| Full name | Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Città di Gallipoli | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Galletti (Roosters) | ||
| Founded | 1966 asUS Gallipoli 1979 asVirtus Gallipoli 1999 asGallipoli Calcio 2010 asGallipoli Football 2023 asCittà di Gallipoli | ||
| Ground | Antonio Bianco, Gallipoli, Italy | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Chairman | Mino Manta | ||
| Manager | Alessandro Carrozza | ||
| League | Serie D | ||
| 2022–23 | Eccellenza Apulia, 1st | ||
A.S.D. Città di Gallipoli is anItalian association football club, based inGallipoli, Apulia.
The club was founded in 1999 asAssociazione Calcio Gallipoli to represent the town of Gallipoli from theprovince of Lecce.[1] The club quickly rose up theItalian football system, being one of the two who were promoted fromEccellenza Apulia in 2003–04.
After gaining a promotion during their first ever season inSerie D, the club changed its name toGallipoli Calcio in 2005.[1] Gallipoli then completed it by winning a third consecutive promotion toSerie C1, and making their absolute debut in the Italian third-highest level in the2006–07 season, which ended in a mid-table place. FormerSerie A starDario Bonetti was then chosen as new boss for the2007–08 season; he was however sacked later following disagreements with the board, in spite of impressive performances which gave the team a third place in the table. The club ultimately ended the season in ninth place, well below their initial expectations. FormerRoma playing heroGiuseppe Giannini was successively appointed as new head coach for Gallipoli's 2008–09 campaign, which ended in triumph, as thegiallorossi won a historic first promotion toSerie B as league winners in the final week.[2]
In July 2009, the club's future was put in doubt when President of the club, oil businessman andSenatorVincenzo Barba, announced that the club was up for sale at no cost. In addition, their home stadium (Stadio Antonio Bianco) was declared unfit as Serie B venue, so the club will be forced to play home games at theVia del Mare inLecce. The situation seriously hampered their preparations for their first season inSerie B and the club was forced to play with its under-19 squad for theirCoppa Italia second round match versusLumezzane in which they were soundly beaten in a 6–0 defeat. With only two weeks before the start of the league, only four first team players were still under contract and no pre-season training camp was organized and no head coach was appointed yet.[3]
On 11 August 2009, anUdine-based company called "D'Odorico Group" took over the club from Barba, putting an end to weeks of speculation regarding the future of the club.[4] The new owner confirmed Giannini as coach. Despite being underdogs, Gallipoli managed to earn 28 points, thus ending the first half of the season in eleventh place, but the situation crumbled in the second leg. Giannini resigned on 22 March 2010 after the club regularly failed to pay salaries to its players. After a two-game tenure under youth team coach Giovanni De Pasquale, former Triestina, Torino and Treviso bossEzio Rossi was appointed. The change did not have any effect, as Gallipoli were relegated back to the third tier on 16 May 2010. The club had severe financial issues, and this caused at first the inability to request the admission to the Italian third tier (30 June 2010). The club owedLuca Pasqualin of P.D.P. srl for agent fee of €12,000 for signingPiergiuseppe Maritato and upheld byTribunale Nazionale di Arbitrato per lo Sport ofCONI.[5]
Then, in July 2010, a court in Lecce declared the club bankrupt.[6]
A new club calledA.S.D. Gallipoli Football 1909 was founded on 13 July 2010. Its goal is enteringPromozione, the 2nd tier of amatorial Italian football. The first season (2010–2011) finished with Gallipoli that reached the 3° place in graduatory, and then they lose the play-off to be promoted inEccellenza Apulia.[7] Gallipoli finished 3rd Group B of Promozione Apulia and again lost promotion play-offs. But the club admitted to Eccellenza Apulia later. Gallipoli finished 7th in 2012–13 season. Finally Gallipoli won Eccellenza Apulia in 2013–14 season and promoted to Group H ofSerie D. After two seasons in Italian Serie D and after many societary changes, the team downgrades again in Eccellenza Apulia in 2015–16 and stay for the following seven seasons.
In the 2022-23Eccellenza Apulia group B a double representation of the city ofGallipoli is scheduled for the first time, with the participation of Gallipoli Football 1909 and of a new team, called ASD Città di Gallipoli, promoted after victorious campaign inPromozione Apulia in the previous season. At the end of the season, Gallipoli Football 1909 transfer their title toSan Pietro Vernotico and ASD Città di Gallipoli become the only team representing the city ofGallipoli in the fifth level of Italian football.[8] Meanwhile, ASD Città di Gallipoli win the group B and the national play-offs and get promoted toSerie D.[9]
