Brescia Calcio

History

The team was founded in 1911 as Brescia Football Club, joining the Terza Categoria division the same year. In 1913, Brescia was promoted to the First Division for the first time. Founding members of Serie A in 1929-30, Brescia would play there for six of the next seven seasons. The club have since fallen out of the top two divisions only three times: in 1938, when they spent a single season in Serie C; in 1982, when they spent three seasons there; and 2025, after a controversial administrative relegation for alleged financial infringements. As of 2025, only 11 Italian clubs have played fewer seasons outside the top two divisions of Lega Calcio, the Italian football league system, than Brescia (four); and no club has spent more seasons in Serie B than Brescia (66).

Brescia won the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1994, the biggest achievement in their history to date. The club gained greater prominence in 2000 after signing former FIFA World Player of the Year Roberto Baggio, who led Brescia to a seventh-place finish in the 2000–01 season, thus qualifying for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Brescia then reached the finals, where they lost to Paris Saint-Germain via the away goals rule, drawing 0-0 away in the first leg and 1–1 at home in the second leg. Baggio spent four years at Brescia before retiring in 2004, during which time Brescia became widely known as "Baggio's Brescia". During Baggio's four-year spell with Brescia, the club recorded its longest stay in Serie A; in the very first season after Baggio's retirement (2004–05), Brescia were relegated on the final day. They returned after beating Torino 2-1 on aggregate in the 2009–10. In the 2010–11 season, however, they were relegated back to Serie B. In the 2014–15 season, they were relegated to Lega Pro (Serie C) after finishing second from last. However, after Parma's declaration of bankruptcy and demotion to Serie D, Brescia was among the teams selected to replace them in Serie B. A new promotion to Serie A was secured in the 2018–19 season, with two games to spare, but the team got relegated in the next season.

In the 2024–25 season, Brescia avoided relegation places in Serie B by one point, only to be penalised with a four-point deduction. The club subsequently declared bankruptcy after their president, Massimo Cellino, failed to settle approximately €3 million in debts. On 7 June 2025, Brescia announced that it would not participate in the 2025–26 Serie C season, due to ongoing financial strain, and on 3 July 2025, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) officially confirmed that Brescia had been excluded from professional football, failing to receive a licence for Serie C. After that, the club fully dissolved.

Colours and badge

Colours and kit

The first Brescia kit in 1911 was blue (the national colour) with a thick white vertical stripe down the middle, a design which returned for the club's centenary season in 2011. The first appearance of a white "V" was in 1927, added so that the team could use Stadium, the newly built home of another team, Virtus. This style remained until 1940 when the "V" was removed and a plain blue shirt was used.

Substantial changes after World War II saw the shirt become plain white with blue shorts. This was short-lived and, in 1954, the plain blue shirt returned. The white "V" also returned eventually in 1961 as a show of goodwill by the new chairman at the time.

The "V" disappeared again in 1969, replaced by a diagonal white sash, then returned, but much smaller, in 1974 for two years. The "V" was situated over the heart with the inclusion of the lioness, the symbol of the city of Brescia. The shirt remained plain blue until 1991, when the "V" returned and has been used ever since.

Badge

The first badge appeared on Brescia kits in the 1980s; a blue crest with a golden outline featuring a lion. The city of Brescia is known as Leonessa d'Italia (the Lioness of Italy) after ten days of popular uprising that took place in the city in the spring of 1849 against Austrian rule.

The crest was changed for the centenary of Brescia Calcio in 2011, incorporating a gold shield and laurel branches to celebrate the club's 100th anniversary, and updating the lettering to use a font in the style of the period when the team was founded. The lion was also updated in order to fix some errors in heraldic iconography (the absence of nails, muscle weakness and weak curvature of the tail), and to create a more toned and ferocious look.

