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LATEST UPDATE - US CREMONESE / STADIO GIOVANNI ZINI, CREMONA (ITALY)

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

ITALY: US Cremonese

Stadio Giovanni Zini, Cremona (US Cremonese)

Italy, region: Lombardy

29 XII 2024 / US Cremonese - Brescia Calcio 1-1 / Serie B (= ITA level 2)

Timeline

• 1903 / Foundation of a sport club for different sports – but not football – in Cremona during a meeting at Trattoria La Varesina, Piazza Sant’Angelo. The new club is given the name Società Polisportiva (SP) Cremonese, with Emilio Faia becoming its first chairman.
• 1910 / As football is added to the myriad of activities developed by SP Cremonese, the club takes on a new name, Unione Sportiva (US) Cremonese. It is unclear where US Cremonese’s ground in the first nine years of the club’s existence was situated.
• 1912 / US Cremonese joins the Italian Football Association, FIGC (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio).
• 1913 / US Cremonese absorbs a younger football club from Cremona, Associazione Calcio (AC) Cremonese, without changing its name as a result. Subsequently, in the course of the 1913-14 season, the club adopts the red-and-grey colours which have made its outfits so recognisable until the present day.
• 1914 / Champions in Promozione Lombarda, 4 points ahead of joint runners-up Aurora (Busta Arsizio) and AC Savoia, US Cremonese  wins promotion to Prima Categoria, the top level of the Italian football pyramid at that time – although it has to be pointed out that this was no nationwide competition, but a system subdivided into regional divisions. The successful coach is Giovanni Gandelli.
• 1915 / Following Italy’s joining the Allied side in World War I, and many players being called up to perform their armed service, US Cremonese ceases its activities for the duration of the war. One of the club’s players, goalkeeper Giovanni Zini, passes away that same year after contracting a typhus infection while serving in the Bersaglieri infantry corps in Cividale del Friuli, not far from the Isonzo front. Zini was only 21 years old.
• 1919 / Upon the resumption of its activities, US Cremonese absorbs another younger local club, FC Aurora (Cremona), without changing its name as a result. That same year, the club conquers the so-called Coppa delle Province Lombarde, easing past Switzerland’s FC Chiasso in the final (7-0). FC Chiasso were part of the Italian league pyramid until 1923. That same year, on November 2nd, 1919, US Cremonese’s new ground is inaugurated, the Campo di Via Persico, where it has played until the present day. In its original form, the ground only had one stand, situated on the western side of the pitch, with 500 covered seats. The inaugural match is the Prima Categoria encounter with Juventus Italia (Milan), finishing in a 3-0 defeat for the home side. In the early years, the ground is also referred to locally as the Campo Inglese (or ‘English Pitch’), due to the fact that, in 1917-18, a UK battalion had been garrisoned on the location where the stadium was to be built.
• 1922 / Champions in Prima Categoria Group B Lombardy, 3 points ahead of runners-up CS Trevigliese, US Cremonese qualifies for the Lombardy championship play-offs, in which it places second in a group of four, 3 points behind winners Esperia FC, which is the only of the four teams which progresses in a bid to win Italy’s nationwide title. Also in 1922, a cycling track is added to the set-up of the Campo di Via Persico, with the ground officially being renamed Motovelodromo.
• 1924 / The Motovelodromo, formerly the Campo di Via Persico, is renamed Stadio Giovanni Zini in honour of the club’s first goalkeeper, who had passed away while serving in the Italian army in 1915.
• 1926 / Runners-up in Group B of the Prima Divisione Nord, 8 points behind the eventual nationwide title winners FBC Juventus, US Cremonese qualifies for the newly formed Divisione Nazionale.
• 1927 / Finishing in second-last place in Divisione Nazionale Group B, US Cremonese is condemned to relegation to the second level along with bottom club SF Fortitudo Pro Roma – only to be readmitted to the top division following fascist authorities forcing two other Divisione Nazionale clubs, SG Andrea Doria and AC Sampierdarenese, to merge, resulting in the foundation of AC La Dominante (precursor of modern-day UC Sampdoria), and one extra top tier spot falling free as a result. US Cremonese was not spared of fascist meddling either, as Roberto Farinacci, originating from Cremona and one of the fascist party’s top politicians – later to prove himself one of the most gruesome antisemites in Mussolini’s regime – was named honorary chairman of the club in 1927. That same year, the Stadio Giovanni Zini was all but ravished in a cyclone; the cycling track surrounding the pitch would not be restored subsequently.
• 1929 / Finishing in seventh place in the Divisione Nazionale, US Cremonese qualifies for the first-ever Serie A season. Also in 1929, renovation works get underway on the Stadio Giovanni Zini, involving the construction of a new main stand, which has remained in use until the present day – and being known as the Tribuna Centrale nowadays.
• 1930 / Coached by Secondo Talamazzini, who had succeeded the Hungarian trainer Béla Ludwig in the course of the season, US Cremonese finishes bottom of the Serie A table, thus descending into Serie B along with the club finishing in second-last place, AC Padova.
• 1931 / Following the completion of the reconstruction works on the ground, which had gotten underway two years previously, the ground – which, apart from its main stand, now has grass embankments surrounding the other sides of the pitch – is renamed Campo Polisportivo. The entrance arch, constructed in 1930-31, is still in place today (cp. photo 1 below).
• 1933 / At the behest of fascist authorities, the Campo Polisportivo is renamed Campo Polisportivo Roberto Farinacci in honour of the club’s honorary president and mayor of Cremona.
• 1935 / Coached by Hungarian József Bánás, US Cremonese finishes in shared eighth place in Serie B Group B with US Foggia, meeting the club from Apulia in a relegation tie-break – necessary because Serie B would be reduced to one single division in the 1935-36 season. With the first match, held at Ancona’s Stadio Dorico, finishing in a 1-1 draw, US Foggia wins the second match, at Fano’s Polisportivo Borgo Metauro, 1-0. As a result, US Cremonese is retrograded to Serie C for the new season.
• 1936 / Champions in Serie C Group B, 2 points ahead of closest followers AC Reggiana, US Cremonese manages an immediate return to Serie B. The successful coach is Italo Defendi. That same year, Cremonese’s star midfielder Renato Olmi, signs a contract with local rivals AC Brescia. Four years later, as a player of AS Ambrosiana-Inter, Olmi would win three caps for the Italian national side.
• 1938 / Coached by Italo Defendi, who had agreed to come back to the club in the course of the season, replacing Cesare Cassanelli, US Cremonese finishes in fifteenth place in Serie B, resulting in the club dropping back to Serie C along with AC Brescia, AS Taranto, and bottom club AC Messina.
• 1939 / US Cremonese finishes as runners-up in Serie C Group B, 2 points behind champions AC Reggiana.
• 1941 / Midfielder Giacomo Mari, an US Cremonese youth academy player, makes his debut in the club’s first team. Mari would go on to play for Cremonese until 1946, when he earned himself a transfer to Atalanta BC. In the course of his career, Mari would also earn eight caps for Italy (1948-54).
• 1942 / Champions in Serie C Group B, 2 points ahead of runners-up Parma AS, US Cremonese qualifies for a play-off group of three, with two promotion places being available. Finishing in second place in this play-off, behind GS MATER, but ahead of AS Pro Gorizia – albeit only on goal difference – the club accedes to Serie B. The successful coach is Giuseppe Bonizzoni.
• 1945 / After being arrested by partisans while on the escape to the Swiss border in April 1945, US Cremonese’s honorary chairman Roberto Farinacci is executed after a summary trial. That same year, following the end of World War II hostilities in Europe, the Campo Polisportivo Roberto Farinacci has its old name reinstated, Stadio Giovanni Zini. Around this same time, the former cycling track, which had been in ruins for the best part of the last two decades, was replaced by an athletics track, but this facility is removed after a few years only.
• 1947 / 36-year-old forward player Piero Pasinati, who had been part of Italy’s winning team in the 1938 World Cup in France, joins US Cremonese, however only staying with the club for one season.
• 1951 / Coached by Guido Dossena, US Cremonese finishes in second-last place in the Serie B table, thus dropping back into Serie C along with AC Spezia, AS Bari, Seregno FBC, and bottom club US Anconitana.
• 1952 / Coached by Ercole Bodini, US Cremonese finishes in ninth place in Serie C Group B, resulting in the club being retrograded to the fourth tier of the Italian football pyramid, the so-called IV. Serie, due to a single-tiered Serie C being created for the new season.
• 1954 / Champions in IV. Serie Group C, 2 points ahead of closest rivals AC Marzoli, US Cremonese qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Finishing in first place in a play-off group, the club achieves promotion to Serie C along with Bolzano Calcio at the expense of US Aosta and Verbania Sportiva. The successful coach is Ercole Bodini. In the following decade, the club is little more than an also-ran in Serie C.
