Italian football league system
Encyclopedia
The Italian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues and national tournaments, set up by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), for football clubs in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 with one club hailing from San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...

.

History

The first leagues were started by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 emigrants in the 1890s in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. The first club was Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

 Cricket and Athletic Club
(now Genoa Cricket & Football Club). Initially there were separate leagues for Italians and foreigners, they merged around 1897. In March 1898, the Italian Football Federation (Federazione Italiana del Football, later re-called Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, FIGC) was set up in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

. With four clubs joining - Genoa, FC Torinese, Internazionale di Torino and the Società Ginnastica di Torino (Gymnastic Society of Torino). Other clubs existed but decided not to join. The first league took place on a single day, May 8, 1898 in Torino. The title was won by Genoa.

Genoa were the initial force in Italian football. They won the championship in 1899, 1900, 1902, 1903, and 1904. Milan CFBC and Juventus FBC joined the league during 1899-1900 season.

FIGC joined FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 in 1905 and the championship moved to a league structure, based on regions, in the same year.

After the interruption of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, football popularity grew and more and smaller clubs joined. In the summer of 1921, a second association was briefly created in competition with the FIGC: the Confederazione Calcistica Italiana (CCI), emerged from an argument between major and minor clubs over the structure of the national leagues. Hence in 1922 Italy had two champions US Pro Vercelli and US Novese
U.S. Novese
Unione Sportiva Dilettantistica Novese is an Italian football club from Novi Ligure, Piedmont. The club has won the Italian First Division in the past, but now plays in Serie D/A....

. The two groups eventually re-merged at the end of the season.

The move to a single national league structure occurred in 1929 with initially eighteen teams in the top league. The first winners in 1930 were Internazionale. The national team also won the World Cup in 1934 and 1938.

After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the league returned to a regional structure with a north-south divide and a play-off for a single year before returning to a national league. Torino were the first post-war league champions and went on to win four in a row. However, it is Juventus, A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

 and Internazionale that have dominated the league since World War II, having won the title in 47 of the 64 seasons.

The current league system dates back to 1978, when semi-professional sector was disbanded. In that year, the actual Lega Pro (at that age known as National Semiprofessional League) which ruled Serie C
Serie C
The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico , commonly known as Lega Pro , is the governing body that runs the third and fourth highest football divisions in Italy, the Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione respectively. It also includes the sole professional club of San Marino...

 and Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...

, turned in a fully professional league organizing new Serie C1
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....

 and Serie C2
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...

. Italy so became the only country having two distinct professional football leagues, 14 years before England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Structure

At the top is the Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A
Lega Serie A
The Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A , commonly known as Lega Serie A , is the governing body that runs the major professional football competitions in Italy, most prominently the Serie A.It was founded on 1 July 2010...

('National League of Professionals Serie A', often referred to as 'Lega Serie A'), which runs the Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 and the Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie B
Lega Serie B
The Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie B , commonly known as Lega Serie B , is the governing body that runs the second tier of professional football competitions in Italy, the Serie B.It was founded on 7 July 2010, following a split between Serie A and Serie B clubs, which led to the dissolution...

('National League of Professionals Serie B', often referred to as 'Lega Serie B'), which runs the Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

.

Below that is the Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico ('Italian League Professional Football', often referred to as 'Lega Pro'), which rules First Division (with two parallel divisions) and Second Division (with two parallel divisions since 2011, previously three).

Then there is the simply named Serie D, a league of nine parallel divisions (in which the clubs are divided by geographical location) that is organised by the Comitato Interregionale ('Interregional Committee') of the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...

('National Amateur League'). Under them there are five more levels: four of them, Eccellenza
Eccellenza
Eccellenza is the sixth level of Italian football. It is a regional league, composed of 28 divisions divided geographically. All 20 regions are represented by at least one division except for Piedmont and Aosta Valley which share 2 divisions...

, Promozione
Promozione
Promozione is the name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the 7th level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Promozione level progresses to their closest regional league in the Eccellenza level...

, Prima Categoria
Prima Categoria
Prima Categoria is the name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the eighth level in the Italian football league system and is organized by the National Amateur League by the Regional Committees. Each individual league winner within the Prima Categoria level progresses to their...

 and Seconda Categoria
Seconda Categoria
Seconda Categoria is the actual name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the 9th level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Seconda Categoria level progresses to their closest regional league in the Prima Categoria level...

, are organized by regional
Regions of Italy
The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....

 committees of the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...

, the last one, Terza Categoria
Terza Categoria
Terza Categoria is the name of the lowest level of "amateur" football in Italy. It is considered to be the 10th and lowest level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Terza Categoria level progresses to their closest regional league in the Seconda...

, by provincial
Provinces of Italy
In Italy, a province is an administrative division of intermediate level between a municipality and a region .-Overview:...

 committees.

Current system

Level League/Division(s)
1 Lega Serie A
Lega Serie A
The Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A , commonly known as Lega Serie A , is the governing body that runs the major professional football competitions in Italy, most prominently the Serie A.It was founded on 1 July 2010...


Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...


20 clubs
2 Lega Serie B
Lega Serie B
The Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie B , commonly known as Lega Serie B , is the governing body that runs the second tier of professional football competitions in Italy, the Serie B.It was founded on 7 July 2010, following a split between Serie A and Serie B clubs, which led to the dissolution...


Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...


22 clubs
3 Lega Pro
Prima Divisione Girone A

18 clubs
Lega Pro
Prima Divisione Girone B

18 clubs
4 Lega Pro
Seconda Divisione Girone A

20 clubs
Lega Pro
Seconda Divisione Girone B

21 clubs
5 LND
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...


Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...


Gir. A

20 clubs
LND
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...


Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...


Gir. B

20 clubs
LND
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...


Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...


