SAN MARINO: AC Virtus (1976-) / ASD Victor San Marino (2021-)

Stadio di Acquaviva, Gualdicciolo (ASD Victor San Marino / training ground of AC Virtus)

San Marino, castello: Acquaviva

18 X 2022 / SS Folgore - SS San Giovanni 3-2 A.E.T. / Coppa Titano R1 (last 16)

Timeline

• ±1957 / Foundation of a first football club in Acquaviva, christened Robur.
• 1964 / Robur folds, ceasing all activities, but a successor club is founded straightaway in the shape of Associazione Calcio (AC) Virtus. The club's first president is Fernando Bindi. Due to the fact that San Marino itself does not have a football league at the time, AC Virtus joins a local league in Emilia-Romagna.
• 1976 / Inauguration of the new Campo di Calcio di Acquaviva in Gualdicciolo, which becomes AC Virtus' home ground. It is unclear where the club and its predecessor Robur played prior to 1976.
• 1978 / AC Virtus wins promotion to the Terza Categoria of Emilia-Romagna's non-league pyramid.
• 1980 / Finishing fourth in Terza Categoria under the guidance of manager Bruno Piscaglia, AC Virtus just misses out on promotion to Seconda Categoria.
• 1985 / Upon the introduction of San Marino's own football league, AC Virtus is one of the founding members. It should be pointed out that, in San Marino's football league, each club has its own training ground, whereas matches are played across the country - without any club having a fixed home ground.
• 1988 / AC Virtus has the most successful season in its history, reaching the final of San Marino's domestic league, in which it loses to SP Tre Fiori; subsequently, however, the club wins its first silverware, the Trofeo Federale or San Marino's Super Cup. 
• 1997 / For the first time in club history, AC Virtus reaches the final of Coppa Titano, San Marino's cup competition, losing the final in Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle against SS Murata (2-0).
• 2011 / AC Virtus qualifies for the Coppa Titano final once more, but is defeated at the hands of AC Juvenes/Dogana (4-1).
• 2018 / Renovation works are undertaken, involving the construction of new changing rooms, a synthetic pitch, and a 500 all-seater covered stand. As a result, the ground does not see competitive action for almost a year.
• 2019 / In January 2019, the new Stadio di Acquaviva is inaugurated. Now one of the country's best sports facilities, it has since been home of San Marino Academy, the country's women's football team which competes in the Italian leagues.
• 2021 / San Marino Calcio, the only Sammarinese club which continued to be part of Italy's league system after the introduction of San Marino's football league in 1985, having been absorbed by Italian side Cattolica Calcio in 2019, a phoenix club is founded in the shape of Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica (ASD) Victor San Marino. Whereas San Marino Calcio used to play at San Marino's national stadium, 'Victor' settles at Stadio di Acquaviva. The new club starts life in Eccellenza, the fifth step of the Italian league pyramid.
• 2023 / Winning the title in Eccellenza Emilia-Romagna, group B, ASD Victor San Marino accedes to Serie D, the lowest Italian national division. Meanwhile, also in the 2022-23 season, AC Virtus defeats SP Tre Penne in the final of the Coppa Titano (3-1), winning this cup for the first time in its history.
• 2024 / Winning the Sammarinese title for the first time in club history, 2 points ahead of runners-up SP La Fiorita, AC Virtus qualifies for the Champions League preliminaries, being eliminated in the first qualifying round by Romania's FCSB (11-1 aggr.). Meanwhile, ASD Victor San Marino has a fine season in Serie D, finishing in fourth place in group D and qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated in R1 by US Corticella (2-1).

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author