• 1967 / Coached by the duo Danilo Ravani and Carlo Facchini, US Cremonese finishes bottom of the table in Serie C Group A, resulting in the club suffering relegation to Serie D along with the club finishing in second-last place, US Mestrina. Also in 1967, floodlights are added to the set-up at Stadio Giovanni Zini.
• 1968 / Champions in Serie D Group B, 4 points ahead of Derthona FBC, US Cremonese wins promotion to Serie C. The successful coach is Manlio Bacigalupo.
• 1969 / Coached by Eugenio Bergonzi, who had replaced Manlio Bacigalupo in the course of the season, US Cremonese finishes in joint seventeenth place in Serie C Group A with AC Marzotto, meeting the club from Valdagno in a relegation play-off, held at Brescia’s Stadio Mario Rigamonti, which finishes in a 2-1 defeat. As a result, US Cremonese drops back into Serie D.
• 1971 / Champions in Serie D Group B, 5 points ahead of runners-up CS Trevigliese, US Cremonese wins promotion to Serie C. The successful coach is Battista Rota. Also in 1971, former FC Internazionale and Bologna FC defender Aristide Guarnieri, 33 years old, joins Cremonese for the last two years of his career; between 1963 and 1968, Guarnieri had also won 21 caps for Italy.
• 1975 / Cremonese’s 18-year-old defender Antonio Cabrini, a product of the club’s youth academy, earns himself a transfer to Atalanta BC – later moving on to Juventus FC. In the course of his career, Cabrini would earn an impressive 73 caps for Italy, being part of the squad which won the 1982 World Cup as well as taking part in the World Cups of 1978 and 1986, and the 1980 European Championship.
• 1976 / US Cremonese finishes as runners-up in Serie C Group A, 12 points behind champions AC Monza.
• 1977 / Champions in Serie C Group A, 4 points ahead of closest followers AC Udinese, US Cremonese wins promotion to Serie B after an absence of 26 years at that level. The successful coach is Stefano Angeleri. Following the success, the stadium sees a considerable enlargement, with the construction of open stands on the east and north sides of the pitch (being named the Settore Distinti and Curva Nord respectively). 
• 1978 / Coached by Guido Settembrino, who had replaced Stefano Angeleri in the course of the season, US Cremonese finishes in eighteenth place in Serie B, just 1 point short of Rimini Calcio, which saves its skin. As such, Cremonese drops back into Serie C1 along with Como Calcio and bottom club Modena FC.
• 1979 / Cremonese defender Luciano Cesini hangs up his boots after a career of thirteen years, spent in its entirety in Cremona. With 436 matches in the red-and-grey shirt, Cesini is the club’s record holder. Incidentally, that same year, the club’s all-time top scorer, Emiliano Mondonico, also ends his career, in which he had two spells with Cremonese (1966-68, 1972-79), in the course of which he managed to score 88 goals.
• 1981 / Runners-up in Serie C1 Group A, with only one goal separating the club from champions AC Reggiana (+ 24 vs. +23), US Cremonese joins the club from Reggio-Emilia in Serie B for the new season. The successful coach is Guido Vincenzi.
• 1983 / Finishing in joint third place in Serie B with Calcio Catania and Como Calcio, US Cremonese meets those two clubs in a three-way tie-break for promotion. In these play-offs, of which all matches are played at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, only Catania manages to score a goal (1-0 against Como), as a result of which that club joins champions Milan AC and runners-up SS Lazio in Serie A for the new season.
• 1984 / Finishing in third place in Serie B, US Cremonese wins promotion to Serie A along with champions Atalanta BC and runners-up Como Calcio. It heralds the club’s return to the top flight of Italian football after an absence of 54 years. The successful coach is Emiliano Mondonico. That same year, the club’s 20-year-old star striker Gianluca Vialli, who had broken into the first team three years previously from Cremonese’s youth academy, signs a contract with UC Sampdoria, going on to have spells with Juventus FC and Chelsea FC, while also winning 59 caps (16 goals) for Italy’s national side – being part of his country’s squads in the 1986 World Cup, 1988 European Championships, and 1990 World Cup (third place). Also in 1984, US Cremonese signs Polish international defender Władysław Żmuda (91 caps, 1973-86) from New York Cosmos; Żmuda would stay with the club until 1987, being called up for the 1986 World Cup during his time in Lombardy. Still in 1984, Cremonese’s core supporters settle at the newly built Curva Sud of the stadium, abandoning the Curva Nord, which becomes the stadium’s away end. In the same round of renovations which saw the construction of the Curva Sud, two smaller covered stands are added to each side of the main stand, meaning that the entire pitch is surrounded by stands for the first time in the stadium’s history.
• 1985 / Still coached by Emiliano Mondonico, US Cremonese finishes bottom of the Serie A table, thus dropping back into Serie B along with ASD Ascoli and SS Lazio.
• 1987 / Finishing in joint third place in Serie B with AC Cesena and US Lecce, US Cremonese meets these two clubs in a tie-break competition, with the club however losing both of its encounters, played at Pescara’s Stadio Adriatico and Modena’s Stadio Alberto Braglia respectively. Tie-break winner AC Cesena joins champions AS Pescara and runners-up Pisa SC in the Serie A for the following season. Also in 1987, US Cremonese reaches the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia for the first time in its history; having finished in second place in the group stage, behind Juventus FC, but ahead of UC Sampdoria, US Lecce, AC Monza, and AC Reggiana, the club progressed further via penalty wins over AC Hellas Verona and FC Internazionale, eventually being knocked out by Atalanta BC in the semis (2-0 aggr.).
• 1988 / Youth academy defender Giuseppe Favalli breaks into US Cremonese’s first team; staying with Cremonese for the following four seasons, Favalli would go on to have spells with SS Lazio, FC Internazionale, and AC Milan, while also winning eight caps for Italy – being part of his country’s squad in the 2004 European Championships. Also in 1988, new floodlights are put in place at the Stadio Giovanni Zini.
• 1989 / Finishing in joint fourth place in Serie B with Reggina Calcio, US Cremonese, coached by Bruno Mazzia, meets the club from Reggio di Calabria in a tie-break match for promotion at Pescara’s Stadio Adriatico. Winning the tie (0-0 & penalty shoot-out), US Cremonese joins champions Genoa CFC as well as AS Bari and Udinese Calcio in Serie A for the following season. The decisive penalty was converted by midfielder Attilio Lombardo, who would leave the club for UC Sampdoria at the end of the season; Lombardo would go on to have spells with Juventus FC, Crystal Palace FC, and SS Lazio, while also winning 18 caps for Italy. Also in 1989, the return leg of the final of the Coppa Italia between UC Sampdoria and SSC Napoli is played at the Stadio Giovanni Zini because of the fact that Sampdoria’s home ground, the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, is not available due to renovation works carried out at the ground in view of the 1990 World Cup, due to be held in Italy. For this same reason, Sampdoria had played several of its league matches as well as the Cup Winners Cup ties against IFK Norrköping (2-0) and FC Dinamo București (0-0) in Cremona as well.
• 1990 / Coached by Tarcisio Burgnich, US Cremonese finishes in second-last place in Serie A, thus dropping back into Serie B along with Udinese Calcio, AC Hellas Verona, and bottom club ASD Ascoli. Also in 1990, two Cremonese players, Swedish midfielder Anders Limpar and Argentinian striker Gustavo Abel Dezotti, are called up for their country’s squads in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, with Dezotti making it to the final against West Germany (1-0 defeat) – in fact, the only-ever player to make it to a World Cup final while under contract with Cremonese.
• 1991 / Finishing in third place in Serie B, US Cremonese wins promotion to Serie A along with champions Foggia Calcio as well as AC Hellas Verona and ASD Ascoli. The successful coach is Gustavo Giagnoni, who had replaced Tarcisio Burgnich in the course of the season. Also in or around 1991, the Curva Sud is extended, while the Settore Distinti is enlarged with tube constructions – bringing total capacity of the ground up to 22,000.
• 1992 / Coached by Gustavo Giagnoni, US Cremonese yet again fails to hold its own in the top flight of Italian football, finishing in second-last place in the Serie A table and thus descending into Serie B along with AS Bari, Verona FC, and bottom club ASD Ascoli.
• 1993 / Runners-up in Serie B, 2 points behind AC Reggiana, US Cremonese wins promotion to Serie A along with the champions as well as Piacenza FBC and US Lecce. That same season, the club clinches the most important trophy in its history, the Anglo-Italian Cup, a cup competition between second-level clubs from England and Italy. Having won the group stage, in which the club defeated West Ham United FC, Tranmere Rovers FC, Derby County FC, and managed a draw against Bristol City FC, US Cremonese knocked out AS Bari in the semis (6-3 aggr.) to qualify for the final, held at Wembley Stadium in London (att. 37,024) – defeating Derby County FC for a second time; 3-1, with Cremonese’s goals being scored by Corrado Verdelli, Riccardo Maspero, and Andrea Tentoni. Furthermore, US Cremonese’s Slovenian midfielder Matjaž Florjančič crowned himself top scorer of the tournament with seven goals. Cremonese’s coach in this historic season is Luigi Simoni.
