Extreme Football Tourism: SAN MARINO: SP Tre Penne

Wednesday, 19 October 2022

SAN MARINO: SP Tre Penne

Campo Sportivo di Fonte dell'Ovo, San Marino (training ground of SP Tre Penne)

San Marino, castello: San Marino

19 X 2022 / SS Pennarossa - SP Tre Penne 1-4 / Coppa Titano R1 (last 16)

Timeline

1956 / Foundation of Società Polisportiva (SP) Tre Penne, football club in Città di San Marino (City of San Marino), capital of the eponymous microstate. It is unclear where the club had its home ground for the first 28 years of its existence.
1959 / SP Tre Penne is given permission by San Marino's Football Association (FSGC), which does not organise a national football league until the mid-1980s, to enter a team in Italian non-league - which it does under the name Società Libertas-Tre Penne. Apart from its involvement in non-league football in Italy, SP Tre Penne takes part in domestic cup competitions, most notably the Coppa Titano.
1966 / In an obscure football tournament held in Breganzona (Switzerland), the so-called Amateur Tournament of Small States, SP Tre Penne represents San Marino. Surprisingly reaching the final, it is eventually beaten by Austria's national amateur team.
1967 / SP Tre Penne wins the Coppa Titano for a first time - a feat repeated by the club in 1970, 1982, 1983, 2000, and 2017.
1984 / Construction of the Campo Sportivo di Fonte dell'Ovo, alternatively referred to as the Campo Sportivo di Montecchio - due to its situation in Montecchio Park. Henceforth, the ground is Tre Penne's home base, although it should be pointed out that, in San Marino's club championship, organised from 1985 onwards, matches are played across the country - without any club having a fixed home ground. The ground is used for training purposes by several other clubs as well.
2006 / While almost bereft of silverware in the first two decades after the introduction of San Marino's home championship, SP Tre Penne wins the Trofeo Federale or Sanmarinese Super Cup in 2006 - and will do so again in 2014 and 2017, when the name of the competition has been changed officially to Supercoppa Sammarinese.
2008 / Extensive renovation works are undertaken at Campo Sportivo di Fonte dell'Ovo, involving the construction of an open all-seater stand (capacity: 600), a 3G pitch, as well as the addition to the ground of the so-called Casa del Calcio, the new seat of FSGC. Total costs of the works are estimated at 1,8 million euros. The new premises are inaugurated in the presence of UEFA President Michel Platini.
2010 / Tre Penne qualifies for European football for the first time in its history. Representing San Marino in the Europa League, the club is butchered by Bosnia's NK Zrinjski Mostar in the qualifiers (13-3 on aggregate). As is common practice with all clubs representing San Marino in European competitions, SP Tre Penne played its home tie at Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle.
2012 / Reaching the final of San Marino's league championship at the national stadium, in which it defeats AC Libertas, SP Tre Penne wins San Marino's national title for the first time. Following this, the club takes part in UEFA's Champions League for the first time, suffering a 11-0 aggregate drubbing at the hands of Luxembourg's F91 Dudelange.
2013 / SP Tre Penne wins its second national title in a row. Drawing Shirak SC (Armenia) in the Champions League's first qualifying round, Tre Penne manages a historic win at Serravalle (1-0) - given that it is the first time ever a Sammarinese team manages to defeat foreign opposition. In spite of this, due to the first leg in Gyumri having ended in 3-0 for the Armenian side, San Marino's title holders are eliminated.
2016 / SP Tre Penne wins its third national title.
2019 / SP Tre Penne wins its fourth national title.
2023 / SP Tre Penne wins its fifth national title, 1 point ahead of SS Cosmos. The club also reaches the final of the Coppa Titano, in which it is defeated by AC Virtus (3-1). In the summer of 2023, the club suffers heavy defeats at the hands of Breiðablik UBK in the 1st preliminary round in Kópavogur (1-7) - continuing in the Conference League preliminaries, in which it stumbles over the first hurdle as well, against Latvia's FK Valmiera (10-0 aggregate).
2024 / Winning the Conference League play-offs in San Marino following a third place finish in the regular championship, SP Tre Penne is eliminated in the first preliminary round of the Conference League by Floriana FC (4-2 aggr.).