Delfino Pescara 1936

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Pescara
Delfino Pescara logo.svg
Full nameDelfino Pescara 1936 S.p.A.
Nickname(s)I Delfini (The Dolphins)
I Biancazzurri (The White and Blues)
Gli Adriatici (The Adriatics)
Founded1936;89 years ago (1936)
Ground Stadio Adriatico – Giovanni Cornacchia
Capacity20,476
Chairman Daniele Sebastiani
Manager Vincenzo Vivarini
League Serie B
2024–25 Serie C Group B, 4th of 20 (promoted via play-offs)
Website pescaracalcio.com
Soccerball current event.svg Current season

Delfino Pescara 1936, commonly referred to as Pescara, is a professional Italian football club based in Pescara, Abruzzo.

Contents

The club was formed in 1936 and currently plays in Serie B, following their victory in the 2024–25 Serie C promotion play-offs. Pescara has competed in seven seasons in Serie A, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1992–93, 2012–13 and last participated in 2016–17. The team's official colors are white and light blue varied between either azure or sky blue, manifested in striped shirts with white socks and shorts.

History

Aside from a spell in Serie B in the 1940s, Pescara had a relatively undistinguished history until promotion to Serie B in 1974. With players like Giorgio Repetto and Bruno Nobili in the midfield, they managed to win their first promotion to Serie A in 1977 after winning the promotion play-off, but ultimately finished their first season in Serie A in last place. A second promotion after a play-off followed, but once more they would be relegated from the top flight and then descended to Serie C1 within two years.

The performance of Pescara in the Italian football league structure since the first season of a unified Serie A (1929/30). Pescara through the ages 2023.jpg
The performance of Pescara in the Italian football league structure since the first season of a unified Serie A (1929/30).

Nonetheless, after returning to Serie B after a year, Pescara would enjoy a revival after the appointment of Giovanni Galeone as coach in 1986. His philosophy of attacking football saw the Biancazzurri promoted to Serie A as champions in 1987, where they lasted two years with players such as Júnior and Blaž Slišković among the club's star players. Galeone would return during the 1990–91 season and oversaw another promotion the following year.

After relegation, Pescara remained in Serie B side throughout the 1990s, narrowly missing promotion in 1999. Relegation to C1 followed in 2001, with promotion in 2003 being followed by two revoked relegations in a row due to bankruptcy and scandals affecting other clubs. Pescara was ultimately relegated in the 2006–07 season, with three presidential and managerial changes during the season. In December 2008, the debt-ridden club was legally declared out of business and its control passed to a bankruptcy trustee appointed by the Court of Pescara. In February 2009, a takeover from a group named Delfino Pescara 1936 was finalized with Deborah Caldora becoming the first woman to serve as chairman of the club. In the meantime, results did not improve significantly and in March, Giuseppe Galderisi was dismissed from the head coaching post with Antonello Cuccureddu being appointed as the new boss.

At the beginning of the 2009–10 season, Eusebio Di Francesco was appointed as the new coach. Pescara finished second in Girone B of Lega Pro Prima Divisione and qualified for the promotional play-offs. They defeated Reggiana in the semi-final and Verona in the final and subsequently returned to Serie B after a three-year absence. The following season started with the appointment of Zdeněk Zeman as new head coach; the Czech manager immediately brought Pescara back into national coverage thanks to his well-known all-attacking playing style that turned out to match perfectly with promising youngsters such as Marco Verratti with loanees Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne, who guided the squad to promotion to Serie A. Pescara secured promotion to the top-level after a 19-year absence after defeating Sampdoria with a 3–1 score in an away match on 20 May 2012. In the last minute of the final game of the regular season, Pescara striker Riccardo Maniero netted the winner in a match against Nocerina to claim Pescara's second Serie B title after Torino's draw away to AlbinoLeffe.

Pescara's 2012–13 campaign in Serie A – after losing Zeman, Verratti, Immobile and Insigne – ended with relegation back to the second tier. [1] Three years later, under World Cup winner Massimo Oddo, the team returned to Serie A with a 3–1 aggregate win over Trapani in the playoff final. [2] Zeman returned in February 2017 to the team, [3] who again lasted just one year at the top before being relegated in last place. [4]

In August 2018, Pescara launched a public mini-bond investment opportunity via sports investment platform Tifosy to raise a minimum of €2,000,000. [5] The investment scheme raised a total of €2,300,000 to develop the club's youth sector and facilities. [6]