• 1994 / In its best post-war season, US Cremonese manages to stay up in the Serie A, finishing in tenth place with coach Luigi Simoni. That same year, Enrico Chiesa joins the club on a one-year loan from UC Sampdoria. Chiesa would go on to win 17 caps for Italy, being part of his country’s squads in the 1996 European Championships as well as the 1998 World Cup. Another player signing for the red-and-grey club is John Aloisi of R Antwerp FC. Aloisi would stay with Cremonese for two seasons before moving on to Portsmouth FC; in the course of his career, the Australian striker won 55 caps (27 goals), being part of his country’s squad in the 2006 World Cup.
• 1996 / Still coached by Luigi Simoni, US Cremonese finishes in second-last place in Serie A, thus dropping back into Serie B after three seasons, along with AS Bari, Torino Calcio, and bottom club Calcio Padova. Also in 1996, the Italian national side plays its only-ever international match at the Stadio Giovanni Zini, a 2-2 draw against Belgium (Italian goals by Alessandro Del Piero & Enrico Chiesa, att. 13,247).
• 1997 / Coached by Nedo Sonetti, who had replaced Fausto Silipo in the course of the season, US Cremonese finishes bottom of the Serie B table, thus suffering its second relegation in a row, dropping back into Serie C1 along with AS Cosenza, AC Cesena, and USC Palermo. In this disastrous season, the club has a decent cup run, eventually being knocked out in the quarter finals by Bologna FC 1909 (5-2 aggr.).
• 1998 / Finishing as runners-up in Serie C1 Group A, 8 points behind champions AC Cesena, US Cremonese qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Eliminating AC Lumezzane in the semis (2-2 aggr. & away goals), US Cremonese eventually achieves promotion by edging past Pro Livorno Calcio in the final (1-0 A.E.T.), played at Perugia’s Stadio Renato Curi.
• 1999 / Coached by Gaetano Salvemini, in fact the fourth coach to head the club in the 1998-99 season, US Cremonese finishes bottom of the Serie B table, thus dropping back into Serie C along with AC Reggiana, AS Fidelis Andria, and AS Lucchese Libertas. Also in 1999, due to severe crowd unrest during the cup match between UC Sampdoria and Bologna FC at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, Sampdoria is penalised with having to play six home matches away from its own ground – and, just like ten years previously during the renovation of its stadium – the Genoese club picks the Stadio Giovanni Zini as its temporary refuge.
• 2000 / Finishing in sixteenth place in Serie C1 Group A with coach Giuseppe Papadopulo, who had replaced Giovanni Trainini in the course of the season, US Cremonese has to play a play-off to avoid relegation. Losing the encounter with Lecco Calcio (3-2 aggr.), the club drops down into Serie C2 along with the two bottom clubs in its division, Montevarchi Calcio Aquila 1902 and Sandonà Calcio.
• 2002 / US Cremonese’s legendary chairman Domenico Luzzara steps down after a tenure of 33 years. Five years later, one year after Luzzara’s passing, the main stand as well as the entrance square of the Stadio Giovanni Zini would be renamed in his honour.
• 2004 / Runners-up in Serie C2 Group A, 4 points behind champions AC Mantova, US Cremonese qualifies for the play-offs. Defeating AS Pizzighettone in R1 (6-1 aggr.), the club finally achieves a return to Serie C1 following a 4-2 aggregate win over FC Südtirol in R2. The successful coach is Giorgio Roselli.
• 2005 / Champions in Serie C1 Group A, US Cremonese and coach Giorgio Roselli achieve their second promotion in a row, acceding to Serie B along with runners-up AC Mantova.
• 2006 / Coached by Giovanni Dellacasa, who had replaced Giorgio Roselli in the course of the season, US Cremonese finishes in second-last place in Serie B, thus dropping back into Serie C1 along with US Avellino, Ternana Calcio, and bottom club US Catanzaro.
• 2007 / Renovation works are carried out at the ground following the club’s takeover by Giovanni Arvedi, who steps in while Cremonese finds itself in grave financial problems. Arvedi secures a loan deal with AC Milan, which takes young defender Davide Astori to the Stadio Giovanni Zini for one year. Astori, who would go on to wear the colours of Cagliari Calcio, AS Roma, and ACF Fiorentina, while also winning 14 caps for Italy (2011-17), passed away in 2018 following a heart-attack at the age of 31. Another player lured to Cremonese for one season is future Italian international goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu (28 caps between 2010 and 2021).
• 2008 / Runners-up in Serie C1 Group A, 3 points behind champions US Sassuolo Calcio, US Cremonese qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Edging past US Foggia in R1 (1-1 aggr. & away goals), US Cremonese is eliminated in the final by AS Cittadella (3-2 aggr.). Thus missing out on promotion, the club is placed in the newly created Lega Pro Prima Divisione for the new season.
• 2009 / The Curva Sud is renamed the Curva Sud Erminio Favalli in honour of a former Cremonese player and board member who had passed away in 2008 at the age of 64.
• 2010 / Finishing in third place in Group A of the Lega Pro Prima Divisione, US Cremonese qualifies for the promotion play-offs. Knocking out AC Arezzo in R1 (3-2 aggr.), the club suffers defeat in the final at the hands of AS Varese 1910 (2-1 aggr.). As such, Varese joins champions Novara Calcio in Serie B for the new season.
• 2011 / US Cremonese’s new youth academy, the Centro Sportivo Giovanni Arvedi (four pitches), situated at the eastern outskirts of Cremona, is inaugurated. 
• 2012 / In spite of being deducted 6 points following a betting scandal, US Cremonese manages a fifth place in Group B of the Lega Pro Prima Divisione, thus qualifying for the promotion play-offs. In those play-offs, however, the club is eliminated in the semis by Trapani Calcio (2-2 aggr. & inferior result in the regular season). Also in 2012, the Italian national team reaches the final of the European Championships in Poland & Ukraine (a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Spain) under the aegis of former US Cremonese youth academy player Cesare Prandelli. Prandelli was Italy’s head coach for four years (2010-14).
• 2013 / The Stadio Giovanni Zini hosts Italy’s rugby union encounter with Fiji (37-31).
• 2014 / Finishing in fourth place in Lega Pro Prima Divisione Group A, US Cremonese qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club knocks out UC AlbinoLeffe in R1 (2-2 aggr. & penalty shoot-out) before losing in R2 (semi-final) against FC Südtirol (3-2 aggr.). As such, the club stays put at the third level of the Italian football pyramid, which is renamed Lega Pro for the 2014-15 season.
• 2015 / A commemorative plaque in honour of Vittorio Staccione is unveiled on the main stand of the Stadio Giovanni Zini. Staccione, who briefly played for Cremonese in the 1920s, was an opponent of the fascist regime and suffered deportation to Germany in 1944, where he was murdered at the Mauthausen concentration camp one year later at the age of forty. Also in 2015, the Stadio Giovanni Zini is one of the stadiums used for the 2015 World Rugby U20 Championships, with the final being played at the ground in Cremona as well.
• 2017 / Champions in Lega Pro Group A, with an equal number of points as runners-up US Alessandria 1912, but with a better head-to-head result, US Cremonese wins promotion to Serie B after an absence of eleven years at that level. The successful coach is Attilio Tesser. Also in 2017, several renovations are carried out at the Stadio Giovanni Zini, including the addition of a roof to the Curva Sud.
• 2018 / Following works which had gotten underway in the fall of 2017, the tube constructions which had formed the upper part of the Settore Distinti since 1991, are removed to make way for a proper stand, inaugurated in January 2018.
• 2019 / After two years of renovation works, the Stadio Giovanni Zini has been turned into an all-seater stadium, with capacity having been reduced from 20,641 to 16,003 as a result.
• 2022 / Runners-up in Serie B, 2 points behind US Lecce, US Cremonese wins promotion to Serie A along with the champions as well as play-off winner AC Monza. This heralds Cremonese’s return to the top flight of Italian football after an absence of 26 years. The successful coach is Fabio Pecchia. To make the ground compatible with Serie A regulations, further works are carried out, involving, among other things, the restoration of several pre-1929 design parts, the introduction of LED floodlights, an extension of press facilities on the main stand, and the addition of two small ground-floor stands in front of the main stand; following these works, total capacity is reduced from 16,003 to 14,834.
• 2023 / Coached by Davide Ballardini, who replaced Massimiliano Alvini in the course of the season, US Cremonese proves unable to cope with the Serie A level, finishing in second-last place and thus dropping back into Serie B along with Spezia Calcio and bottom club UC Sampdoria. On the other hand, the club managed to reach the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia for the second time in its history, suffering defeat at the hands of ACF Fiorentina (2-0 aggr.) following successive wins over Ternana Calcio, Modena FC 2018, SSC Napoli, and AS Roma.
• 2024 / Finishing in fourth place in Serie B, US Cremonese qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club eliminates US Catanzaro 1929 in the semis (6-3 aggr.) before suffering defeat in the final at the hands of Venezia FC (1-0 aggr.). Also in 2024, on January 7th, one year after the passing of former Cremonese youth prodigy Gianluca Vialli at the age of 58, the Settore Distinti is renamed in his honour.

