F.C. Lumezzane, commonly known just as Lumezzane, is an Italian association football club based in Lumezzane, Lombardy. The club currently competes in Serie C, the third tier of Italian football.
The club was promoted to Serie C2 in 1993. Since the promotion, the club remained in the divisions Serie C1 (Lega Pro Prima Divisione) and Serie C2 (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione) from 1993 to 2014.[2] The club also participated in 2014–15 Lega Pro season, the first unified Lega Pro/Serie C division since 1978.
In the regular season of 2007–08 Serie C2, Lumezzane finished fourth in the Group A and qualified for the promotional playoffs. The team defeated third-placed Rodengo Saiano in the semi-finals, 2–1 on aggregate. In the finals, it defeated fifth-placed Mezzocorona because it was the higher classified team after the pair ended in a 0–0 aggregate tie, thus winning promotion to the now-called Lega Pro Prima Divisione for the 2008–09 season.
A.C. Lumezzane relegated to Serie D in 2017. The club finished as the 15th of 2017–18 Serie D Group B, which relegated again. In June 2018, the club folded.
At the same time, another club, Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica ValgobbiaZanano, was renamed to Football Club Lumezzane V.G.Z. Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica, claiming as an heir of A.C. Lumezzane.[4] V.G.Z. is the acronym of ValgobbiaZanano.[5] The new club also acquired the logo and some assets of A.C. Lumezzane.[6]
ValgobbiaZanano was a football club that finished as the regular season runner-up of Group D of Promozione Lombardy in 2017–18 season [it].[7] However, the club was the losing side in the promotion play-offs. A.C. ValgobbiaZanano was a merger of "A.C. Valgobbia", a team from Lumezzane and "A.C. Zanano Comisport", a team from Zanano frazione of Sarezzo circa 2003.[8] The prefix of the club was changed to A.S.D. from A.C. in some time later. Val Gobbia [it] itself is a valley of the Lumezzane area.
In 2018–19 season [it], the new Lumezzane won the promotional playoffs of Group D, thus entered the final stage of the playoffs which compete with other winners from other groups,[9] for the spot to promote to Eccellenza Lombardy in 2019–20 season. Lumezzane, however, lost to Sant'Angelo [it] in aggregate in the first round of the inter-groups playoffs.[10] In the season 2019–20 Lumezzane competed in Eccellenza, the fifth tier of Italian football.
In 2021, the club's name was changed to F.C. Lumezzane S.S.D., thus severing every reference to ValgobbiaZanano. Lumezzane won promotion to Serie D in 2022 and a second consecutive promotion the following year, thus marking the club's return to professionalism after six years of amateur football.[11]
Current squad
As of 23 August 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Michele Pini (2006/07–12, 2014–15) - Made over 100 league appearances
Mario Balotelli (2006–07) - Champions League and Serie A winner of Inter Milan and Premier League and FA Cup winner of Manchester City, he graduated from Lumezzane academy and grew up nearby in Concesio.
Cristian Brocchi (1997–98) - Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia winner of AC Milan, he made 30 appearances for Lumezzane on loan during his third professional season.
A.C. Lumezzane used a logo that resembled the crest of the comune of Lumezzane. F.C. Lumezzane also used a similar design, with the inclusion of the VGZ design from 2018.
^"Promozione"(Microsoft Word) (in Italian). FIGC-LND Lombardy. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
^"Cambi di denominazione sociale"(PDF). Segreteria Federale. Comunicato Ufficiale (in Italian). 2003–04 (103/A). Italian Football Federation. 24 November 2003. Retrieved 13 June 2019.