Following an online competition to ease children's boredom during the coronavirus lockdown, the team adopted six-year-old Luigi D'Agostino's shirt design for the 2020 season. [7]

After a poor 2020–21 campaign, the side were relegated to Serie C, the third tier of Italian football. However, during the 2024–25 Serie C, Pescara finished 4th in their group, thus qualifying for the second round promotion play-offs, where they would beat Pianese to move on to the next round. In the national phase, they would beat Catania in a 2–2 aggregate and went on to beat Vis Pesaro in the second round. In the final four, they would beat Audace Cerignola to qualify for the finals, and went on to face Ternana. Although winning the first leg, Ternana would tie the aggregate in the second leg, however, after beating the team 3–1 in penalties, thus securing them promotion to the 2025–26 Serie B after 4 years of relegation from the second tier. On their return to Serie B, they debuted on August 23 with a 3–1 loss against Cesena. [8]

Supporters

One of Pescara's main rivals is Bari. [9]

Players

Current squad

As of 11 September 2025 [10]

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

No.Pos.NationPlayer
1 GK Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Sebastiano Desplanches (on loan from Palermo )
2 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Riccardo Capellini
3 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Gaetano Letizia
5 MF Flag of the Netherlands.svg  NED Julian Brandes
6 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Niccolò Squizzato
7 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Lorenzo Meazzi
8 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Matteo Dagasso
9 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Antonio Di Nardo
10 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Davide Merola
11 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Gianmarco Cangiano
12 GK Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Nicolò Profeta
13 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Riccardo Brosco ( captain )
14 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Luca Valzania
15 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Riccardo Tonin
16 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Tommaso Corazza (on loan from Bologna )
No.Pos.NationPlayer
17 FW Flag of Nigeria.svg  NGA Orji Okwonkwo (on loan from Bologna )
18 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Lorenzo Sgarbi (on loan from Napoli )
20 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Leonardo Graziani
21 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Fabrizio Caligara (on loan from Sassuolo )
22 GK Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Ivan Saio
23 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Filippo Pellacani
27 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Giacomo Olzer
31 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Alessandro Vinciguerra(on loan from Cagliari )
33 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Andrea Oliveri (on loan from Atalanta )
35 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Davide Giannini
36 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Lorenzo Berardi
73 MF Flag of Albania.svg  ALB Erdis Kraja
74 FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Frank Tsadjout (on loan from Cremonese )
95 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Gabriele Corbo
DF Flag of Guadeloupe (local).svg  GLP Andreaw Gravillon

Delfino Pescara 1936 Primavera

As of 22 August 2025

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

No.Pos.NationPlayer
24 DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Jacopo La Barba

Out on loan

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

No.Pos.NationPlayer
DF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Matteo Milan(at Giugliano until 30 June 2026)
MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Giuseppe Saccomanni(at Pineto until 30 June 2026)
No.Pos.NationPlayer
FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Andrea Ferraris (at Salernitana until 30 June 2026)
FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Michael Zeppieri(at Torino Primavera until 30 June 2026)

Coaching staff

As of 2 July 2025 [11]

PositionName
Sporting director Flag of Italy.svg Pasquale Foggia
Head coach Flag of Italy.svg Vincenzo Vivarini
Assistant coach Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Milani
Technical assistant Flag of Italy.svg Diego Labricciosa
Match analyst and technical assistant Flag of Italy.svg Massimo Carcarino
Goalkeeping coach Flag of Italy.svg Fabrizio Zambardi
Social doctors Flag of Italy.svg Emanuela Spada
Flag of Italy.svg Angelo Circolone
Flag of Italy.svg Lorenzo Mazzocchetti
Health consultant Flag of Italy.svg Gabriele Tavolieri
Flag of Italy.svg Stefano Guarracini
Athletic trainer Flag of Italy.svg Antonio Del Fosco
Rehab coach Flag of Italy.svg Carlo Cavasinni
Physiotherapists Flag of Italy.svg Marco Rossi
Flag of Italy.svg Rocco Trivarelli
Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Giannini
Administrative manager Flag of Italy.svg Elena Di Stefano
Marketing manager Flag of Italy.svg Pietro Falconio
Marketing Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Scazzosi
Team manager Flag of Italy.svg Francesco Troiano
Support liaison officer Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Cupaiolo
Responsible for combating abuse, violence, and discrimination Flag of Italy.svg Attorney Domenico Giorgetti
Head of communications Flag of Italy.svg Massimo Mucciante
Event management delegate Flag of Italy.svg Luigi Gramenzi
Deputy event management delegate Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Blasioli
Press office Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Mazzetti
Official store Flag of Italy.svg Catia Crocetta
Flag of Italy.svg Erika Mascitti
Kitman Flag of Italy.svg Luciano Palombi
Flag of Italy.svg Cristian Cremonese
Flag of Romania.svg Geanina Olariu
Youth sector president Flag of Italy.svg Marco Tortora
Youth sector director Flag of Italy.svg Antonio Bocchetti
Youth sector and football school coordinator Flag of Italy.svg Angelo Londrillo
President of Piccoli Delfini Flag of Italy.svg Filippo Falconio

