Seconda Categoria

Seconda Categoria is the actual name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the 9th level in the Italian football league system. Each individual league winner within the Seconda Categoria level progresses to their closest regional league in the Prima Categoria level. Depending on each league's local rules, a number of teams each year are relegated from each league, to the 10th level of Italian football, the Terza Categoria

This level of Italian football is completely amateur and is run on a regional level by a Regional Committee (Comitato Regionale).

History in pills

In the past, from 1904 since 1912, had been the 2nd level of Italian local regional tournaments in which main teams used to field apprentices and reserves. New teams entering F.I.F. (Italian Football Federation, was the old name of Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (F.I.G.C.) up to 1909) were added to this championships.
In February 1912 some new Federal Members of F.I.G.C. started elaborating a new rule introducing promotions and relegations from Seconda Categoria to Prima Categoria.
This new rule got approved during the July 1912 federal annual meeting so that this category changed name into Promozione because winning teams were awarded "promotion" to upper level.

This category name too was given to the second level of youth tournaments from 1917 when a new local and independent federation called U.L.I.C. (Unione Libera Italiana del Calcio) was set in Milan, entered the main Italian federation F.I.G.C. in 1927 and had been in use up to 1947 at local youth committees.

Unused for a long time by the F.I.G.C. just because most of lower federal categories got another name (Division), got back in 1959 because of birth of the "Amateur League" (Italian: Lega Nazionale Dilettanti) and all "Divisions" (Iitalian = Divisioni) were converted into "Categories" (Italian = Categorie) and First Division (Prima Divisione) become Seconda Categoria.

For a better and complete review of Italian categories check the link "League system".

See also

• Italian football league system