LFA Reggio Calabria
La Fenice Amaranto Reggio Calabria, commonly referred to as Reggina, is an Italian football club based in Reggio Calabria. They play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo and are currently playing in the Serie D league.
Full name
LFA Reggio Calabria
Gli Amaranto (The Amaranth)
1914, as US Reggio Calabria
27,763
Antonino Ballarino, Alice Ballarino, Marika Ballarino, Virgilio Minniti, Fabio Vitale
Virgilio Minniti
Serie D Group I
Serie D Group I, 4th of 20
They are nicknamed the Amaranto (amaranth) after their official dark red colours. The club was formerly known as Reggina Calcio before declaring bankruptcy in 2015, as well as A.S.D. Reggio Calabria in the 2015–16 season, Urbs Reggina 1914 from 2016 to 2019, Reggina 1914 from 2019 to 2023, and LFA Reggio Calabria from 2023.
In its previous guise, the club played in the Serie A for nine seasons between 1999 and 2009, including a seven-year consecutive spell starting in 2002. During these years, the club narrowly avoided relegation in most seasons and never finished in the top half. After failing to make a return in the first few years the club fell into financial and sporting difficulties, culminating in falling into the lower tiers of Italian football before returning to the Serie B in 2020.
Names[edit]
The club was founded on 11 January 1914 as Unione Sportiva Reggio Calabria. It changed name many times (Società Calcistica Reggio, Reggio Foot Ball Club, Associazione Sportiva Reggina, Società Sportiva La Dominante), finally assuming the denomination Reggina Calcio in 1986.
After the 2015 bankruptcy, the club had used A.S.D. Reggio Calabria as the new name of the new legal person, and then the club changed to the denomination Urbs Reggina 1914 S.r.l. in 2016, and, between 2019 and 2023, Reggina 1914 S.r.l..
Following the most recent club exclusion in 2023, the club was refounded as LFA Reggio Calabria.[1]
Rivalries[edit]
Reggina are fierce rivals with neighbours Messina, who are just a twenty-minute ferry ride apart from each other. Twice every season they clash in the Derby dello Stretto (Strait of Messina Derby). In the 2014–15 season, Reggina defeated Messina in both legs of the playout to send Messina down to Serie D. There is also a major Calabrian derby between Reggina and Crotone, but both teams have not played in the same league in for two years. Reggina also has a derby with fellow Calabrian team Catanzaro, which is currently in Serie B.
Colours and badges[edit]
Reggina used a logo with a letter R and a football on it. Some variant of the logo, had 1986, the year of foundation of Reggina Calcio on it.[21] Due to 2015 bankruptcy, the new owner introduced a new logo as the old design was tied to the old legal person of the club. Due to 2016 renaming, some modification was introduced, which a letter R was re-introduced in the logo.[22] However, the design of the ball on the 2016 logo was different from the historical logo, which the 2016 logo used a leather ball.[22] In 2019, the club reverted to use the historical design of the logo.[23]