Seasons

• 1913/14 – North League Qualifying round Group E 5th place
• 1914/15 – North League Qualifying round Group E 3rd place
• 1915/19 – league suspended due to World War I
• 1919/20 – North League-Lombardia Group A runner-up, Semifinal Round Group B 5th place
• 1920/21 – North League-Lombardia Group E 3rd place
• 1921/22 – North League Group B 11th place
• 1922/23 – North League Group C 7th place
• 1923/24 – 1st division Group A 10th place
• 1924/25 – 1st division Group A 10th place
• 1925/26 – 1st division Group A 8th place
• 1926/27 – 1st division Group A 7th place
• 1927/28 – 1st division Group A 5th place
• 1928/29 – 1st division Group B runner-up
• 1929/30 – Serie A 9th place
• 1930/31 – Serie A 9th place
• 1931/32 – Serie A 17th place, relegated to Serie B
• 1932/33 – Serie B runner-up, promoted to Serie A
• 1933/34 – Serie A 12th place
• 1934/35 – Serie A 10th place
• 1935/36 – Serie A bottom, relegated to Serie B
• 1936/37 – Serie B 7th place
• 1937/38 – Serie B 14th place, relegated to Serie C
• 1938/39 – Serie C, promoted to Serie B
• 1939/40 – Serie B 5th place
• 1940/41 – Serie B 3rd place
• 1941/42 – Serie B 5th place
• 1942/43 – Serie B runner-up, promoted to Serie A
• 1943/45 – league suspended due to World War II
• 1945/46 – Northern Italy Serie A Championship 4th place
• 1946/47 – Serie A 18th place, relegated to Serie B group A
• 1947/48 – Serie B Group A runner-up
• 1948/49 – Serie B 5th place
• 1949/50 – Serie B 6th place
• 1950/51 – Serie B 9th place
• 1951/52 – Serie B runner-up
• 1952/53 – Serie B 4th place
• 1953/54 – Serie B 9th place
• 1954/55 – Serie B 5th place
• 1955/56 – Serie B 7th place
• 1956/57 – Serie B third place
• 1957/58 – Serie B 8th place
• 1958/59 – Serie B 13th place
• 1959/60 – Serie B 7th place
• 1960/61 – Serie B 15th place
• 1961/62 – Serie B 8th place
• 1962/63 – Serie B 4th place
• 1963/64 – Serie B 7th place
• 1964/65 – Serie B Champion, promoted to Serie A
• 1965/66 – Serie A 9th place
• 1966/67 – Serie A 13th place
• 1967/68 – Serie A 14th place, relegated to Serie B
• 1968/69 – Serie B runner-up, promoted to Serie A
• 1969/70 – Serie A 14th place, relegated to Serie B
• 1970/71 – Serie B 5th place
• 1971/72 – Serie B 12th place
• 1972/73 – Serie B 17th place
• 1973/74 – Serie B 12th place
• 1974/75 – Serie B 9th place
• 1975/76 – Serie B 5th place
• 1976/77 – Serie B 16th place
• 1977/78 – Serie B 14th place
• 1978/79 – Serie B 8th place
• 1979/80 – Serie B third place, promoted to Serie A
• 1980/81 – Serie A 14th place, relegated to Serie B
• 1981/82 – Serie B 18th place, relegated to Serie C/1A
• 1982/83 – Serie C/1A 11th place
• 1983/84 – Serie C/1A 5th place
• 1984/85 – Serie C/1A Champion, promoted to Serie B
• 1985/86 – Serie B runner-up, promoted to Serie A
• 1986/87 – Serie A 14th place, relegated to Serie B
• 1987/88 – Serie B 8th place
• 1988/89 – Serie B 16th place
• 1989/90 – Serie B 10th place
• 1990/91 – Serie B 9th place
• 1991/92 – Serie B Champion, promoted to Serie A
• 1992/93 – Serie A 16th place, relegated to Serie B
• 1993/94 – Serie B third place, promoted to Serie A
• 1994/95 – Serie A bottom, relegated to Serie B
• 1995/96 – Serie B 16th place
• 1996/97 – Serie B Champion, promoted to Serie A
• 1997/98 – Serie A 15th place, relegated to Serie B
• 1998/99 – Serie B 7th place
• 1999/2000 – Serie B third place, promoted to Serie A
• 2000/01 – Serie A 8th place
• 2001/02 – Serie A 14th place, Intertoto Cup runner-up
• 2002/03 – Serie A 10th place
• 2003/04 – Serie A 11th place
• 2004/05 – Serie A 19th place, relegated to Serie B
• 2005/06 – Serie B 10th place
• 2006/07 – Serie B 6th place
• 2007/08 – Serie B 5th place
• 2008/09 – Serie B 4th place, lost promotion playoff final to Livorno
• 2009/10 – Serie B 3rd place, won promotion play-off final against Torino, promoted to Serie A
• 2010/11 – Serie A 19th place, relegated to Serie B
• 2011/12 – Serie B 9th place
• 2012/13 – Serie B 6th place, lost promotion playoff semi-final to Livorno
• 2013/14 – Serie B 13th place
• 2014/15 – Serie B 21st place
• 2015/16 – Serie B 11th place
• 2016/17 – Serie B 15th place
• 2017/18 – Serie B 16th place
• 2018/19 – Serie B Champion, promoted to Serie A
• 2019/20 – Serie A 19th place, relegated to Serie B
• 2020/21 – Serie B 7th place, lost promotion playoff preliminary round to Cittadella
• 2021/22 – Serie B 5th place, lost promotion playoff semifinal to Monza
• 2022/23 – Serie B 17th place, relegated after play-outs. Readmitted to the championship following Reggina's insolvency.
• 2023/24 – Serie B 8th place, lost promotion playoff preliminary round to Catanzaro
• 2024/25 – Serie B 18th place
• 2025/26 – Dissolved

Stadium

Main article: Stadio Mario Rigamonti

The first ground at which football was played in Brescia was Campo Fiera, where, in 1905, the English workers at the Tempini plant played on their breaks.

