The Feralpisalò model gets ready for Serie B

By securing Serie B promotion with a 1-0 over Triestina on April 8th, 2023, Feralpisalò became the second ever team from the province of Brescia to make it to Italy’s second tier. Known mainly for having had a certain center back by the name Blanco in their youth ranks between 2018 and 2020, Feralpisalò have had little visibility for most of their existence. But, as it turns out, the team’s past with the ultra-famous singer is not everything that is unique about it. As it turns out, Feralpisalò is a very interesting organization, to say the least.

The name Feralpisalò comes from a 2009 merger of two existing clubs: AC Salò and Feralpi Lonato del Garda. The practice of uniting two separate entities under one is far from rare in football, as various big clubs like PSG, Roma, Benfica have all come to exist in a similar fashion. What sets apart Feralpisalò, however, is that it officially represents two different counties, as opposed to the aforementioned clubs coming from the fusion of organizations from the same city. This makes a lot more sense when you find out that combined, the two towns in question (Salò and Lonato del Garda) can count no more than 27,000 citizens. And, as of the 2023-2024 season, Salò’s 10,500 inhabitants make up the second smallest town in Italy to have ever fielded a Serie B team, behind only Castel di Sangro’s 6000 people that saw their local team play second division football between 1996 and 1998.

Castel del Sangro Calcio managed to stay in Serie B for just two seasons, and have never made their way back since. Things could look very different for Feralpisalò, because the people behind the scenes have all the resources in the world to keep the club growing and progressing. The main orchestrator and owner of the club is Giuseppe Pasini. CEO of a leading, multi-billion ferrous metallurgy company, Pasini’s entrepreneurial spirit is what is truly behind the enviable ambition of the club. Not to mention that thanks to its owner, the spending power a club like Feralpisalò has compared to other fellow Serie B clubs could be a difference-maker. Granted, money alone is not enough for a team to succeed, and this is why another strength that Feralpisalò can boast is sporting director Andrea Ferretti. At only 26 years old, Ferretti is one of the youngest ever to occupy such an important position, and he has so far executed his job flawlessly. Thanks to a shrewd, fresh approach, the director was able to create a team with the perfect balance of experience and youth: 25 total players, 11 older than him, 11 are younger, with the remaining 3 being his peers. On the veteran side, the club’s two most prolific goalscorers for the season Luca Siligardi and Simone Guerra were key, while the younger group can boast some very promising talent such as goalkeeper Semuel Pizzignacco. 

Finally, Feralpisalò has a very distinctive, or better, a truly unique green and blue color scheme in Italian football. The jerseys are rare as they are widely recognizable and synonymous with the club, which is surprising, but not completely unusual, considering other Italian teams such as Ternana, Alessandria, and Legnano. But what these other clubs don’t have, is Feralpisalò’s unmatched scenery, provided by the nearby Lake Garda. The team’s ‘Lino Turina’ stadium is situated only 900 meters from the world famous lake, making an away day at Feralpisalò the dream for any Italian side and their fans (other than Como). The 2500 people capacity will see the ground undergo reconstruction over the summer, resulting in some of Feralpisalò’s earlier games of the 2023-2024 season to be played at Piacenza’s ‘Leonardo Garilli’ stadium.

Provincial like no one else, beautiful scenery, belief in young people, and a distinctive color scheme. Could Feralpisalò’s time in the Serie B spotlight help them gain attention as a truly unique jewel of the Italian football pyramid?