Ran by the Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro), the Italian Serie C is the third highest division in the Italian football pyramid right below the Serie A and the Serie B.
The entire Serie C is made up of three divisions; Group A (North and Central West), Group B (North and Central East) and Group C (South) all of which consist of 20 teams each thus bringing the total number of Serie C teams to 60.
Founded in 1929, the Serie C serves as a stepping stone for many players as they’re able to get a consistent run of games to build up the experience required to play at a higher level.
Many Serie C players have gone on to play in the Serie B and subsequently in the Serie A
The System
The Serie C Promotion System
Every season, a total of four teams across each division are able to secure promotion into the Serie B.
Securing promotion in the Serie C is particularly difficult as a team has to become champions of their division in a bid to secure automatic promotion into the Serie B.
The only alternative route to securing promotion is by winning the promotion play-offs, which, in itself, is a difficult task considering the sheer amount of teams competing for the final play-off spot.
To put into perspective how hard it is to get promoted into the Serie B through the play-offs; all the teams that are placed 2nd-10th across all three divisions (which makes up 27 teams in total) battle it out for the final promotion spot through the play-offs.
The champion of each division secures automatic promotion to the Serie B, while the 2nd-10th placed teams in all three leagues take each other on, in the promotion play-offs for a spot in the Serie B; hence, just four teams are able to get promoted to the Serie B every season.
The Serie C Relegation System
At the end of every season, 9 Serie C teams succumb to relegation.
The 20th-placed team across every division gets automatically relegated to the Serie D, while the teams ranked 16th-19th across each division partake in the relegation play-offs where they fight to remain in the Serie C.
Rules
Homegrown Players Rule
In a bid to encourage the development of homegrown talent, all Serie C clubs can only make use of a maximum amount of 16 players that are older than the age of 23, thus providing younger players with frequent opportunities to break into the first team.
Foreign Player Restrictions
Serie C clubs are only allowed to register a maximum of 2 non-eu players per season.
Financials;
Salary Expectations
The average salary in the Serie C is still around €1,500 to €3,000 per month.
Some clubs may also provide accommodation for new players in a bid to help them settle into the league.
Value of Teams
The 60 teams across Serie C’s Girone A, B and C have a total valuation of €242m.
Most Valuable Player
The league’s most valuable player is Juventus’ U23’s Radu Dragusin, who is valued at €3m.
Biggest Transfer
The League’s biggest transfer is Napolis B’s acquisition of Emanuelle Calaio for €4m back in the 2004/05 season when the now-retired Calaio was just 22 years old.
Overview
Country: Italy
Confederation: UEFA
Founded: 1929
Number of teams: 60
Domestic cup: Italian Cup (Coppa Italia), Coppa Italia Lega Pro
International Cup: UEFA Europa League (via winning Coppa Italia)
Level on the pyramid: 3
Transfer window: 3rd January — 31st January and 1st July — 31st August
Number of Players: 1,633 across all three Girones
Number of Foreign Players: 230 across all three Girones
Percentage of Foreign Players: 14%
Most Championships: Prato
Average Attendance: 1,979
Teams;
● AC Gozzano
● AC Monza
● AC Renate
● Carrarese Calcio
● Como 1907
● Giana Erminio Gorgonzola
● Juventus U23 Torino
● Lecco Calcio
● Novara Calcio
● Olbia Calcio
● Pro Patria Busto Arsizio
● Pro Vercelli
● Robur Siena
● SS Arezzo
● UC AlbinoLeffe
● US Alessandria
● US Pergolettese
● US Pianese
● US Pistoiese
● US Pontedera
● Alma Juventus Fano
● Arzignano Valchiampo
● AS Gubbio
● Calcio Padova
● Carpi FC
● Cesena FC
● FC Südtirol Alto Adige
● Feralpi Salò
● Fermana FC
● Imolese Calcio 1919
● LR Vicenza Virtus
● Modena FC
● Piacenza Calcio
● Ravenna FC
● Reggio Audace
● Rimini FC
● SS Sambenedettese
● US Triestina
● Virtus Verona
● Vis Pesaro
● AS Bisceglie
● AS Viterbese Castrense
● AZ Picerno
● Calcio Catania
● Casertana FC
● Cavese 1919
● FC Rieti
● Paganese Calcio
● Potenza Calcio
● Reggina 1914
● Rende Calcio
● Sicula Leonzio Lentini
● SS Monopoli
● SS Teramo
● SSC Bari
● Ternana Calcio
● US Avellino
● US Catanzaro
● US Vibonese
● Virtus Francavilla Calcio
Famous Player to have played in the Serie C: Torino’s Andrea Belotti began his career in the Serie C before making a move to Palermo and subsequently to Torino.
Fieldoo’s Opinion; The Serie C is league where talent is nurtured and there are usually a decent amount of opportunities to move to Serie C clubs during the summer, however, non-EU players would do well to look elsewhere for footballing opportunities.
