Palermo FC
Aquile
US Città di Palermo is an Italian soccer team.
History
Originally founded in 1898 as the Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, in 1907 this soccer team from Palermo, Sicily changed its name to Palermo FBC, and the team colors were changed to pink and black. The team played in a regionally organized league until 1929, when the team was admitted to I Division League (Serie C). In 1932 it obtained the first promotion to Serie A, but in 1939 the team was cancelled by the federation because of economical problems.
The team, refounded, would return in Serie A in 1948.
Until 1973, the team played only in Serie A and Serie B under the presidence of Renzo Barbera, still known today as the one of the greatest chairmen in the team's history. They also participated in two Italian Cup finals against Bologna and Juventus, but lost both.
After 1973, Palermo FBC only played in Serie B, except for the 1984/1985 season (Serie C). In the summer of 1986 the team was once again cancelled because of financial problems.
The team, renamed to its current form, started again in Serie C2 in the fall of 1987, after a year without soccer in Palermo.
The Serie B return occured 1991, but lasted only a year. In 1993 the team again returned to Serie B for 4 more years, and concluded with a Serie C1 relegation.
In 1997 the team, relegated to the Serie C2 division, was saved by the federation due to the cancellation of another team.
The team, bought by AS Roma chairman Franco Sensi, was newly promoted to Serie B in 2001. Sold to Maurizio Zamparini in summer 2002 after a quiet Serie B season, the team arrived 5th in the 2002/2003 season after having lost Serie A promotion in the last match, against US Lecce.
US Città di Palermo is currently playing in Serie B, fighting to obtain a promotion for the next Serie A championship. US Città di Palermo has not been in the Serie A division since 1973.
The official team colours are still pink and black. The team is nicknamed rosanero (referring to the team colours) or aquile (referring to the official logo).
The US Città di Palermo stadium is the 'Renzo Barbera', formerly known as "La Favorita". It has a capacity of 37,460 people.