Novara Calcio

Novara Calcio, commonly referred to as Novara, is an Italian football club based in Novara, Piedmont.[1]

Novara
Full nameNovara Calcio S.p.A.
Nickname(s)Gli Azzurri (The Blues)
I Gaudenziani (The Gaudentians)
Founded1908 (1908)
GroundStadio Silvio Piola,
Novara, Italy
Capacity17,875
ChairmanMaurizio Rullo
ManagerSimone Banchieri
LeagueSerie C Group A
2019–20Serie C Group A, 7th of 20
WebsiteClub website

Novara played a Coppa Italia final against Inter Milan in 1939.[1]

History

In December 1908 the F.A.S. (Football Association Studenti) was created by eight students of Liceo Carlo Alberto, aged between 15 and 16 years; among them an engineer, Gianni Canestrini, and a lawyer, Piero Zorini. In Novara in those days, there were other small clubs like Voluntas, Pro Scalon, Ginnastica e Scherma, Forza & Speranza, Collegio Gallarini and many other student bodies. The best players from these teams came together to form Novara Calcio, and made their debut in the Italian league on 3 November 1912.

The first match was played against a team already then established as Torino, who won 2–1.

In the years between World War I and World War II, Novara merged with Pro Vercelli, Alessandria and Casale to make the so-called "quadrilatero piemontese" (Piedmont Quadrilateral). Novara's highest finish came in 1952 when they finished in eighth place in Serie A.

Italy's and club's legend Silvio Piola spent 7 seasons with Novara in the post–World War II era

During these years of staying in the top flight, Novara had Silvio Piola to thank. His many goals (which at the end of his career was over 300), made a huge contribution to the cause of Novara. Following his death in 1996, the stadium at which Novara play was dedicated in his name.

In 1956 came relegation to Serie B, and another five years afterwards, they slipped down to Serie C due to a fraudulent complaint by a Sambenedettese player.

A few successful seasons in Serie B followed, but then Novara stumbled again in 1977 with relegation to Serie C and worse in 1981 to Serie C2. In the 1995–96 season, Novara were back in Serie C1, but this joy was short-lived as the following year, the biancoazzurri again had to deal with relegation.

Years were spent in the shadows of Italian football until more recently when the league was won in the 2002–03 season.

From Serie C1 to Serie A

Consolidation in Serie C1 followed, later becoming Lega Pro Prima Divisione, until the historic promotion of the 2009–10 season where the club returned to Serie B after 33 years.[2]

On 12 June 2011, Novara remarkably secured its promotion to Serie A after a 55-year absence from the league, by defeating Padova in the play-off final.[3] Both consecutive promotions were achieved under the tenure of head coach Attilio Tesser, who was confirmed as Novara boss also for the following 2011–12 top flight campaign.

2011–12 Serie A

On 20 September 2011, the first home game in Serie A for 55 years, Novara recorded an historic 3–1 victory over the World Champions[4] of Inter.[5]

This remarkable feat, however, was not representative of their season as Novara managed to win only one more game until the end of January. The manager Attilio Tesser was replaced by veteran coach Emiliano Mondonico and re-hired one month later in a desperate and ultimately vain attempt by the owners to save the club from relegation. The club was immediately relegated again to Serie B after one season. Novara finished 5th in 2012–13 season but were eliminated by Empoli in the promotion play-offs. The following season was terrible for Novara as the club finished 19th in Serie B and lost in a play-out against Varese, losing 4–2 on aggregate. Thus, Novara were relegated to Lega Pro. Novara were crowned as champions of Group A of Lega Pro in 2014–15 and immediately returned to Serie B. In their first season back in Serie B they finished in a playoff spot but they lost to eventual winners Pescara in the semifinal. The following season saw them finish outside the playoffs in 9th, 4 points from a playoff spot. The following season saw Novara get relegated back to Lega Pro following a 20th-place finish in the 2017–18 Serie B, on 1 August 2018 Novara were admitted to the 2018–19 Serie B to fill a vacancy.

Current squad
As of 1 February 2021[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ITA Matteo Spada
2 GK  ITA Ivan Lanni
3 DF  ITA Andrea Cagnano
5 DF  ITA Davide Bove
6 DF  ITA Cesare Pogliano
7 DF  ITA Francesco Corsinelli (on loan from Bari)
8 MF  ARG Nicolás Schiavi
9 FW  ITA Eric Lanini (on loan from Parma)
10 MF  ITA Daniele Buzzegoli
11 FW  ITA Giuseppe Panico
14 DF  ITA Marco Migliorini
15 MF  ITA Riccardo Collodel
17 FW  ITA Riccardo Moreo (on loan from Cosenza)
18 FW  ITA Marco Zunno
19 FW  ARG Pablo González
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 DF  ITA Francesco Lamanna
21 DF  ITA Vittorio Pagani
23 MF  ITA Tommaso Bianchi
24 FW  ITA Giammario Piscitella
25 DF  ITA Marco Bellich
26 FW  ITA Andrea Cisco (on loan from Sassuolo)
27 MF  ITA Alessandro Spitale
28 MF  BIH Ante Hrkać
29 FW  ITA Simone Rossetti
31 GK  CAN Axel Desjardins (on loan from Spezia)
32 FW  ITA Mattia Tordini
33 DF  ITA Lorenzo Colombini (on loan from Spezia)
37 MF  BUL Hristo Ivanov
39 MF  ITA Manuele Malotti (on loan from Sambenedettese)
40 MF  ITA Mirko Bortoletti

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  ITA Giacomo Drago (at Casale)
— DF  ITA Andrea Arcidiacono (at Caronnese)
— MF  ITA Filippo Nardi (at Cremonese)
— MF  ITA Nicola Petricci (at Tiferno)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW  ITA Gabriel Bianco (at FC Messina)
— FW  ITA Simone Caricati (at Campobasso)
— FW  ITA Alessio Pinotti (at SPAL U-19)

Primavera
Main article: Novara Calcio Primavera
Primavera team player with first team squad number

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
 

Managers

Honours
Winners: 1926–27
Winners: 1937–38
Winners: 2010, 2015
Runners up: 1938-39.[1]

Divisional movements
SeriesYearsLastPromotionsRelegations
A 132011-12- 5 (1929, 1937, 1941, 1956, 2012)
B 342015–16 5 (1927, 1936, 1938, 1948, 2011) 5 (1962, 1968, 1977, 2014, 2018)
C
+C2		 21
+21		2020–21 4 (1965, 1970, 2010, 2015)
2 (1996 C2, 2003 C2)		 2 (1981 C1, 1997 C1)

89 years of professional football in Italy since 1929

References
  1. "Storia".
  2. "La storia" (in Italian). Novara Calcio. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  3. "Novara seal return to Serie A". Archived from the original on 24 May 2012.
  4. http://www.calciomercato.it/news/130777/Serie-A-Novara-Inter-3-1-Nerazzurri-ridicolizzati-trionfo-firmato-Meggiorini-e-Rigoni.html
  5. http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Squadre/Novara/20-09-2011/inter-allergica-sintetico-802962793360.shtml
  6. "TIM CUP, LA NUMERAZIONE DEL NOVARA" (Press release) (in Italian). Novara Calcio. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
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