * Sant'Antonio Abate which finished 13th in Serie D 2010–11 Girone H * Lascaris which finished 2nd in Eccellenza Piedmont Girone B and was eliminated in the national play-off * Verbano which finished 3rd in Eccellenza Lombardy Girone A and was eliminated in the national play-off *

Fidenza Fidenza (, locally ) is a town and (municipality) in the province of Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It has around 27,000 inhabitants. The town was renamed Fidenza in 1927, recalling its ancient Rome, Roman name of ; before, it was ...

which finished 2nd in Eccellenza Emilia–Romagna Girone A and was eliminated in the national play-off * Cerea which finished 2nd in Eccellenza Veneto Girone A and was eliminated in the national play-off * Adrano which finished 3rd in Eccellenza Sicily Girone B and was eliminated in the national play-off *

Civitavecchia Civitavecchia (, meaning "ancient town") is a city and major Port, sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea west-northwest of Rome. Its legal status is a ''comune'' (municipality) of Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Rome, Lazio. The harbour is formed by ...

which finished 2nd in Eccellenza Lazio Girone A and was eliminated in the national play-off.

Standings

Girone A

Teams

Teams from

Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

, &

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

League table

Girone B

Teams

Teams from

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

League table

Girone C

Teams

Teams from

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol ( ; ; ), often known in English as Trentino-South Tyrol or by its shorter Italian name Trentino-Alto Adige, is an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy, located in the ...

Friuli-Venezia Giulia Friuli-Venezia Giulia () is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea. Friuli-Venezia Giulia has an area of and a ...

League table

Girone D

Teams

Teams from

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

League table

Girone E

Teams

Teams from

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

League table

Girone F

Teams

Teams from

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

Molise Molise ( , ; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise together with Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effective until 1970, makes Molise the newest region in Ital ...

League table

Girone G

Teams

Teams from

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

League table

Girone H

Teams

Teams from

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...

League table

Girone I

Teams

Teams from

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

, &

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

League table

Divisions

Champions of winter and Promotions

''All teams promoted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione 2012–13.''

Scudetto Dilettanti

First round

*''division winners placed into 3 groups of 3'' *''group winners and best second-placed team qualify for semi-finals''

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Semi-finals

One leg played on May 24, 2012 ''Games ending in a tie are extended to the penalty kicks without play extra time'' *''On neutral ground at

Città di Castello Città di Castello (); "Castle Town") is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Perugia, in the northern part of Umbria. It is situated on a slope of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines, on the flood plain along the upper part of the river Tiber. T ...

, Stadio Comunale "Bernicchi"'' *''On neutral ground at Umbertide, Stadio Comunale "Morandi"''

Final

Played on May 26, 2012 *''Game ending in a tie are extended to the penalty kicks without play extra time'' *''On neutral ground at

Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines. History Prehistory The ol ...

, Stadio Pietro Barbetti'' :''Winner:

Tie-break

* Before the relegation playoff could begin, one tie-break needed to be played. Girone H - 16th-17th place - Played on May 13, 2012 Real Nocera qualified for the relegation playoff and ''Viribus Unitis'' relegated to Eccellenza.

Promotion playoffs

Promotion playoffs involved a total of 39 teams; four from each of the nine Serie D divisions (teams placed from 2nd through to 5th) with the best semifinalist, the finalist and the winner of

that are directly respectively admitted to the third, fourth round and the Semi-final.

Rules

First and second round

* The first two rounds were one-legged matches played in the home field of the best-placed team. * The games ending in ties were extended to extra time. The higher classified team was declared the winner if the game was still tied after extra time. Penalty kicks were not taken. * ''Round one'' matched 2nd & 5th-placed teams and 3rd & 4th-placed teams within each division. * The two winners from each division played each other in the ''second round''.

Third and fourth round

* The nine winners – one each from the nine Serie D divisions – were qualified with Bogliasco, as the best semifinalist of

to the ''third round'', that was played in one-legged match in the home field of the best-placed team. * The five winners were qualified with SandonàJesolo, as finalist of

to the ''fourth round'', that was played in one-legged match in the home field of the best-placed team. * The games ending in ties were extended to the penalty kicks, without play extra time.

Semi-finals and final

* The three 4th-round winners were qualified for the ''semifinal round'', join with Sant'Antonio Abate, as

winner. * The semi-finals and the ''final'', with the respective winners, were in a one-legged hosted in a neutral ground. * The games ending in ties were extended to the penalty kicks, without play extra time.

Repechages

* The tournament results provided a list, starting with the winner, by which vacancies could be filled in

. * If the winner is not admitted in this league gets 30 000 €, the finalist instead 15 000 €.

First round

*Played on May 13, 2012 *''Single-legged matches played at best placed club home field: 2nd-placed team plays home 5th-placed team, 3rd-placed team plays home 4th placed team'' *''Games ending in a tie are extended to extra time, if still tied, the higher-classified team wins''

Second round

*Played on May 16, 2012 *''Single-legged matches played at best placed club home field'' *''Games ending in a tie are extended to extra time, if still tied, the higher-classified team wins''

Third round

*Played on May 20, 2012 *''Single-legged matches played at best placed club home field'' *''Games ending in a tie are extended to the penalty kicks without play extra time'' *'' Bogliasco qualified directly as best semifinalist of Coppa Italia Serie D''

Fourth round

*Played on May 27, 2012 *''Single-legged matches played at best placed club home field'' *''Games ending in a tie are extended to the penalty kicks without play extra time'' *'' SandonàJesolo qualified directly as finalist of Coppa Italia Serie D''

Semi-finals

*One leg played on June 3, 2012 *''Games ending in a tie are extended to the penalty kicks without play extra time'' *'' Sant'Antonio Abate qualified directly as winner of Coppa Italia Serie D'' ''On neutral ground at

Belluno Belluno (; ; ) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the Capital (political), capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region. W ...

, Stadio "Polisportivo Comunale"'' ''On neutral ground at

Matera Matera (, ; Neapolitan language, Materano: ) is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera in the regions of Italy, region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic (10th mi ...

, Stadio "XXI Settembre - Franco Salerno"''

Final

*Played on June 10, 2012 *''On neutral ground'' *''If the game ending in a tie is extended to the penalty kicks without play extra time'' ''On neutral ground'' at ''

Arezzo Arezzo ( , ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the Province of Arezzo, province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of Above mean sea level, above sea level. As of 2 ...

Stadio Città di Arezzo Stadio Città di Arezzo (formerly Stadio Comunale) is a multi-purpose stadium, located in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy. It is used mostly for football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kickin ...

'' :''Winner:

Relegation playoffs

Played on May 20 & May 27, 2012
''In case of aggregate tie score, higher classified team that plays the 2nd match in home wins, without extra time being played''
''Team highlighted in green is saved, other is relegated to Eccellenza''

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serie D Serie D seasons 5 Ita