Calcio Padova

Padova

Full name	Calcio Padova SpA
Nickname(s)	I Biancoscudati (The White-Shielded) The Patavini (The Patavins)
Founded	29 January 1910;114 years ago (1910-01-29) as ACP
Ground	Stadio Euganeo, Padua, Italy
Capacity	32,420 (often limited to 18,060)
Owner	Amber Capital LP
Chairman	Daniele Boscolo Meneguolo
Manager	Matteo Andreoletti
League	Serie C Group A
2023–24	Serie C Group A, 2nd of 20
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours

Calcio Padova, commonly referred to as Padova, is an Italian football club based in Padua, Veneto. Founded in 1910, Padova currently play in Serie C Group A, having last been in Serie A in 1996. The team's official colours are white and red.

The team was refounded in 2014 after the sports title was awarded to Biancoscudati Padova for the 2014–15 Serie D season as a phoenix club. The old holder of the title was in the process of liquidation after it was expelled from 2014–15 Lega Pro. The original Padova was renamed Football Padova in order to allow the new iteration of Padova to use the original name of the club, Calcio Padova in 2015.

History

In the 1940s, the team was coached by Béla Guttmann. Padova's golden days were the late 1950s, when the team managed by Nereo Rocco, reached the heights of third place in 1958 thanks to the wing wizardry of Kurt Hamrin. Forwards Sergio Brighenti and Aurelio Milani would star as Padova remained a force in Serie A, before relegation in 1962. The rest of the 1960s would see the club in Serie B before going into a serious decline ahead of a 1980s revival.

The revival would see Padova return to Serie B in the early 1980s, and within a decade they would be serious promotion contenders. A play-off win over Cesena in 1994 saw the club return to Serie A after 32 years. After a dire start to the 1994–95 season, Padova looked like fulfilling most experts' predictions of a swift return to Serie B. They nonetheless found their form in the second half of the year and when they recorded a 1–0 win away to Juventus, they were six points clear of the drop zone. However, they eventually ended up contesting the relegation play-off against Genoa, due to a late Inter Milan goal assisted by a Rubén Sosa corner, which they won on penalties.

There would be no such luck the following year, as Padova were relegated, with further relegations in 1998 and 1999. Since 2001, they have resided in Serie C1 and Lega Pro Prima Divisione. The team returned in Serie B at the end of the 2008–2009 season.

In total, Calcio Padova participated in 11 Prima Divisione/Divisione Nazionale championships between 1914–15 and 1928–29 (best place being 3rd in 1922–23) and 16 Serie A championships between 1929–30 and 1995–96 (best place being 3rd in 1957–58); in Coppa Italia, the best place was runner-up in 1967. Padova won a Coppa Italia Serie C in 1980, and played also 34 Serie B championships (won in 1947–48) and 29 Serie C1/C2/Lega Pro Prima Divisione championships (won in 1936–37, 1980–81 and 2000–01). Padova finished runner-up the Anglo-Italian Cup of 1983.

In the 2013–14 Serie B season, Padova were relegated after finishing 20th, and on 15 July 2014, the team did not sign up to the 2014–15 Lega Pro championship. In April 2015, the company was put into liquidation. ^[1]

Biancoscudati Padova

The logo used in the 2014–15 season.

The club was founded in the summer of 2014, with the name Società Sportiva Dilettantistica a r.l. Biancoscudati Padova, after the non-inclusion of Calcio Padova in Lega Pro and Serie D. ^[2]

The first official match was Biancoscudati Padova-Castellana (2–0), valid for the Coppa Italia Serie D, played 24 August 2014. ^[3]

On 19 April 2015, by virtue of a 2–1 away victory against Legnago, the team secured promotion to Lega Pro. ^[4]

On 5 June 2015, changed its name to Biancoscudati Padova Spa. ^[5]

On 6 July 2015, changed its name to Calcio Padova Spa, after the old Calcio Padova changed its name to Football Padova Spa – società in liquidazione. ^[6]

Vincenzo Italiano, former captain of Padova.

Players

First team squad

As of 30 August 2024 ^[7]

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 Mattia Fortin 2 DF   ITA Filippo Delli Carri 4 DF   ITA Francesco Belli 5 DF   ITA Marco Perrotta 6 MF   ITA Lorenzo Crisetig 7 MF   ECU Kevin Varas 8 MF   ITA Pietro Fusi 9 FW   ITA Alberto Spagnoli 10 MF   ITA Simone Russini 11 MF   ITA Carmine Cretella 12 GK   ITA Michele Voltan 13 DF   ITA Luca Crescenzi 14 DF   ITA Luca Villa 15 MF   ITA Nicolò Bianchi

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF   ITA Alessandro Capelli 19 MF   ITA Nicola Valente 20 FW   ITA Mattia Bortolussi 21 MF   ITA Michael Liguori 22 GK   ITA Matteo Carniello 23 DF   ITA Antonio Granata 26 DF   NZL Niko Kirwan 29 MF   ITA Jérémie Broh 30 DF   ITA Giulio Favale 37 FW   ITA Andrea Montrone 72 DF   ITA Carlo Faedo 73 DF   ITA Alberto Targa 77 MF   ITA Francesco Tumiatti 99 FW   ITA Andrea Beccaro

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 — MF   ITA Jacopo Bacci (at Empoli until 30 June 2025)

Honours

• Serie B
  • Winners: 1947–48 (group B)
• Serie C
  • Winners: 1936–37 (group C), 2017–18 (group B)
• Serie C2
  • Winners: 1980–81 (group B), 2000–01 (group A)
• Serie D
  • Winners: 2014–15 (group C)
• Coppa Italia Serie C
  • Winners: 1979–80, 2021–22
• Supercoppa di Serie C
  • Winners: 2018

Divisional movements

Series	Years	Last	Promotions	Relegations
A	16	1995–96	–	5 (1930, 1934, 1952, 1962, 1996)
B	38	2018–19	4 (1932, 1948, 1955, 1994)	6 (1935, 1969, 1985, 1998, 2014✟, 2019)
C +C2	34 +4	2024–25	5 (1937, 1983, 1987, 2009, 2018) 2 (1981 C2, 2001 C2)	2 (1979 C1, 1999 C1)
92 out of 93 years of professional football in Italy since 1929
Founding member of the Football League’s First Division in 1921
D	1	2014–15	1 (2015)	never

References

1. (in Italian) Info on ilgazzettino.it
2. "Avv. Chiacchio: "Non solo l'ACP1910 ha fatto richiesta di ammissione alla D, ma è arrivata anche la risposta. Padova caso clamoroso, poteva essere in B"" (in Italian). padovasport.tv. 20 August 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
3. "Biancoscudati Padova, buona la prima davanti a 2.000 spettatori" (in Italian). mattinopadova.gelocal.it. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
4. Il Padova torna nel calcio che conta: battuto il Legnago, è Lega Pro! mattinopadova.gelocal.it
5. (in Italian) Definito il cambio di ragione sociale in Biancoscudati Padova Spa
6. (in Italian) Ora è davvero ufficiale, torniamo a chiamarci CALCIO PADOVA
7. "Padova squad". Soccerway. Retrieved 20 September 2022.