US Lecce
Lecce are not a big club. The Giallorossi (yellow and reds) have spent most of their 100-odd years outside the top flight, first reaching Serie A only in 1985.
The club caught the eye, though, and not just because of their
eye-catching stripes. Argentinian World Cup winners Juan Alberto Barbas
and Pedro Pasculli arrived, along with returning home-town hero Franco
Causio after a decade with Juventus during which he starred for Italy at
the 1978 World Cup.
But they won no silverware, and indeed only lasted one season, making
do instead with the odd famous result – such as a shock
penultimate-round win at Roma's Stadio Olimpico that prevented the
big-city side from winning the 1986 scudetto.
They returned in 1988 and finished ninth, and after six seasons they
set a new Serie A record. Sadly, it was for least points accrued over a
season (11), and the following season they dropped into the third tier.
But two years later they were back in the top flight, establishing a
precedent under which they tend to spend two or three seasons in Serie A
followed by a couple outside the limelight. As if to prove the point,
in 2010 they won promotion back to the big time.
More than six hours overland from the capital, let alone the northern
hubs of Milan and Turin, Lecce attracts only the most ardent visiting
fans – but the ultras on the Curva Nord and Curva Sud do their very best
to make up for it.
THE STADIUM
The Via del Mare stadium seems too big for Lecce's modest purposes.
Located along the main road to the seaside resort of San Cataldo, four
miles from central Lecce, and opened in 1966, it feels like a municipal
ground from the 1930s.
Holding 40,000, it attracts 15,000 home fans with visitors allocated a
corner in the Curva Sud. Visit Lecce Point (Via 95 Rgt.Fanteria
114-116) for advance tickets or the counters at each corner of the
ground. Buses run from town on match days.
Club address Via Templari, 11 - 73100, Lecce
Telephone 0039 0832-240211
Website www.uslecce.it
For regular updates on the crazy world of Italian football, see our blog Serie Aaaaargh!
FourFourTwo.com: News • Features • Interviews • Videos • Forums