I might be in the minority here, but when I first started looking at the Italian Serie A soccer schedules I found them really hard to figure out. In fact, I’ll admit that I still sometimes find them kind of unnecessarily confusing. So since I have to assume I’m not the only one who thinks the whole thing’s a head-scratcher, since I’ve gotten questions from some of you about seeing soccer games during your Italian vacations, and since the first games of the 2008-2009 season are fast approaching, here’s a little primer about how to read Italian soccer schedules.
First of all, all the teams in the Serie A league (that’s the top league in the country) play each other twice during a season. Not only that, the order that teams play one another in is the same in the second half of the season as it is in the first half. In other words, a team will work its way through the list of other teams and then, when it’s gotten through the list, it’ll start over at the beginning and work through the list again in the same order. Sounds organized and clever, right?
Well, because it’s all so organized, what the Serie A folks have done is this - instead of listing the entire season’s games out chronologically, they create a chart with each pairing listed only once. It looks sleek, and the clever design is very Italian. But in my opinion, it’s too clever by half. Here’s what I mean:
You’ll see here on this 2008-2009 Fiorentina schedule that their season begins with a game against Juventus, followed by a game against Napoli. The last team on their pairing schedule is Milan, after which they start at the top and play Juventus again, then Napoli, and so on. On each side of the team names you’ll see dates and numbers. The numbers refer to which game it is in the 38-game season, and they just go up by one for each game. The dates refer to when each pair of teams listed plays (remember, Italian dates are written day/month/year!). So far so good - but how do you know which games are actually in Florence and which are away games?
This is where my brain starts going in circles & I second-guess myself into a state of confusion. So here’s the first bit of important information:
The team listed in the left column is the home team for the first half of the season.
What this means is that for Fiorentina’s first game of the season against Juventus on August 31, 2008, they’re playing in Florence on their home field. That’s easy enough to get your head around, but the whole thing flips when you’re talking about the second half of the season. In other words, for the second meeting of Fiorentina and Juventus on January 25, 2009, Fiorentina (listed in the left column this time) is playing on Juve’s home turf in Turin.
What it boils down to is this: whatever team name is physically next to the box with the date in it is the “home” team for that date.
Yes, it’s clever. It’s extremely clever. The schedule looks fantastic. There’s no wasted energy re-writing the same pairing up twice every season. The whole thing is as sleek as a Ferrari. And perhaps I’m the only one whose brain got tied in knots trying to figure it out. But something tells me I’m not the only one - so I hope this little lesson helped.
Class dismissed.
To learn more about Italian soccer, be sure to check out the Italian soccer blog on The Offside and the Italian national team’s site on the World Cup Blog; and you can find out your favorite team’s current schedule by clicking on this link, choosing the “Serie A” button and then clicking on the name of your team on the left.
And I want to send a big GRAZIE MILLE to Valentina, who has been trying to set me straight on reading these schedules!
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Oh, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who finds this confusing… An Italian reader was saying, “It’s really very simple, you just…” Very simple? Hardly!!
But it’s easier if you don’t think about it too much. (At least I’ve found it to be that way!) Just look at the date, and whichever team name appears in the box that’s right next to that date is the home team.
Ok, so I’ve read the comments and I’m going to be in Italy from Oct. 3-22. Am I right that there is a game in Siena on Oct. 19? I will be in Siena then. If so, how do I get tickets for this Series A game?
No, the October 19 game Siena’s playing in is in Genoa - but Siena is playing at home on October 5th against Roma, so you’ll be in the city for that one. The Siena stadium is within walking distance (and a short walk) from Il Campo and the Siena city center, so if you’re staying in the city center you’re in luck. I’d recommend that when you get to town, ask someone at your hotel/hostel about the best place to get tickets to the game. For the Serie A games I’ve seen, I’ve just walked up in the hour or so before the game started and bought tickets from one of the kiosks in front of the stadium. I’ve not seen a soccer match in Siena, however, which is why I suggest asking someone at your hotel/hostel. Do remember to bring ID with you when you buy your tickets, as they’ll likely enter your name into the computer & print it out on your ticket.
That’s clever 
You’re right about being _too_ clever! I looked at your chart first and then read your explanation to make sure that I understood it. At first I thought I was wrong about the columns but then after reading your explanation, I was right.
I’m going to refer others to your post!
Grazie mille!
Thanks, Keith! I’m glad it made sense, finally. And thanks for referring others, too!
errr, that is confusing! I’m still not sure I get it?! Sleek as a Ferrari is right. Thanks for the primer, this information will be great when we plan our trips around Italy.– Karen