Note - Below the photo series,  a video with highlights of the match I attended at Stadio Giovanni Zini can be found.

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

ITALY: Parma FBC (1924-1930) / Parma AS (1930-1968) / Parma FC (1968-1969, 2004-2015) / AC Parmense (1968-1970) / Parma AC (1970-2004) / SSD Parma Calcio 1913 (2015-2016) / Parma Calcio 1913 (2016-)

Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma (Parma Calcio 1913, formerly Parma FBC /  Parma AS / Parma FC / AC Parmense / Parma AC / SSD Parma Calcio 1913)

Italy, region: Emilia-Romagna

28 XII 2024 / Parma Calcio 1913 - AC Monza 2-1 / Serie A (= ITA level 1)

Timeline

• 1911 / In the early days of football in Italy, irregular matches are played in Parma on makeshift pitches to the south of the city-centre, the Campo di Marte and the Campi Marchi. The first match to be recorded in the local press was an encounter between Pro Verdi, a team of students of the local University of Parma – named after the famous composer Giuseppe Verdi, hailing from the province of Parma –, and Juventus, a team from Salsomaggiore Terme, with the guests walking away with a 1-0 victory.
• 1913 / The students’ team Pro Verdi becomes a football club, Verdi Foot Ball Club (FBC), with the founding meeting being held on July 27th, 1913 – with 1913 being the year of the 100th birthday of Giuseppe Verdi. In September 1913, Verdi FBC holds a cup competition, the Coppa Verdi. Later that same year, though, on December 16th, during a meeting in a bar at Via Saffi, a regular football club is formed in Parma, which is given the name Parma Foot Ball Club (FBC), with the students’ club Verdi FBC being absorbed into it. In its early years, Parma FBC plays its football mainly on the so-called Piazza d’Armi – perhaps an alternative name of the Campo di Marte?
• 1915 / As Italy enters World War I, all football activities are suspended. Nine Parma FBC players are called up for service in the armed forces, with five of them tragically meeting their fate in the trenches during the Battle of the Isonzo. 
• 1920 / In the first regular season following the end of World War I, Parma FBC finishes in second place in the so-called Campionato Emiliano di Promozione, being invited to play the Prima Categoria, the top division of Italian football, for the 1920-21 campaign. With no nationwide top-flight being organised in Italian football at that time yet, the Prima Categoria worked as a series of regional championships, with the winners meeting head-to-head at the end of the season to determine the national champion.
• 1922 / In a reorganisation of the Italian football pyramid, the Prima Categoria is subdivided into a Prima Divisione and a Seconda Divisione – both still subdivided into different groups. As Parma FBC finishes in third place in Group A of the Prima Categoria Emiliana, the club has to play a tie-break match for one place in the new top division. However, at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi in Verona, the club is defeated by Treviso FBC (2-1), thus being placed in the Seconda Divisione. Also in 1922, after a considerable grant by Parma’s town council to Parma FBC, club president Ennio Tardini – himself a lawyer and local politician – instigates a national competition for the design of a new stadium for the club. To further raise funds, Tardini also sells a plot of land owned by the club to the municipal administration. Two local architects submit a plan, Atanasio Soldati and Riccardo Bartolomasi, with Soldati’s design featuring elements of ancient Greek architecture, while Bartolomasi’s approach was more contemporary. Both are rejected, though, as the design of Ettore Leoni is given preference. Leoni drew his inspiration from multi-use stadiums in France and Germany, mainly the Stade de Gerland in Lyons. The first stone for the works at Via Pomponio Torelli, just to the south of the city-centre, is laid on Boxing Day, 1922.
• 1923 / Ennio Tardini, who had been Parma FBC’s chairman since 1921, passes away unexpectedly at the age of 43. As a result, the new stadium, of which the projected name was Stadio Municipale, is given the name Stadio Ennio Tardini upon its inauguration in the latter stages of 1923. The ground has been given a monumental entrance arch, which has been a feature until the present day. The pitch is surrounded by a cycling track. There is one small covered stand to the western side of the pitch. Parma FBC moves into the new ground in early 1924 – making the Stadio Tardini one of the older grounds still in use in the Italian league.
• 1924 / Finishing as runners-up in Group F of the Seconda Divisione, 2 points behind champions AC Reggiana, Parma FBC misses out on a spot in the promotion play-offs.
• 1925 / Champions in Group C of the Seconda Divisione, 3 points ahead of runners-up Piacenza FBC, Parma FBC qualifies for the Northern Italy promotion play-offs with three other clubs, US Novese, Como FBC, and AS Udinese. Finishing as runners-up behind AS Udinese, Parma FBC wins promotion to the Prima Divisione. The successful coach is Giuseppe Forlivesi.
• 1926 / Coached by Austrian trainer Carlo Achatzi, Parma FBC finishes in second-last place in Group B of the Prima Divisione, thus dropping back into the Seconda Divisione along with AC Reggiana, Alessandria US, and bottom club AC Mantova. Due to a Divisione Nazionale being created as the new top division of Italy’s football pyramid in the summer of 1926, Parma FBC suddenly finds itself in the third tier of Italian football. Also in 1926, as the club is marred by financial problems, fascist authorities agree to allocate a considerable amount to the club, on the condition that the stadium is renamed Polisportivo Walter Branchi, a local fascist who had died in the early years of the fascist movement and was given the status of a martyr following Mussolini’s takeover of power in 1922. As it happened, Ennio Tardini’s had been a liberal politician – and no doubt an enemy of fascism.
• 1929 / Champions in the Northern Group B of the Prima Divisione, 4 points ahead of closest followers AC Comense, Parma FBC wins promotion to the newly created Serie B, the second tier of Italy’s football pyramid. The successful coach is Raoul Violi.
• 1930 / As Parma FBC takes on the character of a multisport club, with branches for volleyball, and tamburello being added to the myriad of activities in subsequent years, the club takes on the new name Parma Associazione Sportiva (AS).
• 1931 / Newly created rugby club Rugby Parma FC moves into the Stadio Ennio Tardini as groundsharers of Parma AS. Rugby Parma FC goes on to conquer Italy’s national rugby title on several occasions in the 1950s.
• 1932 / Coached by Emilio Grossi, Parma AS finishes bottom of the table in Serie B, thus dropping back into the Prima Divisione along with AC Udinese and US Lecce.
• 1934 / Joint champions in Group D of the Prima Divisione with AC Reggiana, Parma AS and its fellow champion qualify for the promotion play-offs – with Parma finishing in fourth and last place in Group B, and thus missing out on promotion along with AC Udinese and Piacenza FBC, as Pisa SC clinches the Serie B ticket.
• 1935 / Runners-up in Group E of the Prima Divisione, 1 point behind champions AC Reggiana, Parma AS is placed in the newly created Serie C for the new season. Also in 1935, the grandstand of the Polisportivo Walter Branchi is enlarged, while an uncovered terrace is added to the eastern side of the pitch that same year. In this same round of renovations, the cycling track surrounding the football pitch has to make way for a clay athletics track.
• 1942 / Parma AS finishes as runners-up in Group B of Serie C, 2 points behind champions US Cremonese.
