Luca Cognigni during the championship victory celebration
Of Mauro Giustozzi
A 2025 to be framed for Maceratese. Victory in the Eccellenza championship, return after a decade to the national football scene of Serie D where at the end of the first round they finished in eighth place. The historic record for season tickets with 600 cards issued this year, the average attendance at the stadium of 1500 spectators per match, the launch of several youngsters from the youth sector into the first team.
The celebration of May 11th in the square of Macerata
The red and white club has rediscovered the centrality that it had lost in recent years and has assumed the leading role in football at provincial level and beyond: in fact Maceratese is the first team in the area (including nearby Fermano) in terms of importance of the category it competes in, Macerata has a welcoming stadium and one of the most modern in the region thanks to the investment made by the Municipality for the regeneration of the Helvia Recina-Pino Brizi which, upon completion of the works next spring, will represent a flagship of the sports facilities. In short, they are for the present and also for the future lay the foundations for continuity which can make the capital the provincial football reference hub, thanks to the work carried out by the Maceratese club, in synergy with the Municipality for the sports facilities.
Alberto Crocioni, president of Maceratese
Applause goes to the club led by Alberto Crocioni who took on the burden of relaunching city football, which had experienced a sabbatical in 2017/2018 without a reference team and the stadium closed, winning two championships and returning to the football that matters. President who entrusted the management of the club to the painstaking work done by the general director Serangeli, the sporting director De Cesare and the technical staff led by Mr. Possanzini which led to the results of these last two seasons. The year that is coming to an end has given us emotions, joys and exciting moments in the journey of the team coached by Matteo Possanzini who had the merit, even in the less positive moments, of not losing his bearings and maintaining the team’s orientation towards the final objective. Especially in the first part of the year, the one that led to the epilogue of the play-off in Ancona.
Montecchio-Maceratese
The start of this 2025, in truth, sees a Rata that in Eccellenza squanders the 7 points advantage accumulated over rival Montecchio at the end of the first round. The Pesaro team nibbled away on points from the red and whites until they overtook the top of the table on 16 February when Maceratese drew 2-2 at home with Tolentino, with Magi’s team extending its lead over the red and whites defeated in Urbino to +2 the following Sunday after a streak of 16 consecutive useful results. From hare Cognigni and his companions become chasers: an endless duel with Real Montecchio, no team wants to give up. This leads to the direct clash in Montecchio in a climate poisoned by controversy over the restrictions and the very few tickets granted by the Pesaro club to the Rata fans. Which equally rises at the “Spadoni” with hundreds of supporters who remain outside the away sector to cheer on the team. It’s April 6th and the match is also full of emotions: Real with a double lead, Maceratese who is left with 10 men at halftime due to the naive expulsion of Mastrippolito and midway through the second half the coach Possanzini is also sent off. Yet, outnumbered, Bongelli and Cirulli signed the comeback and the draw which was however nullified by Torelli’s third local goal in the Cesarini area.
An action from the play-off between Rata and Montecchio
With ninety minutes to go the championship is in the hands of Montecchio. For which it is enough not to lose in Urbino in the last match to rise to D. Instead the imponderable happens in the last 90 minutes: while Maceratese at home strolls on Monturano, live on TV from the “Montefeltro” stadium comes the sensational comeback of the ducals who win 2-1 on Montecchio giving the Marche a play-off in Eccellenza for the first time to go up to D. Maceratese and Montecchio finish tied at the top with 59 points.
The red and white cheering in Ancona
This eve is also full of tension for the date and above all for the playing field: the “Bianchelli” of Senigallia was immediately indicated, followed by a denial from Vigor Senigallia and then also from the public security authorities. The controversies that see not only the fans but also the municipal administration of Macerata take to the field are heated. There is a whirlwind of dates and stadiums, there is no solution: finally the decision arrives, it will be played at the Del Conero in Ancona on May 11th. And it will be red and white exodus, with over 3500 fans following the Possanzini band. As often happens in the play-offs, it wasn’t a great match but it was emotionally intense. Rata immediately broke the deadlock with Lucero but in the second half Montecchio equalized with Micchi. Despite Torelli’s expulsion, Rata does not break through and it comes to penalties, where goalkeeper Gagliardini stands out as the protagonist, with Lucero who scores the last decisive penalty, the one that is worth the Serie D. An apotheosis, a jubilation, a caravan of red and white cars lining the Ancona-Macerata route to continue the party into the night in Piazza della Libertà. A double celebration for the red and white torch because, ironically, on the same day the bitter rivals of Civitanovese were relegated to Eccellenza with Rata regaining the scepter as the leading team in the province.
Mayor Sandro Parcaroli with the Rata shirt after the promotion to D
Catapulted into Serie D, Maceratese immediately realized that they had landed in a completely new worlddifferent, much more challenging. Not surprisingly the impact was very hardwith three defeats in the initial matches before the management and coach immersed themselves in this new reality with the first victory in D arriving on September 24th in Sora. Then a journey made more of victories (7) and defeats (8) than of draws (2) that they brought Maceratese finished the first round in eighth place, with 23 points: the successes against L’Aquila and Atletico Ascoli are the most exciting moments of this first part of the season while the heavy home defeat against Ancona and the match behind closed doors against Chieti are the two matches which, for different reasons, were the most difficult to digest for the red and white environment.
The empty stands of the match against Chieti
Now the well-deserved break for the Christmas holidays: training will resume on December 27th with an afternoon session and then the weekly preparation process will begin again in view of the resumption of the championship on January 4th which will see Maceratese on stage on the Vigor Senigallia pitch.
