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SERIE D: A LEAGUE EXPLAINED
04 September 2015
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- Serie D season starts tomorrow
- 171 teams all competing for a place in the third tier, the Lega Pro
- Serie D the final hurdle to entering professional football
With the 2015-2016 edition of the Serie D season starting tomorrow, interest in the division is at an all-time high after former European contenders Parma FC were demoted to the division. The Crusaders, who as recently as 2013-2014 finished sixth in the highest division in Italian football, the Serie A, will begin their campaign at home to Virtus Castelfranco at the Ennio Tardini in front of an expected sell out. Here at Gazzetta dello Sport we thought we would give you a quick run through of how the fourth tier of Italian football works.
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Serie D Information
Tier: 4
Teams: 171
Regional Divisions: There are 9 Girones in Serie D, with each hosting teams from various regions of Italy.
Promotion: The top team in each Girone wins promotion to the Lega Pro.
The Title: Once all nine Girone's have been decided, the winner from each Girone will be entered into a separate phase of the competition. The nine remaining teams will be split into three groups of three with all the teams playing each other once. The three group winners and the best second placed team will then contest the semi finals, with the winners of the two semi finals entering the final for the right to win the Scudetto and be crowned Serie D Champions.
Relegation: The bottom two teams in each Girone are relegated to the fifth tier, the Eccellenza, whilst the next four lowest ranked sides enter a play off to avoid relegation.
With 171 teams in the division, spread out over the nine Girones there are unsurprisingly some big names in the competition. These include the likes of
Monza and
Piacenza in Girone B, with both sides having stadiums holding between 18,000 and 22,000 people. In Girone C,
Triestina are the biggest club, with their stadium, the Nereo Rocco holding 32,000 people. The biggest story in Serie D this season though will undoubtedly be that of
Parma who were demoted from Serie A after their rebranding, with Paolo Vanoli’s side competing in Girone D this season.
On average there is 20 teams in each Girone, with every team playing each other twice.
The teams competing in Serie D, also have to stick to strict rules based on match day selection, with the information regarding that found below.
Match Squad Selection Rules
Minumum Number of Under 20 Players In First 11: 4
Minimum Number of Under 19 Players In First 11: 3
Minimum Number of Under 18 Players in First 11: 1
With only one promotion place per each Girone, the hunt for promotion to the Lega Pro is sure to be tight this year, and one that every supporter of one of the 171 clubs will undoubtedly be looking forward to. Remember it’s not all about your Milans and Juventus.
7: 
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Matteo Guazzo. The 33 year old Italian striker tore his ankle ligaments during the club’s pre season campaign and will miss up to four more weeks through the injury with the away game at Legnago at the beginning of October the targeted return date for the forward.
