Serie B
Founded1970 (1970)
CountryItaly
ConfederationUEFA
Number of teams16
Promotion toSerie A
Relegation toSerie C
Domestic cup(s)Coppa Italia
Supercoppa Italiana
Websitewww.figc.it/it/femminile

The Serie B (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsɛːrje ˈbi]) is the second division of women's football in Italy. Established in 1970, it has been run by the Italian Football Federation and currently features 16 teams.[1] The team which finishes Serie B in the top position is promoted directly to the Serie A, the team in the second position enters a promotion/relegation playoff with the second to last placed Serie A team, while the bottom three are relegated directly to the Serie C. Since 2015 it has been decreed by the Italian Football Federation all male Serie B teams must provide women's teams also.[2][3]

History

This league was created in 1970. Until 1972, it was the second and last division of women's football in Italy because it was organized by the regional committees. In 1973, it was transformed into an interregional championship and, until 2002, it was the second highest tier, equivalent to the men's Serie B. In 2002, with the creation of the new Serie A2 championship, the category became the third tier, while remaining an amateur and national category, placing itself between the A2 and the regional Serie C.

In 2011, Serie B was dissolved to make way for the A2. With the reform implemented in June 2013, Serie A2 was transformed into Serie B. From the 2013/14 season to the 2017/18 season, the championship was organized in four groups by the geographical distribution of the participating teams, while the transition to a single group was announced starting from the 2018/19 season.[4]

Starting from the 2018/19 season, the organization of the Serie B championship, as well as that of Serie A, has been delegated to the Women's Football Division within the FIGC.

Format

The Serie B championship has had different formats over the years, maintaining the division of the participating teams into several groups according to geographical distribution until the 2017/18 season. The number of groups over the years has varied from two (from 1989/90 to 1995/96) to six (2005/06). Promotion to Serie A or Serie A2 (from 2003 to 2011) was assigned either to the winners of the individual groups or via special play-offs.

In the years in which Serie B was the third tier of Italian football, the league format consisted of four or five groups of 12 teams each on average. The first in each group were promoted to Serie A2, while the bottom three teams were relegated to Serie C, the organization of which was entrusted to the Regional Committees of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). For the 2010/11 season, the format had been changed in view of the dissolution of the division: 33 teams divided into three groups of 12 (group A), 11 (group B) and 10 teams (group C), with 14 promotions divided as follows: the first 4 of each group, plus two winners of the play-offs between fifth and sixth of groups A and B. Only 3 teams were relegated to Serie C, i.e. the bottom of each group.

From the 2013/14 season to the 2017/18 season, the teams were divided into 4 groups according to geographical distribution. The first team in each group (4 teams in total) were promoted to Serie A and the bottom two were relegated to Serie C.

In the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, there were 12 participating teams playing in one group with round-trip matches for a total of 22 matchdays. The top two teams are promoted to Serie A.[5] The teams in the last two positions are relegated directly to Serie C.[5] The teams in ninth and tenth place play a play-out, on neutral ground in a single match, against the two teams in Serie C who lost the promotion play-offs, for another two places in Serie B.[5] In the 2020/21 season, the number of participating teams was increased to 14, while the total number of matchdays rose to 26. The number of teams promoted to Serie A remained at two, while the bottom 4 were relegated to Serie C.

Clubs

2023–24 season

The following ten clubs are competing in the 2023–24 season.[6]