Managerial history

NameNationalityYears
Edmondo De Amicis Flag of Italy.svg 1937–38
Pietro Piselli Flag of Italy.svg 1938–39
Armando Bonino Flag of Italy.svg 1939–40
Mario Pizziolo Flag of Italy.svg 1940–41
Luigi Ferrero Flag of Italy.svg 1941–43
Edmondo De Amicis Flag of Italy.svg 1944–45
Giuseppe Marchi Flag of Italy.svg 1945–46
József Bánás Flag of Hungary.svg 1946–47
Mario Pizziolo Flag of Italy.svg 1947–48
Gino Piccinini Flag of Italy.svg 1948–49
Benedetto Stella Flag of Italy.svg 1949–50
Luigi Del Grosso Flag of Italy.svg 1950–53
Umberto De Angelis Flag of Italy.svg 1953–55
Alfredo Notti Flag of Italy.svg 1955–56
Alfredo Monza
Renato Piacentini
Orazio Sola
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1956–57
Renato Piacentini Flag of Italy.svg 1957–58
Aurelio Marchese
Mario Tontodonati
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1958–59
Ljubo Benčić
Mario Tontodonati
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1959–61
Umberto De Angelis Flag of Italy.svg 1961–62
Leonardo Costagliola Flag of Italy.svg 1962–63
Ljubo Benčić
Renato Piacentini
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1963–64
Ljubo Benčić
Vincenzo Marsico
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1964–65
Antonio Giammarinaro
Alfredo Notti
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1965–66
Sergio Cervato Flag of Italy.svg 1966–67
Antonio Giammarinaro Flag of Italy.svg 1967–68
Gianni Seghedoni
Mario Tontodonati
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1968–69
Dante Lacorata
Mario Tontodonati
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1969–70
Francesco Capocasale Flag of Italy.svg 1970–71
Enzo Falini
Vitaliano Patricelli
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1971–72
Domenico Rosati Flag of Italy.svg 1972–76
Giancarlo Cadé Flag of Italy.svg 1976–78
Antonio Valentín Angelillo Flag of Italy.svg 1978–79
Gustavo Giagnoni
Claudio Tobia
Mario Tontodonati
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1979–80
Aldo Agroppi Flag of Italy.svg 1980–81
Giuseppe Chiappella
Saul Malatrasi
Mario Tiddia
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1981–82
Domenico Rosati Flag of Italy.svg 1982–84
Enrico Catuzzi Flag of Italy.svg 1984–86
Giovanni Galeone Flag of Italy.svg 1986–89
Ilario Castagner
Edoardo Reja
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1989–90
Giovanni Galeone
Carlo Mazzone
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1990–91
Giovanni Galeone Flag of Italy.svg 1991–92
Vincenzo Zucchini Flag of Italy.svg 1992–93
Gianni Corelli
Giorgio Rumignani
Franco Scoglio
Vincenzo Zucchini
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1993–94
Francesco Oddo
Giorgio Rumignani
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1994–95
Luigi Maifredi
Francesco Oddo
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1995–96
Delio Rossi Flag of Italy.svg July 1996 – June 1997
Adriano Buffoni
Maurizio Viscidi
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
1997–98
Luigi De Canio
Francesco Giorgini
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
July 1998 – June 1999
Giovanni Galeone Flag of Italy.svg July 1999 – Nov 2000
Tarcisio Burgnich
Giovanni Galeone
Delio Rossi
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
2000–01
Ivo Iaconi Flag of Italy.svg July 2001 – May 2004
Cetteo Di Mascio Flag of Italy.svg May 2004 - June 2004
Giovanni Simonelli Flag of Italy.svg June 2004 – June 2005
Maurizio Sarri Flag of Italy.svg July 2005 – July 2006
Davide Ballardini
Aldo Ammazzalorso
Luigi De Rosa
Vincenzo Vivarini
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
Flag of Italy.svg
July 2006 – June 2007
Franco Lerda Flag of Italy.svg July 2007 – June 2008
Giuseppe Galderisi Flag of Italy.svg July 2008 – March 2009
Antonello Cuccureddu Flag of Italy.svg 2009–10
Eusebio Di Francesco Flag of Italy.svg Jan 2010 – June 2011
Zdeněk Zeman Flag of the Czech Republic.svg June 2011 – June 2012
Giovanni Stroppa Flag of Italy.svg June 2012 – November 2012
Cristiano Bergodi Flag of Italy.svg November 2012 – March 2013
Cristian Bucchi Flag of Italy.svg March 2013 – June 2013
Pasquale Marino Flag of Italy.svg June 2013 – February 2014
Serse Cosmi Flag of Italy.svg February 2014 – July 2014
Marco Baroni Flag of Italy.svg August 2014 – May 2015
Massimo Oddo Flag of Italy.svg May 2015 – February 2017
Luciano Zauri (caretaker) Flag of Italy.svg February 2017
Zdeněk Zeman Flag of the Czech Republic.svg February 2017 – March 2018
Massimo Epifani Flag of Italy.svg March 2018 – April 2018
Giuseppe Pillon Flag of Italy.svg April 2018 – May 2019
Luciano Zauri Flag of Italy.svg June 2019 – January 2020
Nicola Legrottaglie Flag of Italy.svg January 2020 – July 2020
Andrea Sottil Flag of Italy.svg July 2020 – August 2020
Massimo Oddo Flag of Italy.svg August 2020 – November 2020
Roberto Breda Flag of Italy.svg November 2020 – January 2021
Gianluca Grassadonia Flag of Italy.svg January 2021 – June 2021
Gaetano Auteri Flag of Italy.svg June 2021 – April 2022
Luciano Zauri Flag of Italy.svg April 2022 – June 2022
Alberto Colombo Flag of Italy.svg June 2022 – June 2022
Zdeněk Zeman Flag of the Czech Republic.svg June 2022 – February 2024
Giovanni Bucaro Flag of Italy.svg February 2024 – March 2024
Emmanuel Cascione Flag of Italy.svg March 2024 – July 2024
Silvio Baldini Flag of Italy.svg July 2024 

