The Derby dell'Enza, also referred to as the Derby del Parmigiano Reggiano, is the local derby contested by Emilian association football clubs Parma F.C. and A.C. Reggiana 1919. The name derives from the Enza river, which forms the boundary of the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia. The match is contested twice a year when the two clubs participate in the same league competition.

The rivalry stems from a historical rivalry between the cities of Parma and Reggio Emilia, which transcends sport. Despite the close rivalry, Parma is comfortably the more successful of the two sides, having won 8 major trophies. The first of these was as recent as the 1991–92 Coppa Italia triumph. Before the 1990s, neither side had played in Serie A, Italian football's top tier that was formed in 1929, so Parma's dominance is a recent trend. Fan violence between ultras groups is often a problem in this derby.

History

The provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia within Emilia-Romagna

Separated by just 25 kilometres, Parma has historically been seen as a snobbish or aristocratic city, the capital of the small state Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, home to monuments, churches and palaces, and whose famous sons are musicians Giuseppe Verdi and Arturo Toscanini and painter Parmigianino, while the residents of Reggio Emilia were perceived as less affluent and hot-blooded with a strong background in agriculture, the first city to fly the Tricolore in 1797, but also excelled in the arts through the works of Ludovico Ariosto and Antonio da Correggio. The cities share the protected naming of the world-renowned Parmesan cheese, more properly called Parmigiano-Reggiano. Parma's football team was founded in 1913 and A.C. Reggiana 1919 was founded six years later in 1919. 1919 also the first year they met, as they duked it out in the Promozione and the Prima Categoria in what were both sides' first two seasons in league football from 1919 to 1921.

The two Emilian sides had six more meetings before 1930 was out, but neither side was able to win away from home. From 1932, the clubs had an unmatched run of 8 consecutive seasons of league derbies in a period in which Reggiana had the upper hand, finishing above Parma in the league every year. This trend continued across the 1940s and 1950s, although derbies did not occur so frequently over those years. For the 1952–53 Serie C campaign, Reggiana was given a 20-point deduction for misconduct denounced by the Parma management and was relegated to the ignominy of IV Serie that season. However, they returned as the 1960s neared with four seasons of Serie B contests in which the spoils were shared with three wins apiece out of eight, but Parma's relegation from that division in 1961–62 put an end to derbies until 1970.

On 18 November 1973, the derby was a goalless affair, but nonetheless notable for its on-pitch actions because of the match's three sendings-off. After coming to blows in the second half, both Sega (Parma) and Stefanello (Reggiana) were given their marching orders. Reggiana's Zandoli joined them after an off the ball incident to give the home side a man advantage. The 1973–74 Derby dell'Enza contents March 1974 also ended goalless, while the January 1976 match had the same lack of incisiveness, but ended one apiece. On the third last day of the 1974–75 Serie B season, the two sides met when they were threatened with relegation. A second half goal from Reggiana's Sileno Passalacqua was the only goal of the game and it ultimately sealed Parma's relegation fate. Reggiana would go on to avoid relegation via a spareggio against Alessandria in Milan.

Carlo Ancelotti, the only man to manage both Reggiana and Parma, went on to win major titles with Milan and Chelsea.

In the 1989–90 Serie B season, both teams performed well, chasing promotion to Serie A. Fan trouble was caused by Parma fans in the Reggio Emilia game in late December, when they attempted to halt the train early in order to avoid police controls and also damaged locals' cars. In the match itself, Parma were superior, Maurizio Ganz scoring twice without reply. In the return match at the Tardini, Parma secured promotion to Serie A for the first time in its history. Nevio Scala's team again won the game 2–0 thanks to goals from Alessandro Melli and Marco Osio. The Parma fans' celebrations were in stark contrast to the behaviour of Reggiana's, of whom three were arrested, after cars were damaged, windows broken and Stazione di Parma was subjected to acts of vandalism. Parma had also secured a first league derby double in exactly 30 seasons, when Reggiana achieved the feat.

Serie A's first Derby dell'Enza took place on 24 October 1993, following Reggiana's summer promotion. Alessandro Melli scored the only goal of the game for a Parma team fatigued by mid-week exertions in Haifa. The return meeting on 6 March 1994 was bizarrely interrupted by a calf injury to referee Pierluigi Pairetto after just 20 minutes, meaning the match was called off at half-time and not completed until 5 April. In September 1996 at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, trouble was caused by the Ultras Ghetto, a Reggiana ultras group, as cars were vandalised and flares and firecrackers thrown into the Parma fan areas, despite a police presence of 500. The match itself was dominated by Parma, who emerged victors by three goals to two after Reggiana twice came from a goal behind to equalise before Gianfranco Zola netted the winner. In the clubs' most recent top division encounter in 1996–97 and first at the new Stadio Giglio (which had replaced the Stadio Mirabello in 1995), metal objects were thrown at Parma goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon during the match. A gap had already opened between the fortunes of the club at a time when owner Calisto Tanzi owned Parma and sponsored Reggiana. The match finished goalless, but Parma would go on to finish in second position, which remains a club record, and Reggiana finished bottom, 18 points adrift of safety. This gap has only widened in the years since, as Reggiana has sunk two divisions below Parma.

