Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Victor San Marino, better known as Victor San Marino, is a Sammarinese professional association football club based in the city of Acquaviva, San Marino that competes in the Serie D, the fourth tier of Italian football, since being promoted in 2023.
The original club was founded in 1960 as S.S. Serenissima (Società Sportiva Serenissima), before merging with S.S. Juvenes in 1973, changing its name to A.C. San Marino (Associazione Calcio San Marino), after which it changed its name to, San Marino Calcio in 1988, and again in 2021 to its current name, A.S.D. Victor San Marino (Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Victor San Marino). It is the only football club based in the Republic of San Marino authorized by the FIGC to compete in the Italian football league The club colours are sky blue and white, reminiscent of the Sammarinese flag.
Historically, the highest level reached by the club was the Italian third tier, with a highest finish of tenth place. This makes it therefore the only Sanmarinese football team to have played in a professional league, as the national tournament of San Marino is amateur-level. Since the club is a full member of the Italian league system, it would hypothetically represent Italy in continental competitions, rather than its home country.
On 4 July 2019 the sports title of the San Marino Calcio is transferred to the Cattolica Calcio, which takes the name of "Cattolica Calcio San Marino" and which is admitted to the Serie D championship. The company retained its legal and administrative headquarters in the Republic of San Marino, but sporting activity took place in Cattolica and the colors become yellow and red. In 2021, the team was refounded to represent San Marino in the Italian league system. After which, they got promoted to Serie D, which they will be competing in the 2023–24 season.
History
The club was founded as Società Sportiva Serenissima in 1960 by the San Marino Football Federation, in order to have a team representing the Republic of San Marino in the Italian league. The club was later purchased by Sammarinese and Italian entrepreneurs.
The foundation year is still disputed, mainly due to another team sponsored (but not owned) by the San Marino Football Federation, called Libertas-Tre Penne, having taken part in the Italian championship in 1959. The crest of Tre Penne is still visible on that of San Marino Calcio. Serenissima also inherited Libertas-Tre Penne's colors.
San Marino Calcio is the only professional football team in the Republic of San Marino that is allowed to play exclusively in the Italian football league system. Since the San Marino Football League is completely amateur, the club is also the only professional team in the Republic. Another team from San Marino, A.C. Juvenes/Dogana, competed in both the amateur levels of Italian football and in the Sammarinese league in the past, but has since withdrawn from the FIGC.
Early years
A.C. San Marino began playing in 1960 in the Seconda Categoria, since the Terza Categoria did not exist in the Italian football league system at that time. After being promoted from the Seconda and Prima Categoria, the team began playing in the higher level, the Promozione before being relegated to the Prima Categoria in the 1976–77 season. They continued to play in the Prima Categoria for the next four seasons until they won the championship and were promoted to the Promozione again in the 1979–80 season. A.C. San Marino's stay in the Promozione was short lived, however; within two seasons they were relegated to the Prima Categoria.
The team established themselves as a yo-yo club as they were once again promoted to the Promozione as champions in the 1984–85 season. The team then saw back-to-back championships as they won the Promozione the following season, and were promoted for the first time to the Serie D, the highest amateur league in Italy. San Marino's success continued as they finished in second place in Serie D in the 1986–87 season, a championship they went on to win in the following year. In the 1988–89 season, the team appeared in the lowest level of the Italian professional league (Serie C2) for the first time.
