1912–13 Prima Categoria

The 1912-13 Prima Categoria season was the sixteenth of the Italian Football Championship and the tenth since the re-brand to Prima Categoria. Champions for the fifth time in six seasons (punctuated only by their protest three season previous), were Pro Vercelli.

Regulation

Football in Italy expanded its popularity during the 10’s, but the expedition of the Italian football team to the Stockholm Olympics had a disappointing very poor result. In summer 1912, minor clubs took control over the Italian Football Federation, and imposed a championship reform. New vicepresidents Mr.Valvassori and Mr.Faroppa created a new format with more clubs but more groups, regionalising the tournament.

The competition was expanded from 14 Northern Italian clubs to over 30 clubs, including Central and Southern Italian clubs to make it the most genuinely national Italian Football Championship so far. Two regional round robin tournaments took place, each initially sub-divided into three further sub-tournaments.

The old main tournament was split in two groups of six clubs, with solely ten matchdays, while the Oriental group became a full member of the championship.

Best two clubs of each group went to the final group. Last clubs should be relegated.

An experimental Southern section was introduced.

Pre-league qualifications

For Piedmont group

Played on October 20, 1912, in Turin.

Novara was promoted.

For Lombardy-Liguria group

Round 1

Played on October 20, 1912.

The match between Lambro Milano and Racing Libertas Milano was later canceled and repeated:

Repetition

Played on October 27, 1912.

Round 2

Played on November 1, 1912.

Racing Libertas was promoted.

For Latium group

Round 1

Played on October 20, 1912.

Round 2

Played on October 27, 1912.

Verdicts

Novara, Racing Libertas Milan, Alba Roma, Juventus Audax Roma and Pro Roma were admitted to the 1a Categoria. The losers went to regional 2nd Category Promotion.

Main tournament

Piedmont

Classification

Results table

Liguria-Lombardy

Classification

Results table

Veneto-Emilia

Classification

Results table

Final round

The results of the matches between sides that were in the same qualification rounds were valid also for the final round (but not the goals scored in those matches). Due to this, the sides began the final round with a point bonus:

• Pro Vercelli: 3 points
• Milan, Genoa, Hellas Verona, Vicenza: 2 points
• Casale: 1 point

Classification

Note:solely 8 matches really played instead of 10.

Results table

Pro Vercelli advanced to National Final.

Central-Southern Italy tournament

Tuscany

Virtus Juventusque advanced to Central Final.

Lazio

Lazio advanced to Central Final.

Campania (Southern Final)

First leg

Second leg

Naples won 5–3 on aggregate, advanced to Central-Southern Final.

Central Final

First leg

Second leg

Lazio won 6–1 on aggregate, advanced to Central-Southern Final.

Central-Southern Final

First leg

Second leg

Lazio won 3–2 on aggregate, advanced to the National Final.

National final

Played on 1 June 1913, in Genoa.

References