AC Legnano

Legnano
Full name	Associazione Calcio Dilettantistica Legnano S.r.l.
Nickname(s)	I Lilla (The Lilacs)
Founded	1913; 2011 (refounded)
Ground	Stadio Giovanni Mari,; Legnano, Milan, Italy
Capacity	5,000
Owner	Enea Benedetto
Chairman	Enea Benedetto
Manager	Gianluca Zattarin
League	Serie D
2022–23	Serie D Group A, 6th of 20
Website	Club website
Home colours	Away colours

Associazione Calcio Dilettantistica Legnano, commonly referred to as Legnano, is an Italian football club based in Legnano, Lombardy. Founded in 1913, Legnano played three seasons in Serie A and a total of eleven seasons in the top tier of the Italian football league system.

Legnano's most recent appearance in Serie A dates back to 1954, whereas in 1957 the club took part for the last time – to date – in a Serie B championship (the second tier of Italian football). Since then the club have played at their highest at the third tier of the Italian league.

The team's colours are lilac and white. After financial struggles and bankruptcy in 2010 the club folded and reformed in 2011 as ASD Legnano Calcio 1913; in 2015 they regained the right to name themselves ACD Legnano Calcio and to merge their history with the one of the 97-year-old club previously folded.^[1]

History edit

Foundation edit

The club were founded in 1913 as Football Club Legnano.

Several notable players appeared for Legnano in its early years. Goalkeeper Angelo Cameroni was called up to the Italy national side in 1920; he was the first Legnano player to achieve this. Luigi Allemandi played four seasons with the club from 1921 onwards, until he was bought by Italian giants Juventus. He later won the World Cup with Italy at the 1934 FIFA World Cup.

Serie A: Club at their peak edit

Legnano first gained access to Serie A for the 1930–31 season; the previous year they had finished as runners up in Serie B. The first match at the top level of Italian football was the shocking 2–1 defeat of Italy's oldest club, Genoa C.F.C.

Unfortunately for Legnano, they finished at the bottom of the table that season and were relegated; other notable results however were a 1–1 draw with eventual runners up A.S. Roma, and a 2–1 defeat of S.S.C. Napoli in Naples.

In the 1935–1936 season, the club changed their name to Associazione Calcio Legnano.

Left-winger Emilio Caprile was called up by the azzurri, to play in two international games during 1948. He became the first Legnano player to score for Italy with a goal in each match.

Slide down the Italian league edit

1956–57 Legnano

After their last relegation in from Serie A in 1953–54, the club have gradually declined. First they came close to promotion back into the league with a 3rd position in B, but two years later they were relegated down to Serie C.

Legnano spent 18 years in a row competing in Serie C, only able to finish as high as 5th in that time (they achieved this three times). 1974–75 saw the club slump down to Serie D; this was soon rectified as coach Luciano Sassi pulled the club back into Serie C2 with a runners up spot in 1977–78.

Giovanni Mari lifts Legnano edit

Giovanni Mari took over as club president in 1979 and under him, Legnano would achieve the championship of Serie C2. This was the first time A.C. Legnano had finished first position in any league since 1919. The club's stadium was later named Stadio Giovanni Mari in honour of the man.

The refoundation edit

Following bankruptcy in 2010, Legnano subsequently folded.

It was refounded on 15 July 2011, as A.S.D. Legnano Calcio 1913 and was admitted to Group N of Prima Categoria Lombardy in the 2011–12 season. The club was promoted to Group A of Promozione Lombardy.^[2]

The club had a successive second promotion after finishing as champions of Group A of Promozione Lombardy next season and was promoted to Group A of Eccellenza Lombardy.

On 7 May 2015, A.S.D. Legnano Calcio 1913 re-acquired the name Associazione Calcio Legnano.^[3] They finished Eccellenza Lombardy as 4th in 2014–15 but were eliminated in the play-offs. They finished Group A of Eccellanza Lombardy as 2nd and were qualified for the play-offs again. They defeated Torviscosa with 4–1 aggregate in semifinal and Sankt Georgen with 4–3 aggregate in final and were promoted to Serie D.

Players edit

Notable former players edit

Staff edit

Presidential history edit

Over the years Legnano has had various owners, chairmen or presidential figures; here is a chronological list of the presidents;

1913–1916 Aldo Visconti and Eugenio Tosi (honorary president)
1917–1924 Antonio Bernocchi
1924–1925 Carlo Delle Piane
1925–1927 Ernesto Castiglioni
1927–1929 Antonio Bernocchi
1929–1931 Giuseppe Mario Perozzi, Mario Raimondo and Riccardo Pezzoni (board of regents)
1931–1933 Ernesto Castiglioni
1933–1934 Primo Colombo (extraordinary commissioner)
1934–1945 Giulio Riva
1945–1952 Pino Mocchetti
1952–1953 Luigi Mandelli (extraordinary commissioner), following Giovanni Mari
1953–1954 Giovanni Mari
1954–1956 Giuseppe Mario Perozzi (extraordinary commissioner)
1956–1959 Davide Casero (extraordinary commissioner)
1959–1963 Luciano Caccia
1963–1964 Felice Bossi (extraordinary commissioner)
1964–1975 Augusto Terreni
1975–1979 Rolando Landoni (extraordinary commissioner)
1979–1986 Giovanni Mari
1986 Ulrico Lucarelli
1986–1987 Giovanni Mari
1987–1996 Ferdinando Villa
1996–1999 Mario Pighetti
1999 Mauro Rusignolo
1999–2002 Mauro Rusignolo
2002–2005 Antonio Di Bari
2005–2007 Giovanni Simone
2007–2009 Giuseppe Resta
2009–2010 Giacomo Tarabbia
2010 Alessio Fiore
2011–2015 Nicolò Zanda
2015 Salvatore Verdoliva
2015–incumbent Vanessa Paolillo