U.S. Città di Pontedera

Not to be confused with Pontevedra CF.

Pontedera

Full name

Unione Sportiva Città di Pontedera

Nickname(s)

Granata

Founded

1912

Ground

Stadio Ettore Mannucci,
Pontedera, Italy

Capacity

4,405

Chairman

Gianfranco Donnini

Manager

Paolo Indiani

League

Lega Pro/B

2013–14

Lega Pro Prima Divisione/B, 8th

Home colours

Away colours

Unione Sportiva Città di Pontedera (formerly Unione Sportiva Pontedera 1912) is an Italian association football club located in Pontedera, Tuscany. Currently it plays in Lega Pro.

History

Founded in 1912, Pontedera, a team from a city in the Pisa neighbourhood, played Serie C for several years without never gaining a single promotion to Serie B. In 1993/1994, a second place in Serie C2/B allowed Pontedera to be promoted to Serie C1: during that season, the team was known for having longily been the only undefeated team in all Italian professional leagues, and for having incredibly won 2–1 to the Italy national football team coached by Arrigo Sacchi in a friendly match played in April 1994. Pontedera played Serie C1 just in 1994/1995, and relegated to Serie D in 2001, and even Eccellenza in 2002. Pontedera returned to Serie D in 2005, after having won its Eccellenza round.

In summer 2006, The Gunther Corporation purchased Pontedera. It was reported in The Guardian newspaper on 17 May 2007 that the owner of Pontedera is a dog named Gunther IV, who inherited it from Gunther III who in turn inherited it from his owner Countess Libenstein.

Marcello Lippi, head coach of Italy national team and World Cup champion in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, started his professional managing career as Pontedera head coach in 1985–1986.

Serie D 2010–11

At the end of the 2010-11 Serie D season, Pontedera gained access to the Serie D play-off for promotion in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, but they were eliminated in the third round.

Back into professionalism

In the 2012-13 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione season, Pontedera finished second in Girone B, and was promoted to Lega Pro Prima Divisione. This was the second consecutive promotion for the team. The 2013–14 season saw Pontedera topping the Lega Pro Prima Divisione table for the earlier weeks of the season, and then completing the regular season in eighth place and thus ensuring a Serie B promotion playoff spot, then losing to Lecce on penalties in the first round.

Colors and badge

Its colours are all-dark red.

Notable former managers

Marcello Lippi

External links

(Italian) Official website

Lega Pro · 2014–15 clubs

Girone A	AlbinoLeffe Alessandria Arezzo Bassano Virtus Como Cremonese FeralpiSalò Giana Erminio Lumezzane Mantova Monza Novara Pavia Pordenone Pro Patria Real Vicenza Renate Südtirol Torres Venezia

Girone B	Ancona Ascoli Carrarese Forlì Grosseto Gubbio L'Aquila Lucchese Pisa Pistoiese Pontedera Prato Pro Piacenza Reggiana San Marino Santarcangelo Savona SPAL Teramo Tuttocuoio

Girone C	Aversa Normanna Barletta Benevento Casertana Catanzaro Cosenza Foggia Ischia Juve Stabia Lecce Lupa Roma Martina Franca Matera Melfi Messina Paganese Reggina Salernitana Savoia Vigor Lamezia

Serie C seasons

Seconda Divisione	1926–27 1927–28

Prima Divisione	1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35

Serie C	1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78

Prima Divisione (Serie C1)	1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14

Lega Pro	2014–15

Football in Italy

Overview	National association League system List of clubs List of venues Records Scudetto Capocannoniere

International	Italy Under-21 Under-20 Under-19 Under-18 Under-17 Under-16 Under-15 Italy women

Leagues	Lega Serie A Lega Serie B Lega Pro Lega Nazionale Dilettanti Lega Calcio (defunct)

League competitions	Serie A Serie B Lega Pro Serie D Eccellenza Promozione Prima Categoria Seconda Categoria Terza Categoria Lega Pro Prima Divisione (defunct) Lega Pro Seconda Divisione (defunct)

Cup competitions	Coppa Italia Supercoppa Italiana Coppa Italia Lega Pro Supercoppa di Lega di Prima Divisione Supercoppa di Lega di Seconda Divisione Coppa Italia Serie D Coppa Italia Dilettanti

Youth competitions	Campionato Nazionale Primavera Coppa Italia Primavera Supercoppa Primavera Torneo di Viareggio Campionato Nazionale Dante Berretti

Women's competitions	Serie A Coppa Italia

Awards	Oscar del Calcio AIC Italian Football Hall of Fame

Miscellaneous	Totonero 1980 Totonero 1986 2004–10 Italian football scandal 2006 Italian football scandal 2011–12 Italian football scandal Foreign Serie A players Foreign Serie B players

Seasons	1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15