Founded: 1898, Stadium: Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca, Capacity: 12,461
Ascoli Calcio 1898 FC was founded in 1898 as Candido Augusto Vecchi. The team changed its name to Ascoli Vigor in 1905, US Ascolana in 1921 and AS Ascoli in 1945. In 1955, the team was acquired and saved from bankruptcy by publishing magnate, Cino del Duca, who merged it with his own team forming “Del Duca Ascoli”. The stadium still bears his and his brother’s name. 1971 the team changed its name to the current one, finally being known as Ascoli Calcio 1898. The team traditionally play in vertical black and white stripes. The biggest derby in Marche is between Ascoli and Sambenedettese (Samb, Samba), although the derby with Ancona is better known. The last time the “derby” was played between Ascoli and Sambenedettese in a league season was in 1986. The derby is fuelled by intense local pride and rivalry on both sides, and remains passionate despite the length of time since it was last played. The Ancona derby was the second largest; Ancona and Ascoli have been the two most successful clubs of Marche. This rivalry stems partly from the fact that Ancona is the capital of Marche, but Ascoli(Asculum) was the capital of ancient Picenun. The battles between the Ascolani and Anconetani have been intense, and there is very much a fight to be La Regina Delle Marche (the queen of Marche). The crest of Ascoli Calcio shows the coat of arms of Ascoli Piceno, the hometown of the club, the colours the team traditionally plays in; black and white, the name of the club, the flag colours of Italy and the year the club was founded. In former crest the woodpecker (nickname of the club) could also be found.