• 1943 / Runaway champions in Serie C Group G, 8 points ahead of runners-up SS Panigale, Parma AS qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club finishes in second place. This would have been enough for promotion to Serie B, were it not for the fact that the club is retrograded to sixth and last place due to unsportsmanlike conduct. As a result, AC Verona joins play-off winners AS Pro Gorizia in Serie B instead of Parma. In 1943, as World War II hostilities have also moved to Italian soil, competitive football is suspended, only to be taken up again after the end of the war. In this period, some time between 1943 and 1945, Parma’s stadium must have had its old name Stadio Ennio Tardini reinstated after nearly two decades of officially being known as the Polisportivo Walter Branchi.
• 1946 / In 1945-46, the first post-war football season in Italy, Parma AS finishes in third place in Group C of the Northern Italy branch of the Serie B/C, a makeshift competition to create a fresh football pyramid after two years without footballing activities. The result is enough for Parma AS to be placed in Serie B for the new season. 
• 1948 / Parma AS narrowly avoids relegation as the two Serie B branches are reduced to just one, with the club finishing in joint sixth position with AC Prato and US Cremonese. After a set of play-offs, AC Prato is retrograded to Serie C.
• 1949 / In a season which saw the club being led by six (!) different trainers successively, the last being Carlo Rigotti, Parma AS finishes in joint eighteenth place in Serie B with AC Spezia, meeting the club from La Spezia in a tie-break match at the Arena Civica in Milan, losing the encounter handsomely (4-1). As a result, Parma AS suffers relegation to Serie C along with direct drop-outs US Lecce, Seregno FBC, and AS Pescara.
• 1950 / Parma AS narrowly misses out on an instant return to Serie B, finishing as runners-up in Serie C Group B, only 1 point behind champions AC Treviso. Also in 1950, terracing is added to the northern as well as the southern end of the Stadio Ennio Tardini. Total capacity of the ground is now an estimated 20,000 – later reduced due to safety regulations.
• 1952 / Parma AS finishes as runners-up in Serie C Group B for the second year running, this time having to leave the title to Piacenza FBC, which picks up 3 more points.
• 1953 / After eight seasons with Parma AS, in the course of which he scored 79 goals, forward player William Bronzoni leaves the club, signing a contract with SS Sambenedettense. Although Hernán Crespo came close with 72 goals during two spells with successor clubs Parma AC & Parma FC (1996-2000 & 2010-12), Bronzoni still holds the honour of Parma’s all-time top scorer.
• 1954 / Bolstered by two Czechoslovak star players, Čestmír Vycpálek and Július Korostelev, Parma AS clinches the title in the nationwide Serie C. As a result, the club wins promotion to Serie B along with runners-up US Arsenaltaranto. The successful coach is Carlo Alberto Quario. In the following decade, Parma AS becomes a regular feature in Serie B, however without playing a role of importance in any way. Also in 1954, a modern floodlight system is added to the set-up at Stadio Ennio Tardini.
• 1961 / Foundation of a club in the village of Baganzola, just beyond the north of Parma’s city borders, which takes on the name GS (Gruppo Sportivo) Circolo Golese, which later changes its name to become GS Salvarani Golese. The new non-league club plays its matches at the Campo Mordacci in Baganzola.
• 1965 / Coached by Bruno Arcari, who took over from Bruno Dazzi in the course of the season, Parma AS finishes bottom of the table in Serie B, thus dropping back into Serie C along with AS Bari and US Triestina. 
• 1966 / Coached by Dante Boni, who took over from Ivano Corghi in the course of the season, Parma AS finishes in second-last place in Serie C Group A, thus suffering its second relegation in a row – dropping back into Serie D along with bottom club AC Ivrea. It is the first time Parma AS finds itself at the fourth tier of the Italian football pyramid.
• 1968 / As Parma AS is declared bankrupt following two relegations and failed attempts at a return to professional football, the club changes its name to become Parma FC – meanwhile hoping for financial support from local entrepreneurs. That same year, non-league club GS Salvarani Golese from nearby Baganzola takes on the name Associazione Calcio (AC) Parmense, with the club’s owners Ermes Ghidini and Ermes Foglia obtaining permission from Parma’s city-council to move their home matches to the Stadio Ennio Tardini in Parma. 
• 1969 / Parma FC’s upstart groundsharers AC Parmense clinch the title in Prima Categoria Emilia-Romagna Group B, 4 points ahead of closest followers Suzzara FC, thus earning promotion to Serie D, the fourth tier of Italian football, for the first time – thus suddenly finding itself in the same division as Parma FC. However, no derby game between the two clubs is ever played, as Parma FC withdraws from the league before the start of the season, with the club ceasing all activities once and for all. Several players of the now defunct club are signed by AC Parmense, which also acquires the right to henceforth wear the yellow and blue colours historically belonging to Parma FBC, Parma AS, and Parma FC, thus becoming the sole heir of Parma’s football tradition.
• 1970 / On January 1st, 1970, AC Parmense legally acquires the right to take on the name Parma Associazione Calcio (AC). Led by coach Stefano Angeleri, the club clinches the title in Serie D Group B, 2 points ahead of runners-up AC Crema. As such, the club wins its second promotion in a row, being placed in Serie C for the new season. One of the players instrumental in the success is 33-year-old Bruno Mora, born in Parma in 1937, who had played for UC Sampdoria, Juventus FC, and Milan AC as well as earning 21 caps for Italy before joining AC Parmense in the summer of 1969. Mora would go on to manage Parma AC’s first team during three different spells subsequently.
• 1971 / A newly founded rugby club, Amatori Parma, is given permission by Parma’s municipal authorities to play its home games at the Stadio Ennio Tardini as groundsharers of Parma AC and Rugby Parma FC.
• 1973 / Finishing in joint first place in Serie C Group A with AC Udinese, Parma AC meets the club from Friuli in a tie-break match at the Stadio Romeo Menti in Vicenza, resulting in a 2-0 win. As such, Parma AC manages its third promotion in four years, acceding to Serie B, the second tier of Italy’s football pyramid. The successful coach is Giorgio Sereni.
• 1974 / In the best post-war season until then, Parma AC manages a respectable fifth place in Serie B.
• 1975 / Coached by Renato Gei, who had succeeded Giorgio Sereni in the course of the season, Parma AC finishes bottom of the Serie B table, thus dropping back into Serie C along with Alessandria US and US Arezzo. The club had also been deducted 3 points following the discovery of an attempted bribery. Also in 1975, rugby clubs Rugby Parma FC and Amatori Parma move away from the Stadio Ennio Tardini, settling at the smaller Stadio Fratelli Cervi instead.
• 1976 / Parma AC finishes as runners-up in Serie C Group B, 5 points behind champions Rimini Calcio.
• 1977 / Parma AC finishes as runners-up in Serie C Group B for the second time in a row, finishing 8 points behind champions US Pistoiese.
• 1978 / Finishing in third place in Serie C Group B, Parma AC is placed in the newly created Serie C1 for the new season.
• 1979 / Finishing in joint second place in Group A of Serie C with US Triestina, Parma AC meets the club from Trieste in a tie-break match, played at Vicenza’s Stadio Romeo Menti – and going on to win the encounter 3-1 A.E.T. The two decisive goals in extra time are scored by Carlo Ancelotti. As such, Parma AC, coached by former Italian international player Cesare Maldini, joins champions Como Calcio in Serie B. After the 1978-79 season, 19-year-old Ancelotti earns himself a transfer to AS Roma – going on to wear the colours of Milan AC as well as earning 26 caps for Italy’s national team, being part of his country’s squads in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups as well as Euro 1988. Later on, Ancelotti would make a name for himself as a very successful manager of clubs in Italy and abroad.