Reggiana's good performance in the 2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, the third tier, while Parma were in Serie B, the second, raised the possibility of a 77th league derby in 2009–10, but this was extinguished when Parma won promotion back to Serie A at the first attempt and Reggiana failed to qualify from the play-offs. Because the match was not played for some years, some have called for its revival as a friendly, but the possibility was denied in the summer of 2010 due to worries about public order. Despite the relative inactivity of this derby in recent years, Reggiana has played no other side on more occasions in league football. On 19 December 2016 in Group B of the Lega Pro (soon to be renamed Serie C) and after nearly two decades without a competitive meeting, Parma won the derby with two goals at the Mapei Stadium. Parma were promoted at the end of that season and returned to Serie A a year later, being relegated in 2021, while Reggiana emerged from a bankruptcy event to climb back to Serie B, but dropped down from that level at the same time as Parma were relegated to it, postponing the resumption of the rivalry for a fifth season.

Statistics

TotalParma at homeReggiana at home
MatchesParma winsDrawsReggiana winsParma goalsReggiana goalsMatchesParma winsDrawsReggiana winsParma goalsReggiana goalsMatchesParma winsDrawsReggiana winsParma goalsReggiana goals
League782626268168392199532339517172845
Coppa Italia100112000000100112
Coppa Italia C211010101000110010
Competitive8127272783704021109532341617183047
Coppa del Primato412144201112211032
Total85282928877442211110542543718183349

Results

Parma win Draw Reggiana win

League

The listed results cover the clubs' league meetings.

