A.C. Carpi is an Italian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club based in

Carpi Carpi may refer to: Places * Carpi, Emilia-Romagna, a large town in the province of Modena, central Italy ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Carpi * Carpi (Africa), a city and former diocese of Roman Africa, now a Roman Catholic titular see People ...

, a city in the

province of Modena The province of Modena () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Modena. It has an area of and a total population of about 701,000 (2015). There are 48 ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in th ...

. The club was founded in 1909, re-founded in 2000 and 2022. Carpi's colours are

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

, hence the nickname "Biancorossi". At the end of the 2012–13 season, Carpi won their first promotion to

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

. On 28 April 2015, the Biancorossi won their first promotion to

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

, but were relegated back to Serie B after only one season. The Golden Era ended in 2019, with the relegation back in Serie C after five seasons in Serie B and one season in Serie A. The Biancorossi have won a handful of league titles, including: the old

Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Serie C2 was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. History Before the 1978–79 season, there were only three professional football leagues in Italy, the third being Serie C. The league menaging ...

;

once;

Serie C The Serie C (), officially known as Serie C NOW for sponsorship purposes, is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing ...

once; and

Serie D The Serie D () is the highest level of semi-professional football in Italy, and the fourth tier of the Italian national league system. It sits beneath the third and lowest fully professional league, Serie C, and feeds in to it through promotion ...

four times. At the regional level, Carpi has won

Promozione The Promozione (, "promotion") is the sixth 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. Depending on each league's ...

, Prima Divisione, and two

Prima Categoria The Prima Categoria is the seventh level (since 2014–15) 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 progress ...

titles.

History

A.C. Carpi (1909–2000)

The club was founded in the summer of 1909 by local student Adolfo Fanconi as ''Jucunditas'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "gaiety"), and changed their denomination to ''Associazione Calcio Carpi'' a few years later. Carpi played three seasons in the Italian Football Championship, the precursor to

, from the 1919–20 season until 1921–22. Starting from the 1930s, they mostly played between

and

. Carpi achieved their best result in 1997, a third-placed finish under coach

Luigi De Canio Luigi "Gigi" De Canio (born 26 September 1957) is an Italian association football, football manager and a former player who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, full-back. Career Player De Canio, a Defender (football)#Full-back ...

which allowed them to play the

promotion playoffs then lost to

Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...

. The club was cancelled in 2000 following relegation to Serie D and subsequent bankruptcy.

Carpi F.C. 1909 (2000–2021)

A new club, named ''Calcio Carpi'', was therefore admitted to ''

Eccellenza Emilia–Romagna Eccellenza Emilia-Romagna is the regional Eccellenza football division for clubs in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is competed amongst 36 teams, in two different groups (A and B). The winners of the Groups are promoted to Serie D. The club who finishe ...

''. The club assumed the current denomination in 2002, following promotion to

and a merger with the second team of the city, Dorando Pietri Carpi, that had just reached Serie D as well. Pietri Carpi also sold its license to Boca. At the end of the 2009–10 season, through repechage due to the number of teams with financial difficulties, the club was admitted into

. In 2010–11, the club's first season in the higher division, it was promoted again to

Lega Pro Prima Divisione Serie C1 was the third highest football league in Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into ...

. Because of the work being done on their stadium, the Sandro Cabasisi, the team played in the Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore in the 2011–12 season.

Serie B (2013)

In the season 2012–13 the team was promoted from

for the first time when they defeated

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

in the Girone A Play-off Final 2–1 on aggregate. This was the club's third promotion in just four seasons. Carpi FC's first fixture at Serie B level ended in a 1–0 defeat away to

Ternana Ternana Calcio, commonly referred to as Ternana, is an Italian football club based in Terni, Umbria and currently compete in the Serie C. The club was founded in 1925 and refounded in 1993. In its history, Ternana has twice played in Serie A ...

on 24 August 2013. Their first win was a 2–0 victory at

Spezia La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguri ...

courtesy of goals from

Fabio Concas Fabio Concas (born 17 November 1986) is an Italian footballer who plays for the Serie D side Derthona as a winger. Career Born in Genoa, Liguria, Concas started his career at Serie D team Savona from nearby town. In 2007–08 season he was sig ...

