Serie A celebrates 86 years

Date: 6th October 2015 at 8:42am
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It’s 86 years since the formation of the current Italian football league system, Oscar La-Gambina takes a look back at the history of the league which was formed on the 6th October 1929.

Scudetto Trophy

To find the roots of any league system for football in Italy, you have to go back to the 19th Century.

Similar to the American MLS and some lower leagues in other European countries, between the years of 1898 and 1922, the Italian football league was split up into regional sections.

The league is younger than the first official Italian football club, which was founded in 1893 and named Genoa Cricket and Football Club.

The regional system was changed due to the increase in demand for places in the league as the sport began to grow more popular within the country, and the league system was soon changed to a North/South divide.

The main Serie A format we see nowadays, of clubs from the north, such as AC Milan, facing clubs far more southern, like Sicily’s Palermo, was first in place in 1926 when the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) started adding southern clubs to the northern league.

After a few years, it was decided that this structure would continue, with the final decision being made in 1929. Today’s Serie A structure is the same as it was all those years ago.

The league took a two-year break between 1943 and 1945 due to World War Two, although a football tournament which took place in 1944 using the regional system was awarded to Spezia in 2002, but it isn’t recognised as a legitimate Scudetto.

The only thing that has changed over time is the amount of clubs in the top-flight. The number was originally 18 teams, with Inter being the first club to win the Serie A title which followed today’s structure, although they were under the different name of Ambrosiana at the time.

The Nerazzurri have never been relegated since, making them the only club to have played in the top-flight in each season to date, although Juventus would also hold that title had they not been punished by relegation following the Calciopoli scandal.

Inter- 1929

Four years after Inter were declared the first champions, the number of teams was reduced to 16, before being brought back up to 18 in 1942.

The first time 20 clubs took part in the top-flight was for the 1946/47 season, although this didn’t stick. It was increased to 21 clubs in 1947 for political reasons, before going back to 20 and then interchanging between 16 and 18 clubs again.

The final change to 20 clubs, which is in place today, was made as recent as 2004.

It was not until the 1994/95 season that three points were awarded for a win, while it was also quite recent that the kick-off times changed.

Up until 1993, every Serie A game was played at the same time, either 14:30 or 16:30 GMT depending upon the sunlight in summer and winter months.

A new time of 19:30 GMT was introduced in 1993, which was then put back by 15 minutes in 2009, while the current scheduled kick-off times were mostly introduced in 1999 due to television laws, which forbade a match to be shown live between certain times in the afternoon on a Saturday.

Weekday games were introduced in 2004, while the Sunday lunch game was brought in just five years ago.

One aspect that has never changed is the relegation and promotion format; it has always been the bottom three clubs of Serie A who dropped down to Serie B.

The term ‘scudetto’ originates from before the final structure was decided in 1929. The term, which translates to ‘small shield’ in English, is used because the winning team wears a small coat of arms with the Italian flag on their during the next season.

Juventus Scudetto winners

The stars, meanwhile, are awarded for every 10 league titles a club wins.

A total of 65 clubs have played in Serie A over its 86-year history, with records still being made today; Carpi and Frosinone playing in their first ever top-flight seasons, for example, while Sassuolo are yet to be relegated after gaining promotion for the first time in 2013.

Domestically, Juventus are the most successful Italian side, with the two Milanese clubs tied in second place.

It is debatable how many they have, though, due to the Calciopoli scandal. The 2004/05 season winners officially remain untitled, while the following title was awarded to Inter.

The current co-efficient rankings show Italy as fourth, although they could overtake England and rise to third going by this season’s European efforts.

Serie A continues to be one of the best football leagues in the world, providing high quality entertainment and attracting some of the world’s biggest names, while producing some of their own, too.

Happy 86th birthday, Serie A!

 

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