Ternana Calcio, commonly referred to as Ternana, is an Italian football club based in Terni, Umbria and currently compete in the Serie B.
The club was founded in 1925. In its history, Ternana has twice played in Serie A (in the 1972–73 and 1974–75 seasons) and 28 times in Serie B, where it currently competes.
The first team from Umbria to reach Serie A, Ternana enjoys[tone] a local rivalry with Perugia. Ternana plays its home matches at the Stadio Libero Liberati.
History
Serie A
Foundation
The club was founded in 1925 as Terni F.B.C after the merger between Terni Football Club and Unione Sportiva Ternana, reaching the II Division in 1926 and the I Division (nowadays known as Serie B) just a year later.[citation needed]
From Serie C to Serie B
1969–70 Ternana
The club, however, folded in due to financial difficulties, being refounded in 1929 as Unione Fascista Ternana (a denomination that was common during the Italian fascist regime).[citation needed] Folding again in 1933, the club returned to footballing action in 1935 under the name Polisportiva Mario Umberto Borzacchini, after a racing car driver and a native of Terni who had died at the 1933 Monza Grand Prix.[citation needed] In 1938 the new club reached promotion to Serie C, missing a second consecutive promotion the following year.[citation needed]
In 1946, after the World War II, football restarted in Italy and Ternana played in the Serie B, missing promotion for two consecutive years, and being relegated to Serie C in 1949 and IV Serie in 1950.[citation needed] A third relegation, this time to Promozione, came in 1953, and was followed by two years in the regional division for Ternana before returning to IV Serie in 1955.[citation needed] The club returned to Serie C in 1964, and Serie B in 1968, the latter under coach Corrado Viciani.[citation needed]
1970s–1993: From Serie A to bankruptcy
1972–73 Ternana, at its first Serie A season.
In 1972, Ternana finally won Serie B and reached Serie A for their first time, again with Viciani as coach.[citation needed] However, the club did not prove to be ready for Serie A, as they were promptly[tone] relegated in their debut appearance in the top flight, managing only three wins in 30 matches.[citation needed] In 1974, again in Serie B, Ternana managed to[tone] reach one of the three top spots, winning their second promotion to Serie A; this was, however, followed by yet another sad[tone] relegation.[citation needed] In the following years, despite a number of noted head coaches such as Edmondo Fabbri, Cesare Maldini and Renzo Ulivieri, Ternana did not manage to return in the top flight, and instead were relegated to Serie C in 1980, despite a prestigious[tone] run in the 1979–80 Coppa Italia, where Ternana reached the semi-finals, being then eliminated 3–1 on aggregate by Roma.[citation needed]
During the 1980s Ternana played between Serie C1 and Serie C2, before going bankrupt on 12 December 1987.[citation needed] Managed by an official liquidator, Ternana ended the season and escaped relegation.[citation needed] The club, bought in the summer of 1988 by a consortium headed by Gaspare Gambino, won promotion to Serie C in 1988–89 after winning the penalty shootout in a playoff against Chieti.[citation needed] Successively, Ternana won Serie C1 in 1992 and marked their return to Serie B.[citation needed] The promotion was, however, followed by financial troubles that prevented new signings.[citation needed] At the end of the season, which the team finished in the last position, Ternana went officially bankrupt.[citation needed]
1993–1998: From the refoundation to Serie B
On the summer 1993 the club was refounded as Ternana Calcio and was being forced[by whom?] to begin again from Serie D.[citation needed] In their first Serie D campaign, Ternana missed promotion, ending in third place behind Teramo and local rivals Narnese.[citation needed] This was followed by another unsuccessful attempt, as Ternana lost promotion to Viterbese; despite this, the club was later readmitted to Serie C2 to fill a league vacancy (ripescaggio).[citation needed]
In 1996–97 and 1997–98, with a new president and Luigi Delneri as head coach, Ternana won two consecutive promotions, thus returning to Serie B.[citation needed]
1998–present: From Serie B to Lega Pro Prima Divisione and back
Ternana was relegated from Serie B on 12 May 2018[3] and returned to Serie B after a three-year purgatory.[tone][4] In their last season in Serie C, Ternana dominated the (Southern) group C, finishing 22 points ahead Catanzaro.[5]
Colors and badge
The team's colours are red and green.[citation needed] It is the only Italian professional team with a red and green combination.[citation needed]
Supporters
The ultra supporters of Ternana Calcio are called "The Freak Brothers".[citation needed] Like many Italians ultras, they are linked with the political left.[6]
Armadori, Giorgio; Christian Armadori (2001). Tra storia e leggenda, almanacco illustrato della Ternana dalle origini al 2000 (in Italian). Ternana Calcio. ISBN88-434-0859-3.