Roberto Inglese Roberto Inglese (; born 12 November 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Catania. Club career Pescara Born in Lucera, Apulia, Inglese started his professional career at Abruzzo club Pescara. At young ag ...

. Carpi's first season in

ended in a 12th-place finish, only three points away from a promotion play-off place, ensuring their place for another season.

Serie A debut promotion (2015)

The

2014–15 Serie B The 2014–15 Serie B was the 83rd season since its establishment in 1929. A total of 22 teams contested the league: 14 of which returning from the 2013–14 season, 5 of which promoted from Prima Divisione, and three relegated from Serie A. Th ...

campaign saw Carpi, managed by experienced coach

Fabrizio Castori Fabrizio Castori (born 11 July 1954) is an Italian football coach, currently in charge of club Südtirol. Career Castori was born in San Severino Marche but grew up in Tolentino. He started his coaching career in 1980 at the age of 26 as he ...

, completing the first half of the season (21 games) in a first place, with a record of 43 points and a nine-point advantage over second-placed

Frosinone Frosinone (; local dialect: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lazio, administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is about southeast of Rome, close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of th ...

. On 28 April 2015, after a goalless draw with

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, the club was promoted for the first time to Serie A. Carpi's first season saw a complete overhaul of the squad from the season previous due to the departure of long-time

director of football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an senior management, executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many typ ...

Cristiano Giuntoli, who had masterminded the club's rise from the amateur Serie D to the top flight, to

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

. He was subsequently replaced by

Sean Sogliano Sean Luca Sogliano (born 28 February 1971) is an Italian football director and former player, currently working for Serie A club Hellas Verona as the club's director of football. He is the son of former footballer Riccardo Sogliano. Playing ca ...

. On 28 September 2015, after a 1–5 loss to

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

, the club announced it had relieved Castori of his coaching duties with immediate effect, replacing him with Giuseppe Sannino in the first managerial change of the

2015–16 Serie A The 2015–16 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 114th season of top-tier Italian football, the 84th in a round-robin tournament, and the 6th since its organization under a league committee separate from Serie B. ...

season. Carpi had achieved just two points from its opening six matches. On 3 November, the club performed a U-turn, and Castori was rehired. The club's debut top-flight season ultimately ended in relegation by a single point, with the club having found itself in a relegation dogfight from virtually the start of the season. The following season saw another complete reconstruction of the first-team, with several important players returning to their parent clubs from loan, as Carpi sought an immediate return to Serie A. However, they fell to

Benevento Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the Sabato (r ...

in the playoff final.

Decline and Bankruptcy (2017–2021)

In the

2017–18 Serie B The 2017–18 Serie B (known as the Serie B ConTe.it for sponsorship reasons) was the 86th season since its establishment in 1929. A total of 22 teams contested the league: 15 returning from the 2016–17 Serie B season, 4 promoted from 2016� ...

season, Carpi placed 11th, but the following season was marred by difficulties that caused the team's relegation to

after six years, after having placed last with just 29 points. The

2019–20 Serie C The 2019–20 Serie C was the 61st season of the Serie C, the third tier of the Italian football league system, organized by the Lega Pro. The season was scheduled to run from 24 August 2019 to 26 April 2020, however, on 9 March 2020, the Italian ...

season started well for Carpi, which placed second in its group before the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

halted the season. Carpi then went to the playoffs, but lost to

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

in the quarter finals. The following season saw Carpi placing 15th in its group, narrowly avoiding relegation. However, in July 2021, the COVISOC rejected the club's admission to the

2021–22 Serie C The 2021–22 Serie C was the 63rd season of the Serie C, the third tier of the Italian football league system, organized by the Lega Pro. Changes The league is composed by 60 teams, divided into three different groups. On 31 May 2021, the league ...

