Delfino Pescara 1936, commonly referred to as Pescara, is a professional Italian football club based in Pescara, Abruzzo.
The club was formed in 1936 and currently plays in Serie B, following their victory in the 2024–25 Serie C promotion play-offs. Pescara has competed in seven seasons in Serie A, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1992–93, 2012–13 and last participated in 2016–17. The team's official colors are white and light blue varied between either azure or sky blue, manifested in striped shirts with white socks and shorts.
History Aside from a spell in Serie B in the 1940s, Pescara had a relatively undistinguished history until promotion to Serie B in 1974. With players like Giorgio Repetto and Bruno Nobili in the midfield, they managed to win their first promotion to Serie A in 1977 after winning the promotion play-off, but ultimately finished their first season in Serie A in last place. A second promotion after a play-off followed, but once more they would be relegated from the top flight and then descended to Serie C1 within two years.
Nonetheless, after returning to Serie B after a year, Pescara would enjoy a revival after the appointment of Giovanni Galeone as coach in 1986. His philosophy of attacking football saw the Biancazzurri promoted to Serie A as champions in 1987, where they lasted two years with players such as Júnior and Blaž Slišković among the club's star players. Galeone would return during the 1990–91 season and oversaw another promotion the following year.
After relegation, Pescara remained in Serie B side throughout the 1990s, narrowly missing promotion in 1999. Relegation to C1 followed in 2001, with promotion in 2003 being followed by two revoked relegations in a row due to bankruptcy and scandals affecting other clubs. Pescara was ultimately relegated in the 2006–07 season, with three presidential and managerial changes during the season. In December 2008, the debt-ridden club was legally declared out of business and its control passed to a bankruptcy trustee appointed by the Court of Pescara. In February 2009, a takeover from a group named Delfino Pescara 1936 was finalized with Deborah Caldora becoming the first woman to serve as chairman of the club. In the meantime, results did not improve significantly and in March, Giuseppe Galderisi was dismissed from the head coaching post with Antonello Cuccureddu being appointed as the new boss.
At the beginning of the 2009–10 season, Eusebio Di Francesco was appointed as the new coach. Pescara finished second in Girone B of Lega Pro Prima Divisione and qualified for the promotional play-offs. They defeated Reggiana in the semi-final and Verona in the final and subsequently returned to Serie B after a three-year absence. The following season started with the appointment of Zdeněk Zeman as new head coach; the Czech manager immediately brought Pescara back into national coverage thanks to his well-known all-attacking playing style that turned out to match perfectly with promising youngsters such as Marco Verratti with loanees Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne, who guided the squad to promotion to Serie A. Pescara secured promotion to the top-level after a 19-year absence after defeating Sampdoria with a 3–1 score in an away match on 20 May 2012. In the last minute of the final game of the regular season, Pescara striker Riccardo Maniero netted the winner in a match against Nocerina to claim Pescara's second Serie B title after Torino's draw away to AlbinoLeffe.
Pescara's 2012–13 campaign in Serie A – after losing Zeman, Verratti, Immobile and Insigne – ended with relegation back to the second tier. Three years later, under World Cup winner Massimo Oddo, the team returned to Serie A with a 3–1 aggregate win over Trapani in the playoff final. Zeman returned in February 2017 to the team, who again lasted just one year at the top before being relegated in last place.
In August 2018, Pescara launched a public mini-bond investment opportunity via sports investment platform Tifosy to raise a minimum of €2,000,000. The investment scheme raised a total of €2,300,000 to develop the club's youth sector and facilities.
Following an online competition to ease children's boredom during the coronavirus lockdown, the team adopted six-year-old Luigi D'Agostino's shirt design for the 2020 season.
After a poor 2020–21 campaign, the side were relegated to Serie C, the third tier of Italian football. However, during the 2024–25 Serie C, Pescara finished 4th in their group, thus qualifying for the second round promotion play-offs, where they would beat Pianese to move on to the next round. In the national phase, they would beat Catania in a 2–2 aggregate and went on to beat Vis Pesaro in the second round. In the final four, they would beat Audace Cerignola to qualify for the finals, and went on to face Ternana. Although winning the first leg, Ternana would tie the aggregate in the second leg, however, after beating the team 3–1 in penalties, thus securing them promotion to the 2025–26 Serie B after 4 years of relegation from the second tier. On their return to Serie B, they debuted on August 23 with a 3–1 loss against Cesena.
Supporters One of Pescara's main rivals is Bari.