Teams Home city 2022–23 season
Arezzo Arezzo 12th in Serie B
Bologna Bologna 1st in Serie C(B)
Brescia Bergamo 8th in Serie B
Cesena Cesena 6th in Serie B
Freedom FC Cuneo 2nd in Serie C(A)
Genoa Genoa 11th in Serie B
Chievo Verona Verona 7th in Serie B
Hellas Verona Verona 5th in Serie B
Lazio Rome 2nd in Serie B
Parma Parma 8th in Serie A
Pavia Academy Pavia 1st in Serie C(A)
Ravenna Ravenna 9th in Serie B
Res Roma Rome 1st in Serie C(C)
San Marino San Marino 10th in Serie B
Tavagnacco Tavagnacco 14th in Serie B
Ternana Terni 4th in Serie B
Season Winners Runners-up
1970Autoroma BergamoMessina
1971
1972
1973Valdobbiadene, Alaska
1974Tepa Sport OrzinuoviPerugia
1975Cibus Cazzago San MartinoSampierdarenese
1976SalernitanaPordenone
1977Jolly CataniaPulivapor Piacenza
1978LibertasBelluno
Season Girone A Girone B Girone C Girone D
1979Tigullio 72FiammamonzaCagliariAlaska
1980PiacenzaAurora BergamoGiugliano
Season Winners Runners-up
1981Arredamenti SoresinaACF Trani 80
1982Spifa GallieraGioventù Sommese
1983Alba Pavona CrismatoursAurora Bergamo
Season Girone A Girone B Girone C Girone D
1984[a]Juventus TorinoGorgonzolaBrina Foggia
1985[a]PadovaPratoUrbe Tevere
1985/86Reggiana, TorinoFiamma Juve Siderno, Milan 82
1986/87ACF MilanCarraraSommese
1987/88VeronaA.C.F. FirenzeGravina
1988/89Aurora BergamoIl DelfinoEndas Azzurra
1989/90Torres, Derthona ValmaccaGravina
1990/91Aurora Bergamo, Juventus TorinoFiamma Bari
1991/92G.E.A.S. Sesto San Giovanni, BolognaAgliana
1992/93Riva, CarraraACF Napoli
1993/94ACF MilanPisa, Gravina Puglia
1994/95Cascine VicaPicenum
1995/96Calendasco, Sporting Segrate 92Modena
1996/97SarzanaHellas VeronaDIDDL Sporting Sorrento
1997/98G.E.A.S. AmbrosianaBolognaGravina
1998/99[b]TradateForoni VeronaAttilia NuoroAquile Bagheria
1999/00FiammamonzaAtletico OristanoAquile Bagheria
2000/01[b]ComoTavagnaccoGrigo PerugiaPalermo
2001/02[b]Bergamo RMantovaLucca 7Matese Bojano

1 The winners of Serie B are indicated in bold.
2 The teams promoted to Serie A are indicated in bold.

Season Girone A Girone B Girone C Girone D Girone E Girone F
2001/02[a]Bergamo R, Vallassinese, TradateMantova, Venezia, GordigeLucca 7, Olbia, ReggianaMatese Bojano, Aquile Bagheria, Sporting Casalnuovo
2002/03Atalanta, Segratese, Matuziana SanremoTrento, Vicenza, Tenelo Club RivignanoGrifo Perugia, Firenze, CerviaTermoli, Autoscuola Puccio Palermo, Olimpica Corigliano
2003/04PiossascoPorto MantovanoMontale 2000Matese Bojano
2004/05SampierdareneseChiasiellisRiozzeseSezzeOrlandia 97
2005/06PisaAurora BergamoBarconRovezzano 90Nuova BariSport Napoli
2006/07BresciaGraphistudio PordenoneCerviaVis Francavilla FontanaRoma
2007/08Montale 2000ChievoVeronaGordigeLazioNapoli
2008/09AlessandriaSüdtirolSienaSezze
2009/10MultedoExto Schio 06ImoleseMarsala
2010/11Gordige, Inter Milano, Real Meda, Orobica, Vittorio VenetoSan Zaccaria, Packcenter Imola, Bogliasco Pieve, Castelvecchio, Villacidro VillgommeAquile Bagheria, RES Roma, Camaleonte, Eurnova
2011/12Gordige, Inter Milano, Real Meda, Orobica, Vittorio VenetoSan Zaccaria, Packcenter Imola, Bogliasco Pieve, Castelvecchio, Villacidro VillgommeAquile Bagheria, RES Roma, Camaleonte, Eurnova

1 The teams promoted to Serie A are indicated in bold.

Season Girone A Girone B Girone C Girone D
2013/14CuneoOrobicaSan ZaccariaPink Bari
2014/15LusernaSüdtirolVittorio VenetoAcese
2015/16ComoJesinaCuneoChieti
2016/17EmpoliSassuoloChievoVerona ValpoPink Bari
2017/18[a]FlorentiaOrobicaPro San BonifacioRoma
Season Winners Runners-up
2018/19Inter MilanEmpoli
2019/20NapoliSan Marino Academy
2020/21LazioPomigliano
2021/22[a]ComoBrescia
2022/23[a]NapoliLazio

1 The teams promoted to Serie A are indicated in bold.

References

  1. ↑ "Serie B" (PDF) (in Italian). Italian Football Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "The future of Women's Football: a path to professionalism in 2022. Scudetto assigned to Juventus, Serie B expanded to 14 teams". Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. June 25, 2020.
  3. ↑ Proch, Daniele. "Women's Serie A To Kick Off Italy's First-Ever Professional Sports League For Female Athletes In 2022". Forbes.
  4. ↑ "Comunicato Ufficiale N° 1-UNICO del 03/07/2017" (PDF). Dipartimento Calcio Femminile (2017/2018). 3 July 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-05-11. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "Competizioni Nazionali Di Calcio Femminile S.S. 2018/2019" (PDF). Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (Comunicato Ufficiale N. 8). 27 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-07-13. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  6. ↑ FIGC (2023-08-04). "Serie B". Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
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