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Pro Vercelli
Full name	Unione Sportiva Pro Vercelli Calcio SRL
Nickname(s)	Bianche Casacche (White Shirts), Leoni (Lions)
Founded	1892 (football division in 1903)
Ground	Stadio Silvio Piola, Vercelli, Italy (Capacity 6,165)
Chairman	Vero Paganoni
Manager	Giuseppe Brucato
League	Serie C2/A
2006-07	Serie C2/A, 8th
Home colours 　 Away colours

Unione Sportiva Pro Vercelli Calcio was one of the most successful Italian football clubs in the early decades of the twentieth century, with seven national titles won between 1908 and 1922. Based in Vercelli, Piedmont, the team currently plays in Italy's Serie C2.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Foundation 1.2 Phenomenal success 1.3 Decline 2 Recent history 3 Current squad 4 Honours 5 Famous players 6 External links

The Società Ginnastica Pro Vercelli (Pro Vercelli Gymnastics Society) was established in 1892, with its Football Division founded in 1903. The first official match for the S.G. Pro Vercelli - Football Division took place on 3 August 1903 against the Forza e Costanza team from Novara.

1907 saw Pro Vercelli's football team win the Subs Division, and subsequently the club were admitted to Italian National League for the first time. Success followed quickly, with the following two years (1908 and 1909) producing the "White Shirts" first National championship titles.

A place was again earned in the 1909-10 Championship final, however, a disagreement arose with the Italian Football Federation (F.I.F. - nowadays F.I.G.C.) because of the arranged date, clashing with a previously scheduled match. Pro Vercelli chose to take part only with a youth team, eventually losing the title to Internazionale Milano.

Nevertheless, the Leoni ("Lions", so called for their notorious hard and not always clean tackles) did not take long to prove again their supremacy in Italian football. The following years they remain undefeated, with the unprecedented capture of three titles in a row in 1910-11, 1911-12 and 1912-13.

These years begat the legends of the famous Midfield Line of Wonders, formed by Ara, Milano I and Leone. In the same years Pro Vercelli also formed, the backbone of the first Italian national teams, with nine players representing the Piedmont club.

After such an incredible beginning, however, Pro Vercelli had to wait the end of the Great War and 1920-21 to win another National title. In the following years Pro Vercelli remained among the best Italian teams, but fell short of achieving the top prize. Other teams such as arch-rivals Casale, Genoa and Internazionale Milano overtook the "White Shirts", breaking a dominance not experienced before or since.

In 1921-22, after a row over the structure of the Italian league competition, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) split, with all the major teams forming the independent Italian Football Confederation (C.C.I.). Pro Vercelli joined the CCI league, which had a structure with fewer matches over the year, subsequently and joyously regaining their 7th National title. Incredibly and unfortunately, it was to be their last - to date.

Pro Vercelli were invited to Rio de Janeiro to play against Flamengo and Botafogo. In the days before formalised European competition, Liverpool F.C., during a European tour as English Champions, played all the strongest team of the continent, defeating all except one: they could only manage to draw with Pro Vercelli in a clash of the finest sides in the world on the day.

This was the year that marked the beginning of the slow, but steady decline of Pro Vercelli. In 1934-35 the Bianche Casacche were eventually relegated to Serie B. The steady modernisation of the game saw the small town team drop to Serie C for the first time in 1940-41.

In recent years, Pro Vercelli have been fairly stable at mid-table in the Italian fourth division (Serie C2). In July 2005 a new chairman, Vero Paganoni, took over at the helm of the club.

No. Position Player GK Danielle Mandelli GK Michele Castagnone GK David Olivia DF Massimo Carrera DF Paolo Gobba DF Claudio LaBriola DF Fabio Pilleri DF Emanuele Simoni DF Maurizio Rossi DF Cataldo Ciravolo MF Colombo Alessandro

No. Position Player MF Stefano Rondinella MF Mirko Benin MF Adriano Panepinto MF Giacinto Rignanese MF Andrea Boscolo FW Maurizio Ganz FW Christian Scalzo FW Alessandro Andreini FW Daniele Vasoio FW Albino Serafini FW William Largana

• Italian Football Championship
  • Champions: 1908, 1909, 1910-11, 1911-12, 1912-13, 1920-21, 1921-22
  • Runners-up: 1909-10

See also: Category:U.S. Pro Vercelli Calcio players

Italy Guido Ara Pietro Ferraris Silvio Piola Virginio Rosetta Giuseppe Cavanna Teobaldo Depetrini

• (Italian) Official site
• (English) (Italian) Information page in English and Italian. Game reports, articles, stats, polls and a guestbook.
• (Italian) A photographic site. Pictures of Pro Vercelli.

Serie C2 • 2007-08 clubs v • d • e
Serie C2 Girone A Calcio Caravaggese • Canavese • Carpenedolo • Cuneo • Ivrea • Lumezzane • Mezzocorona • Nuorese • Olbia • Pavia Pergocrema • Pizzighettone • Pro Vercelli • Rodengo Saiano • Sassari Torres • Südtirol-Alto Adige • Valenzana • Varese Serie C2 Girone B Bassano V. • Bellaria Igea • Carrarese • Castelnuovo • Cuoiocappiano • Esperia Viareggio • Giulianova • Gubbio Poggibonsi • Portosummaga • Prato • Reggiana • Rovigo • San Marino • Sansovino • SPAL • Teramo • Viterbese Serie C2 Girone C Andria BAT • Benevento • Cassino • Catanzaro • Celano • Cisco Roma • Gela • Igea Virtus • Melfi • Monopoli Neapolis • Noicattaro • Pescina V.D.G. • Real Marcianise • Scafatese • Val di Sangro • Vibonese • Vigor Lamezia
Serie C seasons
1935-36 • 1936-37 • 1937-38 • 1938-39 • 1940-41 • 1941-42 • 1942-43 • 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
Serie C2 seasons
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 • 1999-00 • 2000-01 • 2001-02 2002-03 • 2003-04 • 2004-05 • 2005-06 • 2006-07 • 2007-08