Foot Ball Club di Roma
Early Roman club that merged to form AS Roma.
Foot Ball Club di Roma, commonly called Roman, was a sports club based in Rome’s Parioli district. Founded in 1901, it is best remembered for its football side, which took part in the early Italian Football Championship. In 1927, Roman merged with two other Rome clubs—Alba-Audace and Fortitudo—to create AS Roma, donating the new club its colours.
The club’s football section was not formed until 1903, when the name was slightly adjusted. Because early championships were limited to northern teams, Roman did not debut until the 1912–13 season, finishing mid-table in the Lazio group. The next year they played well but were outdone by dominant local rivals SS Lazio. Their third campaign was stronger: Roman topped the Lazio group, beat Lazio 5–2, and advanced to the Central and Southern finals, but the competition was abandoned due to World War I.
After the war, Roman weakened. They finished last in their group in 1919–20 after forfeiting several matches, and similar results followed the next season. During the 1921 split in the Italian Football Federation, Roman joined the breakaway CCI league rather than the FIGC. When the leagues reunited, the team performed poorly and was relegated to the I Divisione (today’s Serie B). Unable to win promotion after several attempts, Roman merged with Alba-Audace and Fortitudo in 1927 to form AS Roma.
Quick Facts
- Clubname
- Roman
- Fullname
- Foot Ball Club di Roma
- Founded
- 1884 (sports club) / 1901 (football section)
- Dissolved
- 7 June 1927
- Ground
- Campo di "2 Pini" Rome, Italy
- Capacity
- unknown
- League
- I Divisione
- Season
- 1925-26
- Position
- Lega Sud Girone D, 9th
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Foot Ball Club di Roma was founded in 1901 as a sports club, but did not open its association football section until 1903, with a slight name change. During the earliest days of the Italian Football Championship, only Northern Italian clubs gained entry, so Roman had to wait until the 1912–13 season to make their championship debut, finishing mid-table in the Lazio group. The following season they played well but did not progress past the Lazio group stage as SS Lazio were more dominant. Their third season was more successful: they finished top of the Lazio group, earning progression to the Central and Southern finals, even beating rivals SS Lazio 5–2. However, before the competition could progress further, it was called off because of World War I.
Reader's Guide
After World War I, Roman were weaker, finishing bottom of their group in the 1919–20 return season after having to forfeit several games. Similar results followed in the next season. During the Italian Football Federation splinter of 1921, Roman participated in the CCI variation rather than the FIGC one. When the leagues merged back together, Roman performed poorly and were relegated down to 'I Divisione' (now known as Serie B). They could not gain promotion after several seasons of trying. In 1927, they merged with Alba-Audace and Fortitudo to form AS Roma, to whom they lent their colours. The club's significance lies in its role as a founding component of AS Roma, one of Italy's most prominent football clubs, and in its early participation in the Italian Football Championship, including a standout season cut short by World War I.
Did You Know?
- Foot Ball Club di Roma was founded in 1901 but did not open its football section until 1903.
- The club's third championship season was cut short by World War I after they beat rivals SS Lazio 5–2.
- Roman lent their colours to the newly formed AS Roma.
More in Leagues & Clubs
Elsewhere in AS Roma
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