History

Polisportiva Maddalena was founded in 1963 thanks to the dedication of Father Zeffirino Michelutto, the parish priest of Villotta, who brought together a group of sports enthusiasts from three villages in the Aviano area: Villotta, Somprado and Piante. In its early years the club was active in several sports, but from 1967 on it focused exclusively on soccer, and above all on youth soccer. Over the years, Polisportiva Maddalena became the go-to club for countless young soccer lovers, from Aviano and beyond.

Over the years, Polisportiva Maddalena not only developed many players who went on to play for local and regional teams, it also brought home several trophies, both for results on the field and for sportsmanship. Its last title before the merger with Pro San Martino came in 2008, when the green-and-black club won the U15 (Giovanissimi) Provincial Championship under Coach Giovanni Grassi, one of the many icons of youth soccer in Aviano. That same year, Polisportiva Maddalena also finished second in the U17 (Allievi) Provincial Cup. The people who founded Polisportiva Maddalena and made it great — presidents, coaches and players alike — are still fondly remembered today.

Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Pro San Martino was founded in 1967, four years after Polisportiva Maddalena. Its crest featured the club colors yellow and red, which would become part of Aviano’s soccer history. While Polisportiva Maddalena always focused solely on youth soccer (from U9 up to U17), Pro San Martino made its name with its Juniors team and its First Team. The close partnership between the two clubs — the foundation of their future merger — brought several players from Maddalena’s green-and-black academy to San Martino’s yellow-and-red Juniors and First Team. From the 1967/68 season until the merger, Pro San Martino played without interruption in Italy’s Seconda and Terza Categoria amateur leagues. San Martino’s last title came in 2006, when the team won the Regional Cup and earned promotion to Seconda Categoria — the league that U.P.D. Avianese inherited in its very first season in 2009.

The merger of these two historic local clubs, after many years of productive collaboration, aimed to improve not only results on the field but, above all, the personal growth of the young athletes who went on to join U.P.D. Avianese.

Unione Polisportiva Dilettantistica Avianese was founded on June 18, 2009, from the merger of the two local clubs, Polisportiva Maddalena and Unione Sportiva Pro San Martino.

At first, the club had a First Team playing in Seconda Categoria, plus youth teams from U15 (Giovanissimi) down to U9 (Primi Calci) and U7 (Piccoli Amici). Over the years it grew, gradually adding U17 (Allievi) and U19 (Juniores) teams to their provincial leagues. In the 2010/11 season, the U15 team coached by Giampaolo Sacilotto came within one game of the provincial title, losing in the final.

From its earliest years, the club laid the groundwork for long-term growth, focusing even more on its youth program so that as many homegrown players as possible could make it to the First Team. Young athletes were developed by quality coaches and instructors who would shape the club’s success for years to come. In the 2012/13 season, Pierpaolo Bozzer joined U.P.D. Avianese as First Team coach and Steve Agostinetto as Juniors coach. Under their leadership, Aviano’s teams achieved important results, on and off the field.

A.S.D. Calcio Aviano was founded on June 13, 2013, as the successor to Unione Polisportiva Dilettantistica Avianese, which had been formed in 2009 through the merger of Polisportiva Maddalena and Pro San Martino.

The upper part of the crest features the colors of Polisportiva Maddalena and Pro San Martino, the two souls of the club. White and light blue were chosen as the club colors (shown in the lower part of the crest), echoing the town banner of Aviano. The crest is also a clear nod to FC Barcelona, one of the most successful clubs in the world. The reference to Barcelona reflects the Spanish club’s philosophy of relying on homegrown players — the same approach Calcio Aviano has embraced over time. Over the years, Calcio Aviano has brought a large number of players up to the First Team, giving many young people from Aviano the chance to shine.

In the 2015/16 season, Calcio Aviano changed its club colors from white and light blue (which became the away jersey) to today’s yellow and black. The choice was no accident: yellow comes from Pro San Martino’s colors, and black from Polisportiva Maddalena’s.

Today A.S.D. Calcio Aviano has teams in every age group, from U9 to the First Team, with around one hundred kids registered in its youth program, plus the players of the Juniors and the First Team.

The First Team and the U17 (Allievi) play their home games at the “Amadio Cecchella” Stadium on Viale San Giorgio in Aviano. The Juniors and the U15 (Giovanissimi) play at the “Brentella” field on Via dell’Uguaglianza in San Martino di Campagna. The rest of the youth program plays at the Cecchella. All teams, from the First Team down to U9, hold their weekly practices at the Villotta sports complex in Aviano.