Just five years ago, they were playing at San Siro. Today, the curtain falls in Ferrara. SPAL, a club over a century old, will not take part in the upcoming Serie C season.
It’s not a bankruptcy, the club insists. But the words ring hollow. Officially, they’re “evaluating their options.” In reality, it feels like a disappearance — abrupt, quiet, and painful.
A City, a Club
In Ferrara, SPAL is more than just a name on a league table. It’s tradition, belonging, memory — something passed down through generations. Founded in 1907, the club has weathered decades of football, from Serie A highs to amateur league struggles.
The Paolo Mazza Stadium, built in 1928, remains one of the oldest in Italy. A gem nestled in the heart of the city, it has seen dreams born and hopes crushed. Its walls still echo with the chants from days when SPAL walked among giants.
A Revival Against the Odds
And then came the miracle. It feels like yesterday.
In 2013, SPAL was reborn under the stewardship of the Colombarini family — local industrialists with a steady hand and a long-term vision. Step by step, they brought the club back: promotion to Serie B in 2016, and against all odds, a historic return to Serie A in 2017.
Three seasons in the top flight. Three years of grit, pride, and survival. Victories over Lazio, hard-fought draws at Napoli, a city rediscovering its passion. SPAL didn’t have the budget, but it had soul. In a football world spinning faster every year, SPAL offered something rare: sincerity.
A Slow Decline
As is often the case, the decline was gradual.
Relegation in 2020, uncertainty at the top, a lack of direction.
The club drifted. In Serie B, it survived without purpose. Then came the drop to Serie C in 2023. The stands grew quieter. In Ferrara, eyes turned elsewhere. The magic was gone.
And now, silence.
SPAL has failed to register for the 2025/26 Serie C season.
No fixture list. No matchday. No comeback. A chapter closes. Perhaps the final one.
No Bankruptcy — But What Future?
“We are not bankrupt,” the statement reads. But those words no longer inspire confidence.
Without a league, a sporting future, or clear financial stability, SPAL is little more than a shell.
Maybe it will return in another form, from Serie D, or through a new club. Ferrara has known these paths before.
A Very Italian Story
SPAL was an idea of football — rooted, humble, defiant.
A place where Fabio Capello took his first steps.
A symbol of resilience in a footballing nation increasingly dominated by money and power.
Its story is proof that greatness is not only measured in trophies, but in endurance, in legacy, in identity.
Today, SPAL pauses.
Perhaps not forever, but for a long time.
And an entire city holds its breath.
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