Club Profile
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Overview
Modena Football Club 2018 is based in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The organisation represents the continuation of the historic Modena Football Club founded in 1912, which ceased operations in 2017 after bankruptcy. The modern entity, created in 2018, inherited the sporting tradition of its predecessor and continues the competitive history accumulated over more than a century. Across this lineage the club has participated 28 times in the top tier of Italian competition, with its highest finish being third place in the 1946–47 Serie A season. Within domestic competitions the club has won two Serie B championships and two Supercoppa Serie C titles, while internationally it secured two Anglo-Italian Cups and the International Friendship Tournament of Geneva.
The Modena tradition occupies a significant position in the historical rankings of Italian football. It stands among the leading provincial institutions in Emilia-Romagna and ranks within the upper half of the all-time Serie A table despite spending extended periods outside the top division. Long stretches in Serie B also place the club among the most frequent participants in the history of the second tier. These statistics reflect a competitive identity shaped by alternating periods of top-flight participation and long campaigns in the cadet divisions.
History
The origins of organised football in Modena developed through student initiatives during the early twentieth century. In 1910 a group of students from the local technical institute created the Associazione Studentesca del Calcio, while another group from the Collegio San Carlo formed Audax Foot Ball Club shortly afterwards. Rivalry between the two organisations lasted briefly before the decision to merge on 5 April 1912, creating Modena Foot-Ball Club with yellow and blue colours. The first president was Giuseppe Salotti, supported by a technical commission that included Silvio Secchi, Luca Mariani and Francesco Vaccari.
The newly formed club entered the Prima Categoria, which at that time represented the highest level of Italian competition. Early results were modest, although the team recorded its first victory against Bologna in the inaugural season. In 1913 the club recruited its first foreign player, the Englishman Roberts, while the arrival of Attilio Fresia—one of the earliest Italian players to have competed in England—introduced modern tactical concepts and training methods that influenced the development of the team.
During the First World War official championships were suspended, but Modena remained active through substitute competitions. The team participated in the Coppa Federale and won the Coppa Emiliana in 1917 after defeating Bologna 5–1 in the final played in Mantova. These tournaments kept the club competitive during the wartime years and helped establish its local reputation.
After the war the organisation was rebuilt around players such as Giuseppe Forlivesi, who became one of the most recognisable figures of the early era. Modena achieved strong regional performances during the early 1920s and reached the national semi-final stage in the 1919–20 championship. Throughout the decade the team remained competitive in the northern divisions of Italian football, frequently finishing among the leading sides in its regional group.
Structural reforms in Italian football culminated in the creation of Serie A in 1929. Modena qualified for the inaugural unified championship and successfully avoided relegation in its first season. Financial limitations, however, weakened the squad in the following years, leading to relegation in 1932. Despite this setback, the club regained promotion in 1937–38 and returned to the top division before the outbreak of the Second World War.
The post-war period produced the most celebrated campaign in the club’s history. In the 1946–47 Serie A season Modena finished third behind Torino and Juventus, missing second place by two points. The team recorded notable victories including a 6–1 home win over Napoli and successes against Juventus, Inter and Roma. The following season produced another strong result with a fifth-place finish, and several players from that squad—Enzo Menegotti, Francesco Pernigo, Maino Neri and Valerio Cassani—represented Italy at the 1948 Olympic tournament.
Administrative difficulties soon followed this peak. Leadership changes during the late 1940s destabilised the team and resulted in relegation. The 1950s were characterised by repeated attempts to regain promotion, including third-place finishes in Serie B, but financial constraints forced the sale of prominent players such as Sergio Brighenti and Giorgio Ghezzi.
A revival occurred in the early 1960s. After winning the Serie C championship in 1960–61, the team achieved immediate promotion from Serie B the following year. The squad, led by striker Enrico Pagliari and Brazilian international Cinesinho, returned to Serie A in 1962–63 and secured survival in its first season. The following campaign ended with a relegation play-off defeat against Sampdoria in Milan, returning the club to Serie B.
The subsequent decades were marked by fluctuating fortunes between divisions. Modena won the Serie C championship again in 1974–75 with Roberto Bellinazzi scoring regularly, but financial problems soon caused further relegations. During the late twentieth century the club alternated between Serie B and Serie C, with players such as Marco Ballotta and Enrico Chiesa emerging during this period.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century the club achieved consecutive promotions under coach Gianni De Biasi. After winning Serie C1 in 2000–01, Modena finished second in Serie B the following season and returned to Serie A after nearly forty years. The team remained in the top division for two seasons before relegation in 2004.
