Definition
The 2016–17 Lega Pro was the 2016–17 season of Italy’s third tier of professional football, operating under the name “Lega Pro” (the governing body of professional leagues). The competition was contested by sixty clubs divided into three regional groups (Girone A, B, and C) and functioned as a feeder league to Serie B.
Overview
The season commenced on 27 August 2016 and concluded with the play‑off finals on 27 May 2017. Each group comprised twenty clubs that played a double round‑robin schedule, for a total of 38 matches per team. The winners of each group earned automatic promotion to Serie B, while a series of promotion play‑offs involving the next‑best placed teams determined a fourth promoted club. Conversely, the lowest‑ranked teams entered relegation play‑outs, and the losers were relegated to Serie D.
Promoted clubs:
- Group A champion: Bari
- Group B champion: Brescia
- Group C champion: Mestre
The promotion play‑offs crowned Matera as the fourth team promoted to Serie B.
Relegated clubs were determined through a combination of direct demotion (bottom‑placed teams) and relegation play‑out results, leading to a total of nine clubs descending to Serie D for the 2017–18 season.
Etymology / Origin
“Lega Pro” combines the Italian words lega (league) and professionale (professional), denoting the professional status of the competition. The designation “2016–17” specifies the football season spanning the latter half of 2016 and the first half of 2017, following the conventional European football calendar.
Characteristics
- Structure: Three geographically based groups (A, B, C) with twenty clubs each.
- Match Format: Home and away matches against each group opponent (38 matches per club).
- Promotion System: Three automatic promotions (group winners) plus one additional promotion via a multi‑stage play‑off involving 28 clubs (positions 2–10 in each group, plus the best 11th‑placed team).
- Relegation System: Direct relegation for the last‑placed team in each group; teams finishing 16th‑19th entered two‑legged play‑outs, with losers relegated.
- Professional Status: Clubs were required to meet FIGC (Italian Football Federation) licensing criteria for professional status, including financial guarantees and stadium standards.
- Broadcasting: Selected matches were televised regionally; the league also provided live streaming through its official website and partnered platforms.
Related Topics
- Serie C – The current name for the third tier, which replaced “Lega Pro” in 2017.
- Italian football league system – Hierarchical structure of football leagues in Italy.
- 2015–16 Lega Pro – The preceding season.
- 2017–18 Lega Pro – The subsequent season, the final one before the rebranding to Serie C.
- Promotion play‑offs (Italy) – The post‑regular‑season competition determining additional promotions.
- Relegation play‑outs (Italy) – The post‑regular‑season competition determining additional relegations.
- Serie B – The second tier of Italian professional football, the destination for promoted clubs.
- Serie D – The top level of non‑professional football in Italy, the destination for relegated clubs.