Divisione Nazionale
Encyclopedia
Divisione Nazionale was the name of the first level of the Italian Football Championship
from 1926 to 1929.
The competition was the evolution of former Prima Divisione (First Division) which had two main problems: it was divided between the northern and the southern part of the country, and was formally faithful to the amatorial directories of FIFA
. The fascist regime
couldn't accept a championship based on local groups, so in 1926 it took the direct control of FIGC with fascist Leandro Arpinati
as president, who merged two Roman
clubs and new-born SSC Napoli into the Milan
-based Northern League, which consequently changed its name into Direttorio Divisioni Superiori (Directory of Higher Divisions), and it formed a Prima Divisione Sud championship (Southern First Division) which would promote a southern club into the renamed Divisione Nazionale every year. Players' purchase and salary were also allowed, even if Italian football didn't officially turned into a professional system until 1960.
Divisione Nazionale was based, as previous Lega Nord, on two groups, now composed of only ten clubs each, the best teams playing a final group for the scudetto. In 1927, the championship was provisionally enlarged to 22 clubs, due to the re-admittance of AS Roma and SSC Napoli, which had been formally relegated at the end of the 1926-27 campaign. In 1928, Leandro Arpinati
decided a historical reform, which lasts still today, creating the new Serie A
and Serie B
, even if, for a transitional year, the two series had still to be played merged together in a last Divisione Nazionale season.
Winners of National Division
Italian Football Championship
The Italian Football Championship was the most senior football championship in Italy from the 1897/1898 season to the 1921/1922 season. In that last season, a concurrent championship, the Prima Divisione, was played by the richest clubs, which wanted to improve their income with a more elitarian...
from 1926 to 1929.
The competition was the evolution of former Prima Divisione (First Division) which had two main problems: it was divided between the northern and the southern part of the country, and was formally faithful to the amatorial directories of FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
. The fascist regime
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
couldn't accept a championship based on local groups, so in 1926 it took the direct control of FIGC with fascist Leandro Arpinati
Leandro Arpinati
Leandro Arpinati was an Italian politician.Arpinati was born at Civitella di Romagna. Before World War I, he was originally an individualist-anarchist and, together with his friend Benito Mussolini, collaborated with the socialist newspaper La lotta di classe. He was a fervid interventionist as...
as president, who merged two Roman
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
clubs and new-born SSC Napoli into the Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
-based Northern League, which consequently changed its name into Direttorio Divisioni Superiori (Directory of Higher Divisions), and it formed a Prima Divisione Sud championship (Southern First Division) which would promote a southern club into the renamed Divisione Nazionale every year. Players' purchase and salary were also allowed, even if Italian football didn't officially turned into a professional system until 1960.
Divisione Nazionale was based, as previous Lega Nord, on two groups, now composed of only ten clubs each, the best teams playing a final group for the scudetto. In 1927, the championship was provisionally enlarged to 22 clubs, due to the re-admittance of AS Roma and SSC Napoli, which had been formally relegated at the end of the 1926-27 campaign. In 1928, Leandro Arpinati
Leandro Arpinati
Leandro Arpinati was an Italian politician.Arpinati was born at Civitella di Romagna. Before World War I, he was originally an individualist-anarchist and, together with his friend Benito Mussolini, collaborated with the socialist newspaper La lotta di classe. He was a fervid interventionist as...
decided a historical reform, which lasts still today, creating the new Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
and Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
, even if, for a transitional year, the two series had still to be played merged together in a last Divisione Nazionale season.
Winners of National Division
| Year | Winner | Runners-up | Top scorer (club) (goals) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926–27 | no winner | Bologna FC |  Anton PowolnyAnton Powolny Anton Powolny was an Austrian footballer.-Career:Powolny made his professional debut in 1916 for Austria Vienna, before moving to SC Ober-Sankt Veit in 1921. He moved to Wiener AF in 1924, before signing with Italian side Reggiana just 6 months later... (Inter FC) (22) |
| 1927–28 | Torino FC | Genoa CFC |  Julio LibonattiJulio Libonatti Julio Libonatti , is a former Italian Argentine football forward.Born in Rosario, Argentina, Libonatti started his professional career with Newell's Old Boys in 1917. He would play with Newell's Old Boys until 1925 when he transferred to Torino F.C.... (Torino FC) (35) |
| 1928–29 | Bologna FC | Torino FC | Gino Rossetti Gino Rossetti Gino Rossetti was an Italian football player who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics.Rossetti was born in La Spezia. He was a member of the Italian team, which won the bronze medal in the football tournament.-External links:*... (Torino FC) (36) |
See also
- Italian Football ChampionshipItalian Football ChampionshipThe Italian Football Championship was the most senior football championship in Italy from the 1897/1898 season to the 1921/1922 season. In that last season, a concurrent championship, the Prima Divisione, was played by the richest clubs, which wanted to improve their income with a more elitarian...
- Prima CategoriaPrima CategoriaPrima Categoria is the name of a level of football in Italy. It is considered to be the eighth level in the Italian football league system and is organized by the National Amateur League by the Regional Committees. Each individual league winner within the Prima Categoria level progresses to their...
- Prima DivisionePrima DivisionePrima Divisione was the name of the first level of the Italian Football Championship from 1921 to 1926. The competition was initially founded in opposition to the FIGC by the richest clubs of Northern Italy, which disagreed the old format of the championship, based on plethoric regional groups...
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...