Pordenone Calcio Club History
Founded in 1920 as Football Club Pordenone, the club represented the city of Pordenone in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region and spent much of its existence as one of Italy's most respected provincial football institutions. Traditionally associated with its distinctive black-and-green colours, Pordenone became widely known by the nickname I Ramarri ("The Lizards"), one of the most unique identities in Italian football.
Throughout the twentieth century, the club experienced numerous promotions and relegations between Serie D and the regional championships. While success at national level remained limited, Pordenone gradually established itself as one of the strongest clubs in Friuli outside the region's traditional giants.
A major turning point arrived in the 2000s, when new investment and improved organisation allowed the club to begin climbing the Italian football pyramid. The Neroverdi steadily progressed through the amateur divisions and established themselves as a competitive force in northern Italian football.
Promotion to Serie C in 2014 marked the beginning of the most successful era in the club's history. For the first time, Pordenone became a stable professional club and began attracting national attention.
The breakthrough moment arrived during the 2017–18 Coppa Italia. As a third-tier side, Pordenone produced one of the greatest giant-killing runs in modern Italian football. The club defeated several higher-ranked opponents and eventually faced Inter at the San Siro. After holding the Nerazzurri to a 0–0 draw, Pordenone narrowly lost on penalties but earned admiration throughout Italy for its remarkable performance.
The momentum generated by that cup run carried into the league. In 2019, Pordenone won Serie C Group B, securing promotion to Serie B for the first time in the club's history. The achievement represented an extraordinary rise for a club that had spent most of its existence outside the professional game.
Because the city's Stadio Ottavio Bottecchia did not initially meet Serie B requirements, the club was forced to play many home matches away from Pordenone during its early years in the division. Despite this disadvantage, the team remained competitive and continued to grow its national profile.
However, after several successful seasons, sporting and financial difficulties began to emerge. Relegation from Serie B in 2022 was followed by further problems both on and off the pitch. The club struggled to maintain the momentum that had driven its rapid rise through the Italian football pyramid.
The crisis culminated in 2023, when Pordenone Calcio was declared bankrupt and ceased operations. The collapse brought an end to one of the most remarkable football stories in modern Italy, less than five years after the club had celebrated promotion to Serie B.
Football in the city did not disappear entirely. In 2024, a successor organisation was established to continue the sporting tradition of Pordenone.
Historically, Pordenone's main rivalries were regional in nature, particularly with Triestina, Udinese, Treviso, Portogruaro, and other clubs from Friuli-Venezia Giulia and neighbouring Veneto.