Gir. C

18 clubs
LND
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...


Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...


Gir. D

20 clubs
LND
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...


Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...


Gir. E

18 clubs
LND
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...


Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...


Gir. F

18 clubs
LND
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...


Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...


Gir. G

18 clubs
LND
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...


Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...


Gir. H

18 clubs
LND
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti is the giant league which rules the amatorial football of FIGC in Italy.Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Interregional Commettee, which organizes the Serie D championship from 1981, nineteen regional leagues called Regional...


Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...


Gir. I

18 clubs
6 Eccellenza
Eccellenza
Eccellenza is the sixth level of Italian football. It is a regional league, composed of 28 divisions divided geographically. All 20 regions are represented by at least one division except for Piedmont and Aosta Valley which share 2 divisions...


(28 regional divisions, 476 clubs)
7 Promozione
Promozione
Promozione is the name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the 7th level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Promozione level progresses to their closest regional league in the Eccellenza level...


(54 regional divisions, 893 clubs)
8 Prima Categoria
Prima Categoria
Prima Categoria is the name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the eighth level in the Italian football league system and is organized by the National Amateur League by the Regional Committees. Each individual league winner within the Prima Categoria level progresses to their...


(106 regional divisions, 1.668 clubs)
9 Seconda Categoria
Seconda Categoria
Seconda Categoria is the actual name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the 9th level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Seconda Categoria level progresses to their closest regional league in the Prima Categoria level...


(182 regional divisions)
10 Terza Categoria
Terza Categoria
Terza Categoria is the name of the lowest level of "amateur" football in Italy. It is considered to be the 10th and lowest level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Terza Categoria level progresses to their closest regional league in the Seconda...


(209 provincial divisions)

See also

  • League system
    League system
    A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport, usually with a system of promotion and relegation between consecutive levels of the hierarchy. They are often called pyramids due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions the further down the pyramid one descends...

  • List of football competitions
  • Serie A
    Serie A
    Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

  • Serie B
    Serie B
    Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

  • Serie C1
    Serie C1
    Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....

  • Serie C2
    Serie C2
    Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...

  • Serie D
    Serie D
    Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...

  • Eccellenza
    Eccellenza
    Eccellenza is the sixth level of Italian football. It is a regional league, composed of 28 divisions divided geographically. All 20 regions are represented by at least one division except for Piedmont and Aosta Valley which share 2 divisions...

  • Promozione
    Promozione
    Promozione is the name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the 7th level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Promozione level progresses to their closest regional league in the Eccellenza level...

  • Prima Categoria
    Prima Categoria
    Prima Categoria is the name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the eighth level in the Italian football league system and is organized by the National Amateur League by the Regional Committees. Each individual league winner within the Prima Categoria level progresses to their...

  • Seconda Categoria
    Seconda Categoria
    Seconda Categoria is the actual name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the 9th level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Seconda Categoria level progresses to their closest regional league in the Prima Categoria level...

  • Terza Categoria
    Terza Categoria
    Terza Categoria is the name of the lowest level of "amateur" football in Italy. It is considered to be the 10th and lowest level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Terza Categoria level progresses to their closest regional league in the Seconda...

  • Campionato Primavera
    Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti
    The Campionato Nazionale Primavera – Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti, is an Italian football competition played by youth teams of all Serie A and all Serie B clubs, and organized by the Football League. All players must be under 20, but two overaged are allowed in eliminatory rounds...

  • Campionato Berretti
    Campionato Nazionale Dante Berretti
    Campionato Nazionale Dante Berretti is an Italian football competition played by youth teams of Serie C clubs, organized by the Professional League. Serie A, Serie B and Serie D clubs are admitted after request...

  • Coppa Italia
    Coppa Italia
    The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...

  • Supercoppa Italiana
    Supercoppa Italiana
    The Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...

  • Coppa Italia Serie C
    Coppa Italia Serie C
    Coppa Italia Lega Pro , formerly named Coppa Italia Serie C, is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Lega Pro in Italian football. All games, including the final, are on a home/away basis....

  • Supercoppa di Lega Serie C1
    Supercoppa di Lega Serie C1
    The Supercoppa di Lega di Prima Divisione is an Italian football competition played by the two group winners of the Lega Pro Prima Divisione, formerly Serie C1...

  • Supercoppa di Lega Serie C2
    Supercoppa di Lega Serie C2
    The Supercoppa di Lega di Seconda Divisione is an Italian football competition played for by the three group winners of the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, formerly Serie C2...

  • Coppa Italia Serie D
    Coppa Italia Serie D
    Coppa Italia Serie D is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Serie D in Italian football. All games, including the final, are on a home/away basis...

  • Coppa Italia Dilettanti
    Coppa Italia Dilettanti
    The Coppa Italia Dilettanti is an annual knock-out competition for teams from the sixth and seventh levels of Italian football: the Eccellenza and the Promozione. All ties except for the final, which is held at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome, are played on a home-and-away basis...

  • Coppa Italia Primavera
    Coppa Italia Primavera
    The Coppa Italia Primavera is an Italian football competition played for by youth teams from Campionato Primavera. All players are under 20 of age. The first edition was held in the 1972-73 season....

  • Supercoppa Primavera
    Supercoppa Primavera
    The Supercoppa Primavera is an Italian youth teams football match played by the winner of Campionato Primavera and the winner of Coppa Italia Primavera at the beginning of the season.The competition is held since 2004....

  • Torneo di Viareggio
    Torneo di Viareggio
    The Torneo di Viareggio , official name Viareggio Cup World Football Tournament Coppa Carnevale, is one of the most important youth football tournaments in the world. It is officially recognized by CONI, FIGC, UEFA and FIFA. It is held each year in Viareggio, Tuscany and its surroundings, starting...

  • List of football clubs in Italy

External links

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