DateVenueResultCompetition
Parma at home Date Venue Result Competition 19 January 1920 Stadio Ennio Tardini 3–0 Promozione 31 August 1920 Stadio Ennio Tardini 5–1 Prima Categoria 28 October 1923 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–0 Seconda Divisione 25 October 1925 Stadio Ennio Tardini 2–0 Prima Divisione 6 March 1927 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–0 Prima Divisione 26 January 1930 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–0 Serie B 5 March 1933 Stadio Ennio Tardini 5–1 Prima Divisione 29 October 1933 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–0 Prima Divisione 17 March 1935 Stadio Ennio Tardini 2–0 Prima Divisione 5 January 1936 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–1 Serie C 3 January 1937 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–1 Serie C 17 April 1938 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–0 Serie C 5 February 1939 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–0 Serie C 28 January 1940 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–0 Serie C 9 February 1943 Stadio Ennio Tardini 4–0 Serie C 30 December 1945 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–2 Serie B-C 25 May 1947 Stadio Ennio Tardini 4–0 Serie B 19 October 1947 Stadio Ennio Tardini 2–1 Serie B 24 October 1948 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–2 Serie B 22 March 1953 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–2 Serie C 19 March 1959 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–2 Serie B 11 October 1959 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–1 Serie B 12 February 1961 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–1 Serie B 24 September 1961 Stadio Ennio Tardini 2–0 Serie B 29 November 1964 Stadio Ennio Tardini 3–0 Serie B 18 October 1970 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–0 Serie C 18 November 1973 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–0 Serie B 26 January 1975 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–1 Serie B 23 October 1976 Stadio Ennio Tardini 2–1 Serie C 16 October 1977 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–0 Serie C 4 March 1979 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–1 Serie C1 16 November 1980 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–0 Serie C1 4 December 1983 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–0 Serie C1 4 May 1986 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–2 Serie C1 27 May 1990 Stadio Ennio Tardini 2–0 Serie B 24 October 1993 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–0 Serie A 23 October 1994 Stadio Ennio Tardini 2–1 Serie A 21 September 1996 Stadio Ennio Tardini 3–2 Serie A 7 May 2017 Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–0 Lega Pro 2 September 2023 Stadio Ennio Tardini 0–0 Serie BReggiana at home Date Venue Result Competition 7 December 1919 Stadio Mirabello 2–1 Promozione 23 January 1921 Stadio Mirabello 3–2 Prima Categoria 23 December 1923 Stadio Mirabello 2–0 Seconda Divisione 28 March 1926 Stadio Mirabello 2–0 Prima Divisione 22 November 1926 Stadio Mirabello 2–0 Prima Divisione 15 June 1930 Stadio Mirabello 2–2 Serie B 6 November 1932 Stadio Mirabello 1–1 Prima Divisione 18 February 1934 Stadio Mirabello 2–0 Prima Divisione 4 November 1934 Stadio Mirabello 0–0 Prima Divisione 3 May 1936 Stadio Mirabello 2–0 Serie C 9 May 1937 Stadio Mirabello 2–2 Serie C 2 January 1938 Stadio Mirabello 1–1 Serie C 9 October 1938 Stadio Mirabello 1–0 Serie C 24 September 1939 Stadio Mirabello 0–1 Serie C 18 October 1942 Stadio Mirabello 2–2 Serie C 30 December 1945 Stadio Mirabello 0–1 Serie B-C 29 December 1946 Stadio Mirabello 1–0 Serie B 21 March 1948 Stadio Mirabello 0–0 Serie B 6 March 1949 Stadio Mirabello 1–1 Serie B 16 November 1952 Stadio Mirabello 1–0 Serie C 2 November 1958 Stadio Mirabello 1–0 Serie B 28 February 1960 Stadio Mirabello 3–1 Serie B 2 October 1960 Stadio Mirabello 1–1 Serie B 18 February 1962 Stadio Mirabello 1–1 Serie B 25 April 1965 Stadio Mirabello 0–0 Serie B 7 March 1971 Stadio Mirabello 1–0 Serie C 31 March 1974 Stadio Mirabello 0–0 Serie B 8 June 1975 Stadio Mirabello 1–0 Serie B 13 March 1977 Stadio Mirabello 0–0 Serie C 5 March 1978 Stadio Mirabello 2–0 Serie C 29 October 1978 Stadio Mirabello 0–0 Serie C1 29 March 1981 Stadio Mirabello 2–1 Serie C1 29 April 1984 Stadio Mirabello 1–1 Serie C1 15 December 1985 Stadio Mirabello 1–3 Serie C1 30 December 1989 Stadio Mirabello 0–2 Serie B 6 March 1994 Stadio Mirabello 2–0 Serie A 19 March 1995 Stadio Mirabello 2–2 Serie A 16 February 1997 Stadio Città del Tricolore 0–0 Serie A 19 December 2016 Stadio Città del Tricolore 0–2 Lega Pro
19 January 1920Stadio Ennio Tardini3–0Promozione
31 August 1920Stadio Ennio Tardini5–1Prima Categoria
28 October 1923Stadio Ennio Tardini0–0Seconda Divisione
25 October 1925Stadio Ennio Tardini2–0Prima Divisione
6 March 1927Stadio Ennio Tardini1–0Prima Divisione
26 January 1930Stadio Ennio Tardini1–0Serie B
5 March 1933Stadio Ennio Tardini5–1Prima Divisione
29 October 1933Stadio Ennio Tardini0–0Prima Divisione
17 March 1935Stadio Ennio Tardini2–0Prima Divisione
5 January 1936Stadio Ennio Tardini0–1Serie C
3 January 1937Stadio Ennio Tardini1–1Serie C
17 April 1938Stadio Ennio Tardini1–0Serie C
5 February 1939Stadio Ennio Tardini0–0Serie C
28 January 1940Stadio Ennio Tardini1–0Serie C
9 February 1943Stadio Ennio Tardini4–0Serie C
30 December 1945Stadio Ennio Tardini0–2Serie B-C
25 May 1947Stadio Ennio Tardini4–0Serie B
19 October 1947Stadio Ennio Tardini2–1Serie B
24 October 1948Stadio Ennio Tardini0–2Serie B
22 March 1953Stadio Ennio Tardini1–2Serie C
19 March 1959Stadio Ennio Tardini1–2Serie B
11 October 1959Stadio Ennio Tardini0–1Serie B
12 February 1961Stadio Ennio Tardini0–1Serie B
24 September 1961Stadio Ennio Tardini2–0Serie B
29 November 1964Stadio Ennio Tardini3–0Serie B
18 October 1970Stadio Ennio Tardini0–0Serie C
18 November 1973Stadio Ennio Tardini0–0Serie B
26 January 1975Stadio Ennio Tardini1–1Serie B
23 October 1976Stadio Ennio Tardini2–1Serie C
16 October 1977Stadio Ennio Tardini1–0Serie C
4 March 1979Stadio Ennio Tardini0–1Serie C1
16 November 1980Stadio Ennio Tardini0–0Serie C1
4 December 1983Stadio Ennio Tardini0–0Serie C1
4 May 1986Stadio Ennio Tardini1–2Serie C1
27 May 1990Stadio Ennio Tardini2–0Serie B
24 October 1993Stadio Ennio Tardini1–0Serie A
23 October 1994Stadio Ennio Tardini2–1Serie A
21 September 1996Stadio Ennio Tardini3–2Serie A
7 May 2017Stadio Ennio Tardini1–0Lega Pro
2 September 2023Stadio Ennio Tardini0–0Serie B
DateVenueResultCompetition
7 December 1919Stadio Mirabello2–1Promozione
23 January 1921Stadio Mirabello3–2Prima Categoria
23 December 1923Stadio Mirabello2–0Seconda Divisione
28 March 1926Stadio Mirabello2–0Prima Divisione
22 November 1926Stadio Mirabello2–0Prima Divisione
15 June 1930Stadio Mirabello2–2Serie B
6 November 1932Stadio Mirabello1–1Prima Divisione
18 February 1934Stadio Mirabello2–0Prima Divisione
4 November 1934Stadio Mirabello0–0Prima Divisione
3 May 1936Stadio Mirabello2–0Serie C
9 May 1937Stadio Mirabello2–2Serie C
2 January 1938Stadio Mirabello1–1Serie C
9 October 1938Stadio Mirabello1–0Serie C
24 September 1939Stadio Mirabello0–1Serie C
18 October 1942Stadio Mirabello2–2Serie C
30 December 1945Stadio Mirabello0–1Serie B-C
29 December 1946Stadio Mirabello1–0Serie B
21 March 1948Stadio Mirabello0–0Serie B
6 March 1949Stadio Mirabello1–1Serie B
16 November 1952Stadio Mirabello1–0Serie C
2 November 1958Stadio Mirabello1–0Serie B
28 February 1960Stadio Mirabello3–1Serie B
2 October 1960Stadio Mirabello1–1Serie B
18 February 1962Stadio Mirabello1–1Serie B
25 April 1965Stadio Mirabello0–0Serie B
7 March 1971Stadio Mirabello1–0Serie C
31 March 1974Stadio Mirabello0–0Serie B
8 June 1975Stadio Mirabello1–0Serie B
13 March 1977Stadio Mirabello0–0Serie C
5 March 1978Stadio Mirabello2–0Serie C
29 October 1978Stadio Mirabello0–0Serie C1
29 March 1981Stadio Mirabello2–1Serie C1
29 April 1984Stadio Mirabello1–1Serie C1
15 December 1985Stadio Mirabello1–3Serie C1
30 December 1989Stadio Mirabello0–2Serie B
6 March 1994Stadio Mirabello2–0Serie A
19 March 1995Stadio Mirabello2–2Serie A
16 February 1997Stadio Città del Tricolore0–0Serie A
19 December 2016Stadio Città del Tricolore0–2Lega Pro

