The waves gently lap against the shore as the heat of the midday sun beats down, the people casually walk by taking in the beautiful surrounding scenery of Lake Garda. Life seems more relaxed here somehow, as if the locals haven’t a care in the world.
Not too far from the bench that we have placed ourselves on taking it all in, a woman maybe in her late 40’s early 50’s manoeuvres her eye catching speedboat out onto the lake and gradually disappears off into its heart. Finishing the last of our homemade lunch we stroll through the tight little streets of the town gazing in shop window after shop window. In the end our time there is short but Salo is a town that stays in the memory.
To those who have never been there the name Salo possibly evokes one thought, Mussolini and the Italian Social Republic that was set up in the town in the death throes of Italian Fascism. It is however a town of oh so much more and for perhaps the first time in its long history that so much more includes Calcio.
On Sunday the 14th February the players of FeralpiSalo and Cremonese trudged their way out onto the pitch in miserable conditions at the modest Stadio Lino Turina. The next 90 minutes would see a ding-dong of a tussle between the two but in the end FeralpiSalo would come out the victors, 4-2. That win moves the Leoni del Garda (Lions of Lake Garda) onto 40pts from 22 matches and keeps them in third in the table.
Perhaps to those who do not follow the lower levels of the Italian game with much interest, third place in the third division is no big deal. For the Gardesani though we are entering into unheralded territory.
FeralpiSalo is an unusual club in that it is both young and old. As an entity the Leoni del Garda have only been around since 2009 but their DNA can be traced back as far as the 1960’s. Indeed, the origins of the club can get rather convoluted.
FeralpiSalo came about in 2009 as a result of a merger between two local clubs, AC Salo and Feralpi Lonato from nearby Lonato del Garda, hence the amalgamated name that adorns the club crest today.
AC Salo themselves were founded back in 1985 as a result of another merger between Prima and Seconda categoria sides AC Salo (Originally Real Plaza Salo) and AC Benaco Salo. As for Feralpi Lonato their origins are remarkably similar in that they were also founded through a merger of local sides AC Feralpi Lonato (Originally AC Pejo Lonato) and AS Lonato.
Even the club’s odd jersey colour mix of green and blue can be traced back to the merger and today remains a sign of unity between the two societies. Despite the clubs very modest size it has continuously punched above its weight since it entered the professional leagues in 2009.
In their first season they finished a remarkable fourth in the old Lega Pro Seconda Division. Promotion followed the next year as the club climbed into the Prima Division. Since then it has been a steady upward progression as each new season betters the last.
Last season saw them finish in their highest ever position of sixth, in front of more established names such as Cremonese, Venezia, Arezzo and Mantova. However even given the forward momentum of the club attendances have remained amongst the lowest in the division. Of course having one of the smallest stadiums is not sure to help this.
Nevertheless, figures for the average attendance for this season, a season in which they currently sit third, can be found to be anywhere from between 785 to 813, with a highest match attendance of just 1200. Perhaps more amazingly they still have a higher average attendance than five other teams in their division.
It is of course to easy to get bogged down with figures but the numbers go some way in highlighting how much this club from the far north is punching above its weight. Further to the point of those attendances, home support and home advantage can be overrated and this season nobody has proved that more than FeralpiSalo.
Of the aforementioned 40pts collected in the league so far only 16 have been won at the Stadio Turina. Incredibly they have already lost five times at home in 11 matches, which to any observer strikes of relegation form. Away from home however the club have been lights out winning seven and only losing once from their 11 trips outside the picturesque lake.
Their current position of third in the table can be put down to a familiar face, former Sampdoria, Torino and Italian international Aimo Diana who took over the reins of the club in early November of last year after the sacking of Michele Serena. Diana had previously been the club’s youth coach but seems to have taken to first team management like a duck to water.
It has been an excellent season so far for the Gardesani and one that may still end in promotion to Serie B. A promotion that would surely make them the smallest club ever to play in the second tier, even smaller than the famous Castel Di Sangro.
That promotion though while as said is plausible it remains highly unlikely as they trail seven points behind table toppers and the far more experienced Cittadella. The play-offs remain another potential route but the maze that is the Lega Pro play-offs makes that an even more frightening ordeal.
In the end the season may just finish with FeralpiSalo content with another year in Lega Pro but calcio is a land where the remarkable happens often. Their fan base is small but passionate and as long as they remain the Leoni del Garda will continue to roar.
To the outsider their journey is unremarkable but to true passionate fans of calcio it is clubs like this who make us love the game so much more.
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