In the following decade Modena continued to compete primarily in Serie B but struggled with financial instability and ownership changes. The situation deteriorated dramatically in 2017 when unresolved debts and administrative problems led to bankruptcy and exclusion from competition. In 2018 a new organisation, Modena Football Club 2018, was established through a municipal selection process and admitted to Serie D. The new entity quickly regained professional status, earning promotion to Serie C and subsequently winning the division in 2021–22, which returned the club to Serie B.
Competition Performance
Across its history the Modena tradition has accumulated 28 seasons in the top division of Italian competition. The best performance occurred in the 1946–47 championship when the team finished third with 44 points, behind Torino and Juventus. The following season produced a fifth-place finish, confirming the competitiveness of the post-war squad.
In the second tier the club has maintained a long presence, ranking among the most frequent participants in the history of Serie B. The team has won the division twice and achieved several additional promotions through strong finishing positions. During the early 2000s Modena recorded one of its most successful modern periods by securing consecutive promotions from Serie C1 to Serie A between 2000 and 2002.
At third-tier level the club has achieved multiple championships and has twice won the Supercoppa Serie C, the competition contested between the winners of the three Serie C divisions. These titles have often marked turning points after periods of decline.
Modena’s most notable international success came in the Anglo-Italian Cup, which it won in 1981 and 1982 by defeating Poole Town and Sutton United in the respective finals. These victories gave the club the record number of titles in that competition. The team also won the International Friendship Tournament of Geneva, defeating Servette 4–0 in the final.
Stadium
The club initially played its matches at the Campo di Viale Fontanelli, a ground created on the site of a wooden velodrome built in 1912. Early modifications removed the cycling track and replaced it with a football pitch surrounded by basic wooden stands. The venue remained the home ground during the first two decades of the club’s existence.
In 1936 construction began on a new stadium at the same location as part of a municipal sports complex project. The venue opened later that year with a Serie B match between Modena and Cremonese. Initially known as the Stadio Comunale, it was completed in 1938 with a covered concrete grandstand.
After the Second World War the stadium underwent reconstruction due to bombing damage. In 1957 it was renamed Stadio Alberto Braglia in honour of the Modena-born Olympic champion whose achievements in gymnastics brought international recognition to the city. Subsequent decades saw several expansions including new terraces and stands, allowing the capacity to reach approximately 30,000 spectators during the 1960s.
Major renovation works occurred in the early 2000s following the club’s promotion to Serie A. These improvements included reconstruction of the Curva Montagnani, new seating areas and modern facilities. The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity of approximately 19,000 spectators and remains owned by the Municipality of Modena while being operated by the club.
Identity
The traditional colours of the club are yellow and blue. The home kit normally consists of a yellow shirt combined with blue shorts and socks, a colour scheme that has remained largely consistent since the early twentieth century. Because of the dominant yellow colour, players and supporters are commonly referred to as the “Canarini”.
The club crest has undergone several revisions across its history. A long-standing design introduced after the Second World War featured a shield divided into yellow and blue fields with the initials FCM and the year 1912. In 2022 a redesigned emblem was adopted featuring a stylised canary combined with the club name.
Supporters gather primarily in the Curva Montagnani at the Stadio Alberto Braglia. Organised supporter groups include Vecchie Brigate 1975 and Quei Bravi Ragazzi 1912, both of which form the core of the modern ultras movement associated with the club.
The club has not maintained a single permanent anthem, but several songs have historically been associated with the team. Among them are “Canarino Va”, released in 1964 by the Italian band Equipe 84, and “Magico Modena”, composed in 2003. A chant frequently performed by supporters during matches is “Per un pir, un pom, un persegh”, which has become a traditional terrace song linked to the Curva.
Modena has occasionally appeared in popular culture. A reference to the team occurs in Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 film “Bicycle Thieves”, in which supporters travelling to watch Roma versus Modena appear during a scene set near a stadium in Rome.
Rivalries
The most prominent rivalry involves Bologna, a fixture often described as the Derby della Secchia. The name refers to the medieval conflict known as the War of the Bucket between the cities of Modena and Bologna, giving the sporting contest a historical dimension that extends beyond football. Meetings between the clubs have occurred across multiple divisions of Italian competition.
Another major rivalry exists with Reggiana. The proximity of the two cities and the shared regional identity of Emilia-Romagna have intensified the competitive relationship between their supporters. Matches between the teams are often referred to as the Derby del Secchia because the Secchia river runs between the provinces.
Additional regional rivalries have developed with Parma, Sassuolo and Carpi, largely due to geographic proximity and repeated encounters in league competition. The presence of Sassuolo in higher divisions during the twenty-first century increased the intensity of this provincial rivalry, particularly when both clubs shared the same stadium temporarily.
Further rivalries exist with Mantova, SPAL and Cesena, each rooted in long histories of league competition and supporter clashes. These matches remain among the most anticipated fixtures of the season for the club’s supporters.