In 1911, in the wake of enthusiasm following the foundation of the new club, a fenced ground was built shortly after on Via Milano.

In 1920 came the opening of the new ground on Via Cesare Lombroso, Brescia, which was used by the team until 1923. In 1923, the team moved into a larger, more modern facility located at Porta Venezia (then Via Naviglio), built for the town's sports club Virtus and simply called "Stadium".

It was in 1956 that the municipality had the idea to move the club to a stadium more suited to host Serie B matches, and began renovating the stands at the existing ground at Via Giovanni Novagani. This was completed in 1959 and Brescia began to play their home games in the newly-christened Stadio Mario Rigamonti (named after the Torino player, Mario Rigamonti, who died in the Superga air disaster).

Over the years, the stadium has undergone several refurbishments (construction of roofing, press room, etc.), the most significant of which was in 2007 with the installation of new security measures.

Players

Retired numbers

Former players

:See .

Former managers

:See .

Honours

• Serie B:
  • Winners (4): 1964–65, 1991–92, 1996–97, 2018–19
• Serie C/C1 groups:
  • Winners (2): 1938–39, 1984–85

Other Titles

• Coppa dell'Amicizia:
  • Winners (1): 1967
• Anglo-Italian Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1993–94
• Nova Supersports Cup
  • Winners (1): 2000

Promotions and relegations

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

In Europe

UEFA Intertoto Cup

References

References

1. "Stadio Rigamonti".
2. [https://forzaitalianfootball.com/2019/11/war-pigs-and-rabbits-atalanta-and-brescia-meet-13-years-later/ War, Pigs and Rabbits: Atalanta and Brescia meet 13 years later], Conor Clancy, Forza Italian Football, 29 November 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2022
3. [https://www.theguardian.com/football/copa90/2020/feb/07/brescia-atalanta-serie-a-italian-derby-feud-roberto-baggio Brescia v Atalanta: the Italian derby built on a 900-year-old feud], Martino Simcik Arese, The Guardian / Copa 90, 7 February 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2022
4. "Italy – Serie B All-Time Table since 1929".
5. [http://www.scorespro.com/soccer/livescore/paris-saint-germain-vs-brescia-calcio/07-08-2001/ Paris Saint Germain – Brescia Calcio : 0–0 (Match Report)] ScoresPro.com
6. [http://www.scorespro.com/soccer/livescore/brescia-calcio-vs-paris-saint-germain/21-08-2001/ Brescia Calcio – Paris Saint Germain : 1–1 (Match Report)] ScoresPro.com
7. (4 August 2015). "Il Brescia è ripescato in Serie B: prende il posto del Parma". La Gazzetta dello Sport.
8. (1 May 2019). "Bentornato Brescia!". Football Italia.
9. (22 July 2020). "La matematica condanna il Brescia: è retrocessione in Serie B".
10. Gokhale, Aditya. (9 June 2025). "Brescia go bankrupt: 114-year-old Italian club - once home to Roberto Baggio, Pep Guardiola & Mario Balotelli - loses right to compete in professional leagues after failing to honour €3m debt". Goal.com.
11. Campanale, Susy. (7 June 2025). "After Brescia, Spal also fail to register for Serie C season". Football Italia.
12. (3 July 2025). "Official: Brescia excluded from professional football after 114 years". OneFootball.
13. (6 July 2025). "Brescia: One of Serie A's founding members attempting rebirth".
14. "Storia". Brescia Calcio.
15. "Restyling logo Brescia Calcio". Brescia Calcio.
16. (1986). "Il volo delle rondinelle: Storia del Brescia Calcio". Edizioni del Moretto.
17. (21 August 2013). "RINNOVATA LA PARTNERSHIP TRA UBI E BRESCIA CALCIO". Brescia Calcio.
18. (3 July 2015). "ACERBIS e il Brescia Calcio insieme fino al 2019". Brescia Calcio.
19. (27 June 2017). "Brescia Calcio e UBI Banca insieme nel progetto dedicato alle scuole". Brescia Calcio.
20. "UEFA Intertoto Cup 2001".
21. "UEFA Intertoto Cup 2003".