A.C. Monza


Associazione Calcio Monza is a professional football club based in Monza, Lombardy, Italy. Founded in 1912 as Monza Foot Ball Club, they will play in the Serie B, the second tier of Italian football, following promotion in the 2019–20 season. In its history, the club has never reached the Serie A, making it the team that has participated in the most Italian second division seasons—39—without ever achieving promotion to the first division.
In 2020–21, Monza will participate in the Serie B after a 19-year absence; the club's last participation in the Italian second division dated back to the 2000–01 season. Monza holds the record of victories in the Coppa Italia Serie C, winning it four times. They also won four Serie C championships and an Anglo-Italian Cup. Known as i Bagai, Monza's kit colours have traditionally been red and white. They have played at the Stadio Brianteo since 1988.

History

The club's history began in 1912, when the fusion of various city societies gave life to Monza Foot Ball Club. Starting from the Terza Categoria, the club climbed the divisional ladders Italian football during the 1920s and 1930s. In 1939, although still playing in the Terza Divisione, the club reached the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. In 1951 Monza gained promotion to the Serie B and stayed in the division for fifteen years, before going back to Serie C.
Returning immediately to the second division, Monza opened its first success cycle in the mid-seventies, when it was noted for its performance in the Coppa Italia Serie C: they played three consecutive finals, winning the first two over Lecce and Sorrento, but losing in 1976 in a second confrontation with the Apulians. At the end of the season, the team won the Anglo-Italian Cup in the final against Wimbledon FC. At the end of the seventies the Lombard club came close to gaining promotion to the Serie A, but lost the chance two matches from the end of the season.
Between the eighties and nineties, Monza saw an era of success between the second and third division: in 1988 and 1991 they won the Coppa Italia Serie C, both times against Palermo. In 1996, the club lost in the Coppa Italia Serie C final against Empoli. At the beginning of the 2000s, the club returned to Serie C1 again and in the mid-2000s, after losing the Coppa Italia Serie C final against Salernitana, Monza entered administration and started again from Serie D.
In 2017 the club won the Serie D and returned to the Serie C, before losing their fourth Coppa Italia Serie C final in 2019, against Viterbese. In 2020 Monza returned back to the Serie B, after a 19-year absence from the competition.

Colours and badge

Badge

Monza's first known logo had the appearance of a blue shield with a red border, containing the design of the Iron Crown, also colored red. On top there was a white band containing the epigraph "A.C. MONZA" in black letters. When, in 1933, the club changed its colors, replacing blue with white, the emblem was redesigned. The shield became circular, with red and while halves. The Iron Crown was moved downwards and was made golden; above the monogram "ACM" was added, also golden.
Monza's official badge underwent various changes throughout its history, with the epigraphs changing as the club changed its name. The re-foundation of the club in 2004 also involved a redesign of the logo: it had the shape of a shield, rounded on the edges, and its main colour was red, with white being used for details and text. Stylized versions of the Visconteo sword and the Iron Crown were present in the center of the badge, with the text "AC MONZA BRIANZA" above, and the year of foundation below. In 2013, the badge was changed once again: the Iron Crown was moved to the top of the badge, while inside are present the name of the club, and the double crossed sword. Between 2015 and 2019, the badge remained largely the same, with a single sword being preferred to the double crossed version, and the text on the badge changing as the name of the club changed.

Anthem

Since 2006, the club's official anthem has been the song Monza Alè, written and composed ad hoc by the footballer Michele Magrin, who at the time played for Monza, in collaboration with the singer-songwriter Giò Fattoruso. The musical part was performed by the band Amusia with Alessandro Fè on the piano, Carlo Cassera on the bass, Fabrizio Zambuto on the guitar, and Fabio Ariano on the drums and percussion. Other players who played for the club at the time also took part in the recording: Vinicio Espinal, Valerio Capocchiano, Alberto Bertolini and Marco Guidone.
Starting from the official presentation, Monza Alè is used to accompany all the official occasions involving Monza, including home matches: typically it is broadcast by the speakers of the Stadio Brianteo as the teams enter the pitch.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Supporters

The organized support in the city has its roots since the early seventies: the first purely ultras group were the Commandos. In 1977, the Brigate Biancorosse were born, alongside smaller groups such as Prima Linea and Fossa Arditi. In the early eighties the various components of the ultras movement in Monza decided to gather behind a single banner, that of the Legione d'Assalto, which was joined shortly after by the Eagles Monza, the most representative group, in terms of longevity and numbers, of tifo in Monza. In those years, nearing the retirement of the Stadio Sada in favor of the new Stadio Brianteo, several minor groups, in addition to the Eagles, were born: Vedano Erotika, Wild Kaos, Libertà Korps, Gruppo Avvinazzato, Inferno Biancorosso, and Indians. Those groups decided to abandon the central steps in favor of the Curva Lambro.
Following the transfer of Monza to the new stadium, the cheering experienced a period of liveliness, especially as regards the Monza Clubs, which came to multiply and count several members throughout Brianza. After the dissolution of the Eagles in 1992, the Gioventù Brianzola was born in 1993 from the union of the remaining ultras groups. They decided to adopt an eagle as a symbol, in tribute to the work done by the Eagles over the years. In 1994 the S.A.B. were born: the split was due to a different way of understanding the tifo and for basic differences. In the beginning it was a closed and goliardic group, dedicated to eating well and that organizing itself with private cars or minibuses for away matches.
In 2001 the Gioventù Brianzola broke up, and the S.A.B. became the driving group of the Curva Davide Pieri: from that moment the organization of transfers by bus and with special trains began. Since 1999 the Graziosa Group also appeared, marked by mutual support with the S.A.B. The Graziosa Group, the S.A.B. remained the only ultra group to attend the Brianteo for a few years, except in 2009 when they were joined by the 1912 group, and in 2017 by the N.D.O.; until 2017, the latter group occupied the West Stand of the stadium. Recently, several groups were born in the Curva, including Libertà, Ultras Cederna, Pollakis and Ronco, while the clubs of fans multiplied, with the return of several "Monza Club" in the city and in the province.
The Curva Sud of the Brianteo is also called Curva Davide Pieri, in memory of a young fan who died prematurely in December 1998. The West tribune bears the name of the historic fan Angelo Scotti, who died in 2018, while the press tribune was named in memory of Claudio Parma, a journalist and Biancorosso fan, who died on 3 July 2008.

Players

Current squad

Other players under contract

Out on loan

Notable players and managers

The following is a list of players and managers that are part of the Hall of Fame on the club's official website.

National