Bassano Virtus 55 Soccer Team S.p.A., commonly known as Bassano Virtus or just Bassano is a football club based in Bassano del Grappa, Veneto. The first team of the club was relocated to Vicenza in 2018 as L.R. Vicenza Virtus, while the youth system of Bassano Virtus was retained in Bassano del Grappa along with Vicenza Calcio's was retained in Vicenza.
History
Foundation
Bassano Virtus 55 Soccer Team was founded in 1920 as U.S. Bassano (Unione Sportiva Bassano) and merged with cross-city rivals A.C. Virtus in 1968. In 1996 the club took its current name: the number 55 stands for 1955, owner Renzo Rosso's birthyear. Nowadays, Bassano Virtus is also the only Italian professional football club to use soccer instead of football in its full name.[original research?]
Serie C2 and Lega Pro Seconda Divisione
In the 2005–06 season the club debuted in Serie C2, but after suffering a defeat in Montichiari in the last match, they finished only 12th.
In their third consecutive season in Serie C2 (now renamed Lega Pro Seconda Divisione), Bassano had an excellent start: the club peaked the league after 5 days and kept the position in isolation until the 23rd day, thanks to a series of eight consecutive wins. The attacking tactics of coach Ezio Gelerean led the team a step away from promotion: with only 4 matches left, the club is first, 3 points ahead of runners-up Reggiana. In the end of the season Bassano Virtus was surpassed by Reggiana and later lost the promotion play-off final with Portogruaro (2–3 in Portogruaro and 1–2 in Bassano del Grappa) also due to a penalty not granted to Bassano, that could have changed the outcame of the match. However, the club was able to win Coppa Italia Lega Pro by defeating Benevento Calcio with the overwhelming result of 5–0.
Bassano in the season 2011–12 was relegated from Lega Pro Prima Divisione to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. In 2013–14 season the club promoted as champions of Group A of Seconda Divisione. At the end of season also saw the merger of the two divisions of Lega Pro, as well as reduction of 69 to 60 teams. In 2013–14 Seconda Divisione season already saw re-admission of 2 teams that originally relegated, as well as 4 additional teams from Serie D.
Serie C
Bassano was among the original 60 teams in Serie C since its reestablishment in 2014. On 24 May 2018, after the bankruptcy of the main football team of the province of Vicenza, Vicenza Calcio, Stefano Rosso, the chairman of Bassano Virtus, announced that the first team of Bassano Virtus would started to play in Vicenza in 2018–19 Serie C in the color of Vicenza, as L.R. Vicenza Virtus, while keeping both the youth systems of Bassano and Vicenza.[1]
Phoenix club
It was reported that another club, Football Club Bassano 1903, was founded in 2018 as a phoenix club, after the original club Bassano Virtus 55 Soccer Team had moved to Vicenza.[2]