Honours

Divisional movements

SeriesYearsLastPromotionsRelegations
A 7 2016–17 -Decrease2.svg 6 (1978, 1980, 1989, 1993, 2013, 2017)
B 39 2020–21 Increase2.svg 6 (1977, 1979, 1987, 1992, 2012, 2016)Decrease2.svg 5 (1949, 1982, 2001, 2007, 2021)
C 29 2024–25 Increase2.svg 6 (1941, 1974, 1983, 2003, 2010, 2025)Decrease2.svg 3 ( 1935✟, 1950, 1972)
75 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929
D 10 1972–73 Increase2.svg 1 (1938, 1958, 1973)never
E 1 1936–37 Increase2.svg 1 (1937)never

• Forerunner red-blue AC Pescara (1932–1935) included

References

  1. Sargeant, Jack (27 May 2013). "Serie A 2012-13 season review: Pescara sink into Serie B". SB Nation. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  2. Manfredi, Jacopo (9 June 2016). "Trapani-Pescara 1-1, Verre porta i biancazzurri in A con un gol da 40 metri" [Trapani-Pescara 1-1, Verre takes the Biancazzurri to A with a goal from 40 metres]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  3. Bandini, Nicky (20 February 2017). "Zemanlandia back open for business as Pescara exchange freefall for free-scoring". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  4. "Empoli relegated as Crotone beat Lazio to secure Serie A survival". FourFourTwo. 28 May 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  5. "Il Pescara lancia un mini-bond su Tifosy: obiettivo 3 milioni, renderà l'8% annuo" [Pescara launches a mini-bond on Tifosy: target 3 million, will make 8% per annum]. Calcio e Finanza (in Italian). 12 September 2018.
  6. "Pescara, completata la sottoscrizione del bond su Tifosy: incassati 2,3 milioni" [Pescara, bond campaign of Tifosy complete: 2.3 million raised] (in Italian). Calcio e Finanza. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  7. "Pescara football club adopts Italian boy's shirt design". BBC News. 21 April 2020.
  8. "Delfino Pescara vs. Cesena - Final Score - August 22, 2025". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  9. "Dead rooster warning for Bari coach Grosso". France 24. 15 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  10. "Rosa 2025/2026". pescaracalcio.com. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  11. "ORGANIGRAMMA" (in Italian). Delfino Pescara 1936. Retrieved 16 November 2023.