Lega Pro/ Serie D - General Discussion

It looks like being another turbulent summer in the Lega Pro. Two or three clubs are already said to have financial difficulties, the latest and most high profile being Triestina.
There's a suggestion being made that the leagues will be reduced from four to three for next season (last year it went down from 5 to 4). No indication of whether ir would be a single tier Lega Pro with three divisions, or a single Lega Pro 1 division and 2 divisions in Lega Pro 2.

Piacenza have gone bankrupt. The official announcement, made earlier this week, confirmed that they would fulfil their remaining fixtures for the season. At the end of the season the name will be offered for sale. If someone buys it the club will continue in a lower division (probably Serie D). If there are no buyers the club will go out of existence. Sad times for a club that has spent the last twenty years alternating between Serie A and Serie B.

^^^^Hope someone comes in and buys them.

Spezia won the Coppa Italia Lega Pro with a 2-1 away victory over Pisa. The aggregate was 2-2 but Spezia took the trophy on away goals.
The Serie D Coppa went to Sant'Antonio Abate with a 2-1 away victory over SandonaJesolo. I've forgotten what the first leg score was but I'm pretty sure Sant'Antonio won by quite a margin.

Following yesterday's semi-final second legs the playoff finals for Lega Pro 1 will be Pro Vercelli v. Carpi and Trapani v. Lanciano.

Can anyone clear up a mystery for me? In Girone I of Serie D this season there are now two Messina teams: ACR Messina and C Messina. Which one is the original Messina team- the one that plummetted down from Serie A?

Jocksboy wrote:

Can anyone clear up a mystery for me? In Girone I of Serie D this season there are now two Messina teams: ACR Messina and C Messina. Which one is the original Messina team- the one that plummetted down from Serie A?

I've been on Wikipedia but cannot find a team named C Messina,sorry jocksboy.ACR formed in 1900.

Thanks Vicenti. ACR must be THE Messina team then. Must find out what the C in C Messina stands for. It'll probably be in Wikipedia under a different name.

Got it - right at the bottom of the Wikipedia page on ACR Messina. The other club is Citta di Messina and they have taken over Messina's former stadium. I'm not sure if this is their first ever foray into Serie D.

The final of the Lega Pro Coppa Italia will be between Viareggio and Latina. In the first semi Viareggio defeated Pisa by 4-3 on aggregate while Latina, in a thrilling game on waterlogged pitch last night (shown live on Rai Sport), lost 1-2 to Lecce but won thorugh on a 3-2 aggregate.
I'm not sure yet when the final will be or whether it is one match or two, but when I get details I'll post either here or on the 'Live on TV' topic. It's bound to be shown on Rai Sport.

The first definite honours of the 2012/13 Serie D campaign have been won. ISCHIA are champions of Girone H with an uncatchable 20 point lead at the top.

With one game left to play six of the nine divisions in Serie D have been decided. These clubs are automatically promoted to Lega Pro 2 for next season.
Girone A - Bra
Girone B - Pergolettaze (formerly Pergocrema)
Girone C - Delta Porto Tolle
Girone D - Tuttocuoio
Girone E - Castel Rigone
Girone F - Sambenedettese
Girone G - Sassari Torres
Girone H - Ischia
Girone I - Messina
Fomer Serie A side Messina need only one point from their remaining match to assure them of the title.
I'll update the remaining three after the next matches.

Updated after yesterday's final regular season games.

Trapani and Avellino have won their respective divisions of Lega Pro 1 and will be playing in Serie B next season. They will be replaced by Pro Vercelli and Grosseto who are already relegated from Serie B.
Pro Patria and Salernitana have won Lega Pro2 A & B and are promoted to Lega Pro 1. By some means unknown Pontedera, who finished second in B2, are also promoted. I suspect that the governing body is hoping to have eighteen teams in each division of Lega Pro 1 again next season instead of the current 17 and 16.
Will post news of the playoffs in due course.

Savona have also been promoted automatically from Lega Pro 2 to Lega Pro 1.
Grosseto, Pro Vercelli, Vicenza and Ascoli are relegated from Serie B to next season's Lega Proi 1.

Ischia are the overall champions of Serie D for 2012/13. They won the Poule Scudetto, the mini tournament for the nine divisional winners, last Sunday by beating Delta Porto Tolle 2-1 in the final.

It was the day of the underdogs in the Lega Pro 1 play-off finals yesterday as Carpi and Latina clinched their places in next season's Serie B at the expense of former Serie A sides Lecce and Pisa.  Carpi defeated Lecce 2-1 on aggregate and Latina were 3-1 winners against Pisa after extra time.  For both clubs it's their first time ever in the Cadetta.
Former Serie A side Venezia also advanced, winning their play-off to move from Lega Pro 2 to Lega Pro 1.

The line-ups for the Lega Pro 2013/14 have finally been announced. Unlike the wholesale withdrawals of the past two seasons only half a dozen clubs have failed to meet the financial requirements. Among the additional clubs thus promoted from Serie D are Foggia, once upon a time in Serie A, and former Serie B stalwarts Spal and Cosenza. Verona will have three teams in the pro leagues next season with the city's third largest club, Virtus Vecomp Verona one of the extra promotees. Vicenza will have two clubs in Lega Pro with Real Vicenza also brought up. Full line-ups are:
Lega Pro 1A: Albinoleffe, Carrarase, Como, Cremonese, FeralpiSalo, Lemezzane, Pavia, Pro Patria, Pro Vercelli, Reggiana, San Marino, Savona, Sudtirol (Alto Adige), Venezia, Vicenza, Virtus Entella.
Lega Pro 1B: Ascoli, Barletta, Catanzaro, Frosinone, Grosseto, Gubbio, L'Aquila, Lecce, Nocerina, Paganese, Perugia, Pisa, Pontedera, Prato, Salernitana, Viareggio.
Lega Pro 2A: Alessandria, Bassano, Bellaria, Bra, Castiglione, Cuneo, Delta Porto Tolle, Forli', Mantova, Monza, Pergolettese, Real Vicenza, Renate, Rimini, Spal, Santarcangelo, Sassari Torres, Virtus Vecomp Verona.
Lega Pro 2B: Aprilia, Arzanese, Aversa Normanna, Casertana, Castel Rigone, Chieti, Cosenza, Foggia, Gaverrano, Ischia Isolaverde, Martina Franca, Melfi, Messina, Poggibonsi, Sorrento, Teramo, Tuttocuioio, Vigor Lamezia.