, citing unpaid taxes and contributions between 2020 and 2021. The club was successively excluded entirely from Italian football.

Athletic Carpi / A.C. Carpi (2021–current)

In 2021, following the disbandment of the original Carpi, a new but distinct club named Athletic Carpi played in the

2021–22 Serie D The 2021–22 Serie D was the seventy-third season of the top level Italian non-professional football championship. It represents the fourth tier in the Italian football league system. Rules The season will provide a total nine promotions to S ...

season. On 13 September 2022, the club, renamed A.C. Carpi, eventually acquired all the naming and historical rights of the original one, thus formally becoming the direct heir of Carpi FC 1909.

Honours

Domestic

League

:*Winners (1): 2014–15 *

Seconda Divisione Seconda Divisione (''Second Division'') was the name of the second level of the Italian Football Championship from 1921 to 1926. The competition was initially founded in opposition to the FIGC by the clubs of Northern Italy, which disagreed the ...

:*Winners (1): 1922–23 *

:*Winners (1): 1945–46 * Lega Pro Seconda Divisione/Girone A ** Champions (1): 2010–11 *

:*Winners (3): 1963–64, 1973–74, 1977–78

Cups

Coppa Italia Lega Pro Coppa Italia Serie C (), formerly named Coppa Italia Lega Pro, is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Serie C in Italian football first held in 1972. Format There are a total of six rounds in the competition. It begins i ...

** Runners up (1): 2010–11 *

Supercoppa di Lega di Seconda Divisione The Supercoppa di Lega di Seconda Divisione was an Italian football competition played initially by the three group winners of the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, formerly Serie C2. It was contested from the 2005–06 season until the 2013–14 seaso ...

** Runners up (1): 2010–11

Regional

** Winners (1): 1914–15 *

Prima Divisione Prima Divisione (''First Division'') was the name of the first level of the Italian Football Championship from 1921 to 1926. The competition was initially founded in opposition to the FIGC by the richest clubs of Northern Italy, which disagreed the ...

** Winners (1): 1949–50 *

** Winners (2): 1960–61, 1961–62

Youth

Campionato Nazionale Dante Berretti Campionato Primavera 3, formerly Campionato Nazionale Dante Berretti (or simply ''Campionato Berretti''), is an Italian football competition played by youth teams (under 19) organized by the Lega Pro, and mainly composed by Serie C clubs but also ...

** Serie C Winners (1): 1990–91

Club records

League

In 81 football seasons starting from the onset at the national level in the Northern League in 1922: ;Regional In 12 seasons starting from the onset at the regional level in

in 1914:

Individual

Current squad

Out on loan

Notable former managers

* József Zilisy (1942–43) * Gianni De Biasi (1993–96) *

(1996–97) * Walter De Vecchi (1997–98) *

Egidio Notaristefano Egidio Notaristefano (born 4 February 1966) is an Italian football manager. He is a former Italy under-21 international midfielder. Career Notaristefano began his playing career at Como in the early 1980s, and he made his Serie A debut in 1984. ...

(2011–12) *

Giuseppe Pillon Giuseppe "Bepi" Pillon (born 8 February 1956) is an Italian football manager and former player. Playing career Born in Preganziol, Province of Treviso, Pillon moved his first footsteps into football with hometown team Pro Mogliano, before to joi ...

(2014) *

(2014–15) * Giuseppe Sannino (2015) *

(2015–17)

References

External links

Official homepage

Official Twitter
*
The club goes in A on ''Il Mostardino.it''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpi Football clubs in Italy Football clubs in Emilia-Romagna Association football clubs established in 1909 Italian football First Division clubs Serie A clubs Serie B clubs Serie C clubs 1909 establishments in Italy