Parma Calcio 1913

Parma Calcio 1913, based in the historic city of Parma in Emilia-Romagna, currently plays in Serie A, Italy's top football division. The club's origins trace back to December 1913, though the current entity was refounded in 2015 after bankruptcy. Since 1923, the team has called the 27,906-seat Stadio Ennio Tardini, commonly known as Il Tardini, its home ground.

Backed by Calisto Tanzi's Parmalat empire, Parma enjoyed a golden era from 1992 to 2002. During that decade, they finished as Serie A runners-up in 1996–97 and collected eight major trophies: three Coppa Italia titles, one Supercoppa Italiana, two UEFA Cups, a European Super Cup, and a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The club's rise was fueled by stars like Gianfranco Zola, Faustino Asprilla, and later Gianluigi Buffon and Lilian Thuram.

Financial disaster struck in late 2003 when the Parmalat scandal imploded, sending the parent company into collapse. The club operated under controlled administration until January 2007, but deeper troubles led to bankruptcy in 2015. Parma was refounded in Serie D, the fourth tier, yet staged a remarkable comeback with three consecutive promotions, returning to Serie A by 2018. [edit]

The club began on July 27, 1913 as Verdi Foot Ball Club, named for composer Giuseppe Verdi who was born nearby. That name lasted only three months before the club reorganized as Parma Foot Ball Club on December 16, 1913. Over the decades it cycled through several monikers, Parma Associazione Sportiva, Parma Football Club, Associazione Calcio Parmense, and finally Parma Associazione Calcio before the current entity.

Parma spent most of its early decades bouncing between the second and third tiers. It made a brief top-flight appearance in 1925–26, became a founding member of Serie B in 1929, and a founding member of Serie C in 1935. The club's first major success came under manager Nevio Scala, who took over in 1989. Scala led Parma to promotion to Serie A in 1990, then won the Coppa Italia in 1992, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1993, the UEFA Super Cup in 1993, and the UEFA Cup in 1995.

The golden era continued under Carlo Ancelotti, Alberto Malesani, and others. Parma won the UEFA Cup again in 1999 and 2002, and the Coppa Italia in 1999 and 2002. But the collapse of parent company Parmalat in 2003 triggered a slow decline. The club was declared bankrupt in 2015 and refounded as Parma Calcio 1913 in Serie D. Under Luigi Apolloni and then Roberto D'Aversa, the club achieved three consecutive promotions, returning to Serie A for the 2018–19 season. In 2023–24, Parma won the Serie B title to secure another promotion. [edit]