First time in the Marche stadiums, but not in the Marche for both. On our second day away after Fano-Samb, I accompany Davide on a tour of childhood memories in these places and, after a sandwich on the beautiful beach of Porto Sant’Elpidio, we head towards Civitanova Marche, leaving nostalgia behind and concentrating on the derby of the day, the one between Civitanovase and Maceratese which we notice has been very popular since the morning on the streets of the city.
The Civitanova stadium, Municipal sports hall, was built in the 1960s and has 6,000 seats and an athletics track. Looking at it from the outside it has a positively lived-in air, a flavor of football from times gone by, with all its sporting and social history. The very large car parks in front are empty because they are closed by very strict public order. The facility is located on the Sergio Piermanni seafront and we wonder how nice it would be to observe the full stands, the compact fans from above and just a few steps from the sea.
Over 4,000 spectators are expected today, of which 700 from Macerata. A number that seems surreal for an Excellence match. Despite the large number of passionate fans who actually converged on the stadium, it should be noted that everything then took place regularly, without the famous and much vaunted episodes of violence which are often, and sometimes inappropriately, reported with such fanfare by the media.
Sea against land, Civitanovese-Maceratese is a derby that has already been felt for years before: the local managers who welcome us upon our arrival, make us retrace a bit of history of this particular match, through the stories that date back to the years in Serie C2 and to the 1980-1981 season, when Civitanovase came second, behind Padova and ahead of Maceratese. Also noteworthy is the derby played in Civitanova in the 2012-2013 season, when the home team won the match, with a 1-0 victory.
But let’s go back to the field and to the present day, when we manage to meet Andrea just in time to enjoy the entrance of the spectators and subsequently of the teams. The fans are arranged distantly and oppositely from each other, constantly competing to make themselves feel stronger than their opponents and having fun with the display of various ironic banners during the ninety-plus minutes of play, which obviously and mutually target each other all-time opponents.
The locals arrive in a procession starting from Piazza Conchiglia into the sector, singing choirs in support of their colours. The people of Macerata do not fail to make themselves heard at the entrance, thanks to some firecrackers. Obviously the chants of teasing, sung loudly, will precede the starting whistle.
Once the game has started, the Maceratas express their love in a tangible way with a beautiful choreography with white balloons, behind the “ONLY FOR US” banner, while the Civitanovesi give life to a compact red and blue flag. Not to forget the presence of Rimini and San Benedetto with the hosts, while the Mestre brothers are present with those of Macerata.
The scarves of both fans, performed at the same time, are very beautiful. In short, the day is characterized by the fierce rivalry between the two teams, and is totally expressed by their devoted fans. Matches of this kind, in the middle of the season and far from being decisive, can only take on epic contours thanks to the feelings, even bitterly conflicting ones, of the fans.
On the pitch, the final whistle decreed the victory of Maceratese 1 to 0. A defeat that weighs heavily on Civitanova given the victories of their pursuers. Thus ends a long and intense weekend; we get back in the car feeling a bit of sadness typical of the journey home, the one that pervades every time we have had a good time in a new place. A feeling that will certainly not be the same for the people of Macerata who return home full of happiness for the result.
Text by Imma Borrelli
Photo by Imma Borrelli and Davide Gallo
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