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Coaching staff As of 2 July 2025 Position Name Sporting director Pasquale Foggia Head coach Vacant Assistant coach Vacant Technical assistant Diego Labricciosa Match analyst and technical assistant Massimo Carcarino Goalkeeping coach Fabrizio Zambardi Social doctors Emanuela Spada Angelo Circolone Lorenzo Mazzocchetti Health consultant Gabriele Tavolieri Stefano Guarracini Athletic trainer Antonio Del Fosco Rehab coach Carlo Cavasinni Physiotherapists Marco Rossi Rocco Trivarelli Andrea Giannini Administrative manager Elena Di Stefano Marketing manager Pietro Falconio Marketing Andrea Scazzosi Team manager Francesco Troiano Support liaison officer Alessandro Cupaiolo Responsible for combating abuse, violence, and discrimination Attorney Domenico Giorgetti Head of communications Massimo Mucciante Event management delegate Luigi Gramenzi Deputy event management delegate Andrea Blasioli Press office Andrea Mazzetti Official store Catia Crocetta Erika Mascitti Kitman Luciano Palombi Cristian Cremonese Geanina Olariu Youth sector president Marco Tortora Youth sector director Antonio Bocchetti Youth sector and football school coordinator Angelo Londrillo President of Piccoli Delfini Filippo Falconio
Managerial history NameNationalityYearsEdmondo De Amicis1937–38Pietro Piselli1938–39Armando Bonino1939–40Mario Pizziolo1940–41Luigi Ferrero1941–43Edmondo De Amicis1944–45Giuseppe Marchi1945–46József Bánás1946–47Mario Pizziolo1947–48Gino Piccinini1948–49Benedetto Stella1949–50Luigi Del Grosso1950–53Umberto De Angelis1953–55Alfredo Notti1955–56Alfredo MonzaRenato PiacentiniOrazio Sola1956–57Renato Piacentini1957–58Aurelio MarcheseMario Tontodonati1958–59Ljubo BenčićMario Tontodonati1959–61Umberto De Angelis1961–62Leonardo Costagliola1962–63Ljubo BenčićRenato Piacentini1963–64Ljubo BenčićVincenzo Marsico1964–65Antonio GiammarinaroAlfredo Notti1965–66Sergio Cervato1966–67Antonio Giammarinaro1967–68Gianni SeghedoniMario Tontodonati1968–69Dante LacorataMario Tontodonati1969–70Francesco Capocasale1970–71Enzo FaliniVitaliano Patricelli1971–72Domenico Rosati1972–76Giancarlo Cadé1976–78Antonio Valentín Angelillo1978–79Gustavo GiagnoniClaudio TobiaMario Tontodonati1979–80Aldo Agroppi1980–81Giuseppe ChiappellaSaul MalatrasiMario Tiddia1981–82Domenico Rosati1982–84Enrico Catuzzi1984–86Giovanni Galeone1986–89Ilario CastagnerEdoardo Reja1989–90Giovanni GaleoneCarlo Mazzone1990–91Giovanni Galeone1991–92Vincenzo Zucchini1992–93Gianni CorelliGiorgio RumignaniFranco ScoglioVincenzo Zucchini1993–94Francesco OddoGiorgio Rumignani1994–95Luigi MaifrediFrancesco Oddo1995–96Delio RossiJuly 1996 – June 1997Adriano BuffoniMaurizio Viscidi1997–98Luigi De CanioFrancesco GiorginiJuly 1998 – June 1999Giovanni GaleoneJuly 1999 – Nov 2000Tarcisio BurgnichGiovanni GaleoneDelio Rossi2000–01Ivo IaconiJuly 2001 – May 2004Cetteo Di MascioMay 2004 - June 2004Giovanni SimonelliJune 2004 – June 2005Maurizio SarriJuly 2005 – July 2006Davide BallardiniAldo AmmazzalorsoLuigi De RosaVincenzo VivariniJuly 2006 – June 2007Franco LerdaJuly 2007 – June 2008Giuseppe GalderisiJuly 2008 – March 2009Antonello Cuccureddu2009–10Eusebio Di FrancescoJan 2010 – June 2011Zdeněk ZemanJune 2011 – June 2012Giovanni StroppaJune 2012 – November 2012Cristiano BergodiNovember 2012 – March 2013Cristian BucchiMarch 2013 – June 2013Pasquale MarinoJune 2013 – February 2014Serse CosmiFebruary 2014 – July 2014Marco BaroniAugust 2014 – May 2015Massimo OddoMay 2015 – February 2017Luciano Zauri (caretaker) February 2017Zdeněk Zeman February 2017 – March 2018Massimo Epifani March 2018 – April 2018Giuseppe Pillon April 2018 – May 2019Luciano Zauri June 2019 – January 2020Nicola Legrottaglie January 2020 – July 2020Andrea Sottil July 2020 – August 2020Massimo Oddo August 2020 – November 2020Roberto Breda November 2020 – January 2021Gianluca Grassadonia January 2021 – June 2021Gaetano Auteri June 2021 – April 2022Luciano Zauri April 2022 – June 2022Alberto Colombo June 2022 – June 2022Zdeněk Zeman June 2022 – February 2024Giovanni Bucaro February 2024 – March 2024Emmanuel Cascione March 2024 – July 2024Silvio Baldini July 2024 – June 2025
Honours Serie B Champions (2): 1986–87, 2011–12 Serie C Champions (1): 1973–74, Serie D Champions (1): 1972–73,
Divisional movements SeriesYearsLastPromotionsRelegationsA72016–17 - 6 (1978, 1980, 1989, 1993, 2013, 2017)B392020–21 6 (1977, 1979, 1987, 1992, 2012, 2016) 5 (1949, 1982, 2001, 2007, 2021)C292024–25 6 (1941, 1974, 1983, 2003, 2010, 2025) 3 (1935✟, 1950, 1972)75 out of 90 years of professional football in Italy since 1929D101972–73 1 (1938, 1958, 1973)neverE11936–37 1 (1937)never • Forerunner red-blue AC Pescara (1932–1935) included
References
External links
Soccerway profile . .