• 1980 / Coached by Domenico Rosati, who had replaced Cesare Maldini in the course of the season, Parma AC finishes in second-last place in Serie B, thus descending into Serie C1 along with Sambenedettese Calcio, Ternana Calcio, and bottom club FBC Matera.
• 1984 / Champions in Group A of Serie C1, Parma AC wins promotion to Serie B along with runners-up Bologna FC. The decisive points were obtained by Marino Perani’s team in a 1-0 away win at Sanremese Calcio. The goalscorer in that match, Stefano Pioli, earns himself a contract deal with Juventus FC that summer.
• 1985 / Coached by caretaker duo Pietro Carmignani and Silvano Flaborea, who had replaced Marino Perani in the course of the season, Parma AC drops back into Serie C1 along with Varese Calcio, Taranto FC, and bottom club Calcio Padova. Also in 1985, the terraces on the short ends of the Stadio Ennio Tardini are enlarged, bringing total capacity up to 13,500. Also in 1985, a start is made on the modernisation of the stadium, with the grandstand, the Tribuna Petitot, being reconstructed completely with reinforced concrete at the behest of municipal authorities.
• 1986 / Coached by Arrigo Sacchi, who had joined the club in 1985, Parma AC clinches the title in Serie C1 Group A, winning promotion to Serie B along with runners-up  Modena FC. Leaving the club in 1987 to sign a contract with Milan AC, Arrigo Sacchi would go on to become one of Milan’s most successful managers as well as the coach of Italy’s silver medal squad in the 1994 World Cup.
• 1987 / Local dairy corporation Parmalat becomes Parma AC’s main sponsor.
• 1989 / The decisive match in the Italian American football league between Seamen Milano and Frogs Legnano (33-39) is played at the Stadio Ennio Tardini. Also in or around 1989, as the reconstruction of the Tribuna Petitot is completed, with a total capacity of nearly 8,000 seats, the clay athletics track which had surrounded the pitch since the 1930s is removed to make way for three new stands, to be built closer to the touchline to give the stadium a rectangular shape in the future.
• 1990 / Coached by Nevio Scala, Parma AC manages a fourth place in Serie B, thus winning a historic promotion to Serie A along with the teams placing in first to third place, Torino Calcio, Pisa SC, and Cagliari Calcio. The decisive points are clinched in a 2-0 home defeat of AC Reggiana. No club from Parma had ever played in the top flight of Italian football since it had become a single-tiered division in 1929. That summer, Parmalat’s strongman Calisto Tanzi becomes the owner of the club, appointing Giorgio Pedraneschi as figurehead chairman – Pedraneschi would be succeeded by Tanzi’s son Stefano later on. Making clear his ambitions from the outset, Calisto Tanzi puts considerable sums at the disposal of the club, invested to sign 1990 World Cup stars Cláudio Taffarel (from SC Internacional, Brazil), Thomas Brolin (from IFK Norrköping, Sweden), and Georges Grün (from RSC Anderlechtois, Belgium). The promotion also causes headaches to club officials as well as local politicians, as total seating capacity of the ground stands at 13,500, with Serie A regulations demanding a minimum of 30,000 at the time. While the club is given a one-year reprieve by the Italian Football Association (FIGC), the question arises whether to further renovate the Stadio Tardini or move to a new-to-be-built ground elsewhere. Initially, plans are drawn up to construct a new stadium in Baganzola, but due to a political vacuum at the townhall, the decision is postponed.
• 1991 / Finishing in fifth place in Serie A, Parma AC qualifies for European football for the first time in its history, but the 1991-92 UEFA Cup campaign ends with a R1 elimination at the hands of PFK CSKA (Sofia) (1-1 aggr. & away goals). That same year, the club’s presidency votes down the new stadium plans, instead opting for a further renovation of the Stadio Ennio Tardini. In a complete renovation of the ground, devised by a quartet of architects – Stefano Della Santa, Fabrizio Fabbri, Paolo Simonetti, and Italo Jemmi – the Tribuna Petitot, which had only recently been rebuilt, is further enlarged, while corner stands are added to the set-up, thus doing away with the oval shape as well as with the situation of four separate stands. Also around this time, a new East Stand (Tribuna Est) is constructed. Also in 1991, the final of Italy’s rugby league between Amatori Rugby Milano and Benetton Rugby Treviso (37-18) is held at Stadio Ennio Tardini. 
• 1992 / Still coached by Nevio Scala, Parma AC wins the Coppa Italia, Italy’s main cup tournament; following successive victories over US Palermo, AC Fiorentina, Genoa 1893, and UC Sampdoria, the club manages a 2-1 aggregate win over Juventus FC in the final (goals by Alessandro Melli & Mario Osio). That summer, another star player is signed by the club, Columbia’s Faustino Asprilla of Club Atlético Nacional (Medellin). One of the signature players of the heyday of the club, the unpredictable winger would go on to spend two spells at the club (1992-96 & 1998-99). Also in 1992, in the second phase of the stadium’s renovation, the Curva Nord, traditionally the part of the stands occupied by the club’s most ardent supporters, is rebuilt as an all-seater stand close to the touchline – with the original curved terrace being demolished.
• 1993 / Still coached by Nevio Scala, Parma AC manages an impressive third place in Serie A, with only Milanese giants Milan AC and FC Internazionale obtaining more points. On the back of its Coppa Italia win in the 1991-92 season, Parma AC is Italy’s representative in the Cup Winners Cup, in which it reaches the final following successive aggregate defeats of Újpesti TE (2-1), Boavista FC (2-0), AC Sparta Praha (2-0), and Club Atlético Madrid (2-2 & away goals). In the final, played at Wembley Stadium in London, the club encounters R Antwerp FC, managing a 3-1 win over the Belgian side with goals by Lorenzo Minotti, Alessandro Melli, and Stefano Cuoghi. At the start of the 1993-94 season, Nevio Scala’s men conquered even more silverware by defeating Milan AC in the Italian Super Cup (3-0 aggr.). The club is bolstered by the signing of quicksilver midfielder Gianfranco Zola from SSC Napoli. Also in 1993, in the final phase of the stadium renovations which had gotten underway two years previously, the southern terrace is knocked down to make way for an all-seater stand close to the touchline. Total ground capacity is now 28,000.
• 1994 / Parma AC reaches the final of the Cup Winners Cup for the second year running, managing successive aggregate victories over Degerfors IF (4-1), Maccabi Haifa FC (1-1 & penalty shoot-out), AFC Ajax (2-0), and SL Benfica (2-2 & away goals). This time, however, the final, held at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium, is lost, with George Graham’s Arsenal FC walking away with the trophy (1-0). The 1993-94 season also saw Parma recording its highest-ever average attendance (25,364, with 21,100 season tickets). Also in 1994, no fewer than five Parma players are named in Arrigo Sacchi’s Italian squad for the World Cup in the USA, in which Italy won the silver medal: goalkeeper Luca Bucci, defenders Luigi Apolloni, Antonio Bennarivo, and Lorenzo Minotti, as well as midfielder Gianfranco Zola. In the runup to the tournament, Italy plays a first-ever international game in Parma, a 2-0 win over Finland attended by 16,714 spectators. In the summer of 1994, Portuguese defender Fernando Couto joins Parma from FC Porto, staying with the club for two seasons until signing for FC Barcelona in 1996.
