STADIUM HISTORIES: THE “MAPEI STADIUM” IN REGGIO EMILIA

Parma, 14 February 2020 – The Mapei Stadium will play host to Sassuolo vs. Parma this Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 15:00 CET.

The construction of a new stadium in Reggio Emilia would replace the historic and central Mirabello. Work on the new ground started in 1994 and it was completed the followed year. The chosen area was Mancasale, situated in between the city and the motorway,

As a modern football stadium, it was planned and built without a running track, while also boasting turnstiles on entry. Not only this, but the stadium was also the first in post-war Italy to be under the ownership of a football club. This was financed also thanks to the Giglio company, which purchased the stadium’s naming rights.

On 15 April 1995, Reggiana vs. Juventus was the first match to be played in the new stadium, finishing 2-1 to the Bianconeri after Roberto Baggio struck the first goal. That same year, the Giglio hosted the Italy National Team for the first time in November – beating Lithuania 4-0 in a qualifier for the 1996 European Championship.

In 2004, construction work began close to the stadium, introducing a commercial centre that is still in operation today. The stadium was renamed the Stadio Città del Tricolore in 2012, paying homage to the first tricolore declared in Reggio Emilia back in 1797. After a number of negative changes at Reggiana, the stadium was put up for auction in December 2013, purchased by Sassuolo’s Giorgio Squinzi, who also owned Mapei. Consequently, it was renamed the Mapei, also receiving renovation work to the pitch and some interior areas.