Cup

Coppa Italia

The two clubs have met just once in the Coppa Italia and Reggiana won the game 2–1, scoring the winning goal in extra time.

DateVenueResult
11 September 1938Stadio Mirabello2–1 (a.e.t.)

Coppa Italia Semiprofessionisti

Parma had the better of the two meetings in the Coppa Italia Semiprofessionisti. The sides met in Group 15 of the preliminary round.

DateVenueResult
25 August 1976Stadio Mirabello0–1
5 September 1976Stadio Ennio Tardini0–0

Other competitions

Parma and Reggiana also played each other in the Coppa del Primato on 4 occasions:

DateResult
6 May 19340–1
9 May 19340–1
29 December 19342–2
1 January 19351–1

Shared personnel

Players

A number of players have played for both clubs over the course of their careers. This is an incomplete list of players who have made at least one appearance for both:

Head coaches

Only two coach has taken charge of both Derby dell'Enza outfits: Carlo Ancelotti and Luigi Apolloni. In 1995, Ancelotti took his first job in management at Serie B side Reggiana, where he led the team to fourth position and promotion to Serie A. In the summer of 1996, he moved directly to fellow Serie A team Parma to replace the club's all-time most successful coach, Nevio Scala. Parma finished in second position in his first year in charge, which remains a record high league finish for the Ducali, and fifth position in his second and final season. Apolloni played for both clubs in his professional career, then briefly managed Reggiana in the 2012-13 season, where he was appointed mid-season in the 3rd tier and sacked after 9 games. In the 2015-16 he managed Parma, gaining promotion from Serie D to Serie C. He was sacked the following season after 14 games.

Head coachReggiana careerParma career
SpanGWDLFAWin%SpanGWDLFAWin%
Italy Carlo Ancelotti1995–199641171410453641.461996–1998874227181148548.28
Italy Luigi Apolloni2012–2013921651622.222015–201658371651124263.79

See also

External links