• 1995 / Finishing in third place in Serie A behind Juventus FC and SS Lazio, Parma AC also reaches the final of the Coppa Italia – having to leave the honours to Juventus FC in this case as well (3-0 aggr.). However, the club manages its second European trophy by winning the UEFA Cup, managing aggregate wins over SBV Vitesse (2-1), AIK (3-0), Athletic Club (4-3), OB (Odense, 1-0), and Bayer 04 Leverkusen (5-1) on the way to the final, in which it experiences the pleasure of barring Juventus FC from a clean sweep (2-1 aggr., both Parma goals by Dino Baggio). In the summer of 1995, Bulgarian star striker Hristo Stoichkov joins Parma from FC Barcelona, only staying with the club for one season (23 matches, 5 goals) before returning to the Catalan club.
• 1996 / Qualifying for the Cup Winners Cup as the replacement of champions Juventus FC, Parma AC manages aggregate defeats of minnows KF Teuta (4-0) and Halmstads BK (4-3) in the first two rounds, eventually bowing out in the quarter final at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain (3-2 aggr.). In the summer of 1996, coach Nevio Scala is replaced by Carlo Ancelotti. Meanwhile, Italian national coach Arrigo Sacchi picks four Parma players for the 1996 European Championships in England: Luigi Apolloni, Roberto Mussi, Luca Bucci, Gianfranco Zola, and Dino Baggio.
• 1997 / In the best season in club history, Parma AC only misses out on the Serie A title narrowly, finishing 2 points behind champions Juventus FC. The club’s 1996-97 UEFA Cup campaign is markedly less successful, ending in R1 with a 3-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Vitória Guimarães.
• 1998 / Qualifying for the Champions League on the back of its second place in the Serie A the previous season, Parma AC eases past KS Widzew Łódź in the preliminary round (7-1 aggr.), thus qualifying for the group stage. Finishing second in a group of four, ahead of AC Sparta Praha and Galatasaray SK, but behind Borussia Dortmund, the club bows out of the tournament. For the 1998 World Cup in France, Italian head coach Cesare Maldini picks four Parma players: goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, a product of Parma’s youth academy, Dino Baggio, Enrico Chiesa, and Fabio Cannavaro. Yet again, in the run-up to the tournament, the national team plays one of its home friendlies in Parma, a 3-1 win over Paraguay.
• 1999 / Coached by Alberto Malesani, Parma AC wins the Coppa Italia, defeating Genoa CFC, AS Bari, AC Udinese, and FC Internazionale on the way to the final, in which it manages an aggregate win (3-3 & away goals) over AC Fiorentina. Parma’s goals in the finals are scored by Hernán Crespo (2) and Paolo Vanoli. Moreover, the club also succeeds in conquering the UEFA Cup. On the way to the final, the club successively eliminates Fenerbahçe SK (3-2 aggr.), TS Wisła Kraków SA (3-2 aggr.), Rangers FC (4-2 aggr.), FC Girondins Bordeaux (7-2 aggr.), and Club Atlético Madrid (5-2 aggr.). In the final, played at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, Parma also wipes out Olympique Marseille in a 3-0 win, with Hernán Crespo, Paolo Vanoli, and Enrico Chiesa being the goalscorers. Apart from the aforementioned players, Parma AC’s star-studded squad also included the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram, Néstor Sensini, Fabio Cannavaro, Abel Balbo, Juan Sebestián Verón, Diego Fuser, and Mario Stanić. Adding the jewel to the crown, Parma AC conquers a third piece of silverware in the shape of the Italian Super Cup following a 2-1 defeat of Milan AC at Stadio San Siro.
• 2000 / Finishing in joint first place in the Serie A with FC Internazionale, Parma AC meets the club from Milan in a tie-break match for a place in the Champions League’s main tournament. At the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi in Verona, Inter proves the stronger side (3-1), as a result of which Parma is seeded in the Champions League’s qualifying round instead. Suffering a shock defeat at the hands of Rangers FC (2-1 aggr.), Parma is ‘retrograded’ to the UEFA Cup, in which the club has the better of FK Kryvbas (6-2 aggr.), Helsingborgs IF (4-1 aggr.), and SK Sturm Graz (5-4 aggr.) before being eliminated in R4 by SV Werder 1899 (3-2 aggr.). In the summer of 2000, one Parma player, defender Fabio Cannavaro, is part of Dino Zoff’s Italian squad which conquered the European Championships title in the Netherlands & Belgium.
• 2001 / Parma AC reaches the final of the Coppa Italia, in which the club suffers a 2-1 aggregate defeat against AC Fiorentina. In the UEFA Cup, the club knocks out FK Pobeda Prilep (6-0 aggr.), GNK Dinamo Zagreb (2-1 aggr.), and TSV 1860 München (4-2 aggr.), before being eliminated in the quarter final by PSV (4-4 aggr. & away goals). Meanwhile, after two international friendlies in 1994 and 1998, Italy’s national team plays a first official match at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, with the World Cup qualifier against Hungary ending in a 1-0 win. Also in 2001, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon leaves Parma, signing a deal with Juventus FC. Buffon would go on to wear the colours of Juve as well as Paris Saint-Germain before returning to Parma Calcio in 2021 – and playing for the club for two more years, eventually hanging up his boots in the summer of 2023.
• 2002 / In the worst season in years, Parma AC only finishes in tenth place in Serie A, but the team of caretaker manager Pietro Carmignani makes up for that by winning the Coppa Italia, eliminating FC Messina Peloro, AC Udinese, and Brescia Calcio on the way to the final, in which the club edges past Juventus FC (2-2 & away goals, Parma goals by Hidetoshi Nakata & Júnior). Meanwhile, in the 2001-02 season, the club is yet again eliminated in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, this time by Lille OSC (2-1 aggr.), upon which the club has a decent run in the UEFA Cup, eliminating HJK (3-0 aggr.), FC Utrecht (3-1 aggr.), and Brøndby IF (4-1 aggr.) before bowing out against Israeli side MK Hapoel Tel Aviv (2-1 aggr.). In the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, Fabio Cannavaro is the only Parma player in Giovanni Trapattoni’s Italian squad. In the summer of 2002, Romanian striker Adrian Mutu joins Parma from Hellas Verona FC, ultimately only staying with the club for one season, joining Chelsea FC in 2003. Also in 2002, Brazilian striker Adriano joins Parma on loan from FC Internazionale, staying with the club for two seasons (37 matches, 23 goals).
• 2003 / In the 2002-03 UEFA Cup, Parma AC knocks out PFK CSKA (Moscow) in R1 (4-3 aggr.), but suffers a surprise defeat at the hands of TS Wisła Kraków SA in R2 (5-3 aggr.). Also in 2003, Parmalat, the company of Parma AC’s owner Calisto Tanzi, goes bankrupt, casting a dark shadow over the future of the club.
• 2004 / Yet again, Parma AC fails to live up to its previous European successes, reaching the third round of the UEFA Cup following aggregate wins over FK Metallurg Donetsk (4-1) and SV Austria Salzburg (9-0) before being eliminated by Gençlerbirliği SK in R3 (4-0 aggr.). Following the 2003-04 season, Parma AC is declared insolvent, one year after the bankruptcy of Parmalat. To avoid the disappearance of the club, Parma AC takes on the new name Parma FC – thus freeing itself of the lethal Parmalat strangle and being given the opportunity to make a fresh start as a separate entity. In the 2004 European Championships in Portugal, defender Matteo Ferrari is the only Parma player in Giovanni Trapattoni’s Italian squad. Later that year, the Stadio Ennio Tardini hosts Italy’s national team in the World Cup qualifier against Belarus (4-3).
