Il Toro (The Bull)
Founded: 1906, Refounded 2005, Stadium: Stadio Olimpico Grande, Capacity: 27,958
Football first arrived in the city of Turin at the end of the 19th century, introduced by the industrial Swiss and English. By 1887, Football & Cricket Club – the oldest Italian football club – had already been founded in the capital of Piedmont followed in 1889 by Nobili Torino. In 1891 the two clubs merged to form Internazionale Torino, after which Football Club Torinese was founded in 1894. In 1900, Football Club Torinese absorbed Internazionale Torino, and in 1906 an alliance was formed with a group of Juventus dissidents. Through the merger of Football Club Torinese and the aforementioned group, “Foot-Ball Club Torino” was formed. The club dominated Italian football in the post-war period winning four titles between 1946 and 1949 before they were ripped apart by an air crash in 1949 against the retaining wall of the Basilica of Superega in Turin.Torino’s historical rivalries are with Sampdoria, Piacenza, Verona, Lazio, Perugia, Internazionale, Atatalanta, Ternana and Ancona. The Torino club badge has always featured a rampant bull, the symbol of the city of Turin. The current badge was adopted in the 2005–06 season, the first following the bankruptcy of Torino Calcio. The “1906” on the left side of the shield was later added to denote the founding year of the historic Foot-Ball Club Torino. In the 1980s, the Torino badge was square in shape with a stylised bull and the words “Torino Calcio.” This badge is still held in high regard by the fans, and in 2013 it was voted by the readers of Guerin Sportivo as the most beautiful club logo of all time. From 1990 until the bankruptcy, the badge in use recalled the one used at the time of the Grande Torino, with the important difference that the right side of the oval crossed the letter “T” and “C” (initials of “Torino Calcio”) instead of the letters “A”, “C” and “T” (initials of “Associazione Calcio Torino”).