• 2005 / Having a very difficult season, Parma FC only avoids relegation to Serie B after winning a tie-break encounter with Bologna FC (2-1 aggr.). Meanwhile, in the 2004-05 UEFA Cup, the club does surprisingly well, knocking out NK Maribor in R1 (3-2 aggr.) to qualify for the group stage, in which it manages a third place behind Athletic Club and FC Steaua București, but ahead of Beşiktaş JK and R Standard de Liège – sufficient to qualify for the last 32. In the following rounds, Parma FC successively eliminates VfB Stuttgart (2-0 aggr.), Sevilla FC (1-0 aggr.), and FK Austria Wien (1-1 aggr. & away goals), eventually bowing out in the semis against PFK CSKA (Moscow) (3-0 aggr.).
• 2006 / Capacity of the Stadio Ennio Tardini is reduced to 27,906 (21,473 for all-seater events) following a renovation which sees the upper part of the Tribuna Est being removed; due to several factors, though (temporary closure of the Curva Nord and the lower part of Tribuna Est as well as part of the Tribuna Petitot due to bad maintenance), official capacity for home matches is down to 15,645. Meanwhile, highlighting the club’s lost prestige in the past three years, not a single Parma player is part of Marcello Lippi’s Italian squad which conquers the World Cup in Germany. 
• 2007 / Having finished in seventh place in the Serie A in the 2005-06 season, Parma FC earns a UEFA Cup ticket for the new season. Eliminating FK Rubin in R1 (2-0 aggr.), the club qualifies for the group stage, in which it finishes in first place, progressing to the following round with CA Osasuna and RC Lens at the expense of SC Heerenveen and OB (Odense). In the round of last 32, though, the club is eliminated by Sporting Braga (2-0 aggr.).
• 2008 / With Héctor Cuper being one of three managers at the head of the squad in the course of the season, Parma FC finishes in second-last place in Serie A, thus dropping back into Serie B after eighteen seasons, along with Empoli FC and bottom club AS Livorno Calcio. Also in 2008, following the tragic death of supporter Matteo Bagnaresi in a traffic incident, Parma’s fan club decides to officially rename the Curva Nord to become Curva Nord Matteo Bagnaresi.
• 2009 / Runners-up in Serie B, Parma FC manages a return to the top flight of Italian football after an absence of just one year, along with champions AS Bari as well as AS Livorno Calcio. The successful coach is Francesco Guidolin. In the following years, the club manages respectable mid-table finishes in the Serie A. Also in 2009, following the death of a Vicenza Calcio supporter in the away end of the Stadio Ennio Tardini, the Curva Sud of the stadium is temporarily closed down; after a lengthy trial, in 2012, it is established that Parma FC is not to blame, as all safety standards had been adhered to. The Curva Sud was reopened in 2011. Still in 2009, Italy’s national team played an international game at the Stadio Tardini for the fifth time, a World Cup qualifier against Cyprus (3-2).
• 2010 / The Stadio Ennio Tardini is part of Italy’s unsuccessful bid for the 2016 European Championships. In a projected renovation, which is never carried out due to the bid’s failure, the ground’s capacity would have been raised to 31,397.
• 2011 / Due to the seats of part of the stands at Stadio Ennio Tardini not being up to new UEFA standards, Italy’s Euro qualifier against Estonia is moved to Modena’s Stadio Alberto Braglia at short notice.
• 2012 / In a new round of renovations, a roof is constructed over Tribuna Est; similar plans to add cover to the terraces on both ends of the ground never come to fruition. On December 21st, 2012, the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and Juventus FC is played at the Stadio Ennio Tardini due to Cagliari’s Stadio Comunale Is Arenas being temporarily unavailable. Earlier that same year, Italy’s international friendly against Luxembourg, due to be held in Parma, was called off due to an earthquake hitting the region, with the epicentre being only 36 miles away from the city-centre; later that year, Italy hosts France in an international friendly at Parma (1-2), dedicated to the 24 victims of the disaster.
• 2014 / Finishing in sixth place in Serie A, Parma FC would have had the right to take part in the Europa League, were it not for the fact that the club does not obtain a European licence due to several defects, one of those being the state of the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
• 2015 / Coached by former Italian international player Roberto Donadoni, Parma FC finishes bottom of the table – with a deduction of 7 points due to financial irregularities. As a result, the club is retrograded to Serie B along with Cagliari Calcio and AC Cesena. Following the 2014-15 season, however, Parma FC is declared bankrupt, with its membership of the Italian FA being withdrawn. Thereupon, the club is refounded as SSD (Società Sportiva Dilettantistica) Parma Calcio 1913 and placed in Serie D, the fourth level of Italy’s football pyramid, for the new season. Also in 2015, American football club Panthers Parma is given permission by Parma’s municipal authorities to play some of its important matches at the Stadio Tardini, a situation lasting until 2017.
• 2016 / Runaway champions in Serie D Group D, a staggering 17 points ahead of closest followers FCD Altovicentino – and without suffering a single defeat – SSD Parma Calcio 1913 wins promotion to Lega Pro, the third tier of Italian football. The successful coach is former player Luigi Apolloni. In the summer of 2016, the club becomes professional, dropping the letters SSD from its name, thus becoming Parma Calcio 1913.
• 2017 / Coached by Roberto D’Aversa, who had only joined the club in the course of the season, Parma Calcio 1913 finishes as runners-up in Lega Pro Group B, thus winning its second promotion in a row, joining champions Venezia FC in the Serie B. 
• 2018 / Runners-up in Serie B, Parma Calcio 1913 wins a staggering third promotion in a row, thus acceding to Serie A along with champions Empoli FC as well as Frosinone Calcio. The successful coach is Roberto D’Aversa. Also in 2018, defender Alessandro Lucarelli hangs up his boots after ten years with Parma FC, SSD Parma Calcio 1913, and Parma Calcio 1913, in the course of which he wore the yellow-and-blue tenue 333 times; this is a club record, with second place being held by Ermes Polli (310 matches, 1958-69) and third place by Ivo Cocconi (307 matches, 1948-62). Following the promotion, a renovation is carried out at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, involving adding new seats to part of the ground which are in conformity with new safety regulations – with backrests of 30cm instead of 15 – bringing up total capacity to 22,352.
• 2019 / The Stadio Tardini hosts Italy’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Liechtenstein (6-0).
• 2020 / Due to Moldova not recognising Kosovo’s independency, the country refuses to host the Kosovar national team in a Nations League tie in its national stadium in Chişinǎu, with the tie being moved to Parma’s Stadio Ennio Tardini instead (1-1).
• 2021 / Coached by Fabio Liverani, who had replaced Roberto D’Aversa as head coach in the course of the season, Parma Calcio 1913 finishes bottom of the Serie A table, dropping back into the Serie B along with Benevento Calcio and FC Crotone. Also in 2021, the Italian national team plays its World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland at the Stadio Tardini – with no spectators being allowed in due to the second Covid lockdown.
• 2023 / Finishing in fourth place in Serie B, Parma Calcio 1913 qualifies for the promotion play-offs, in which the club is eliminated by Cagliari Calcio (3-2 aggr.). Also in 2023, due to renovation works being carried out at San Marino’s Stadio Olimpico in Serravalle, San Marino plays its Euro 2024 qualifier against Kazakhstan at the Stadio Ennio Tardini (0-3).
• 2024 / Champions in Serie B, Parma Calcio 1913 wins promotion to Serie A along with Como 1907 and Venezia FC. The successful coach is Fabio Pecchia.

Note - Below the photo series, a video with highlights of the match I attended at Stadio Ennio Tardini can be found.

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