Sicilian Football club series: Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio
By Anthony Barbagallo
Club details
⚽ Full name: A.S.D. Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio
🗓️ Founded: 2012
📍 Location: Marineo, Province of Palermo
🏟️ Stadium: “Comunale di Marineo”
🏆 Current league: Eccellenza, Group A
Located 30km from the city of Palermo lies the charming and tiny town of Marineo. With stunning panoramic views of mountain ranges, a famous cliff located in the middle of the town and a beautiful historic church, Marineo holds a population of just under 7000 people.
In this unique small town lies a young football club called Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio. This minnow side dons the Biancorossi colours on their jerseys and has the church of San Ciro on their club logo - paying homage to the town’s most historic church. Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio is a club that represents dedication, ambition and Sicilian Calcio passion.
Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio currently plies its trade in the Sicilian Eccellenza (fifth division). After entering the Italian football landscape nine years ago, the Biancorossi have quickly risen from the bottom of the Calcio pyramid to the highest amateur division. This impressive rise has taken Sicilian football by storm, particularly on the island’s western side.
In 2012, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio played their first football season in the Terza Categoria (the ninth and lowest football division in Italy). For the 2012-13 campaign, the Biancorossi immediately showed signs of their ambitions to climb through the regional ranks of Sicilian Calcio. This new football club eventually topped Group B - made up of other sides from the Province of Palermo - and won promotion to the Seconda Categoria in their first-ever football season.
After an extraordinary promotion to the eighth division, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio offered the Marinesi (Marineo locals) a sense of pride and hope. Even though the Marinesi support the Rosanero, the biggest football club in Sicily, they would have been proud to boast a hometown club - connecting with their town’s roots.
In the 2013-14 season, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio started taking on slightly higher quality oppositions from Palermo's area in the Seconda Categoria. But due to the Biancorossi’s balanced style of play, talented forward line and robust defence, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio went on to top Group B - ahead of their close competitors Nuova Sancis. Consequently, the Girone B champions secured promotion to the Prima Categoria.
By achieving their second consecutive promotion since the club’s birth in 2012, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio gave their supporters a sense of optimism. This impressive young football side was on to something ambitious - proving they soon wanted to play against more renowned teams in the Palermo Province. However, the Sicilian Biancorossi’s maiden campaign in the seventh division ended with a scare. The 2014-15 season proved to be a struggle for the newly-promoted Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio, highlighting that it was impossible to reach that third consecutive promotion.
Because of how tight the competition was in the middle of the table and the intense top-four battle, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio found it challenging to emulate their impressive attacking and defensive formulas in the Prima Categoria. Playing against Bagheria, Prizzi, Bolognetta and Castronovo proved to be a step too far for the Biancorossi in terms of competition quality. And despite beating Bagheria 4-1 on the last matchday of the regular season, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio eventually finished the 2014-15 campaign in 10th place. However, this group contained 14 teams, hence why Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio’s position was classified as a relegation play-out spot.
HOWEVER, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio saved themselves from relegation after beating Albatros Lercara in the playouts. It may have proven to be a tough first season in the seventh division, but the Marineo side was able to avert the prospect of plummeting back to the eighth tier. After surviving the 2014-15 scare, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio bolstered their defence and tweaked their attack. As a result, in the 2015-16 Prima Categoria edition, the Biancorossi performed with more conviction, especially in the defence. This revitalised Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio finished in 5th spot in Group B, surpassing the club and fans’ expectations.
After a solid display from the Sicilian Biancorossi in the 2015-16 campaign, it seemed as though Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio stabilised in the seventh division - hoping they could continue to construct their squad to battle for promotion. But for the new season, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio would play in a more complex group. Placed in Group H for the 2016-17 campaign, the Biancorossi had a strong Gangi, Vallelunga and Don Carlo Misilmeri for company in the battle for promotion. Going forward, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio had more versatility in the attack - taking some of the weight off star striker Daniele Li Castri.
At the end of the 2016-17 season, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio recorded an impressive fourth-placed finish - going one better than the previous campaign. Furthermore, the Marineo club secured a playoff spot - giving the Marinesi a glimpse of hope. But Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio’s playoff dream was short-lived after going down to a tough Don Carlo Misilmeri side in the first round. Nevertheless, the team’s performance in the 2016-17 season was an improvement from the previous campaign.
With the Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio tifosi, players, coaching staff and management still trying to eradicate the bitter aftertaste from the 2016-17 playoff failure, the new season was going to offer sweetness. The Marineo Biancorossi were placed in Group A for the 2017-18 Prima Categoria, taking on Real Campofelice, S. Anna, and former playout rivals Albatros. The rivalry with Albatros turned into a top-two battle and stretched throughout the season. The addition of striker Dario Ribaudo elevated Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio’s attack - with the new star forward bagging 12 goals for the entire campaign.
Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio eventually secured second spot at the season’s end with 58 points, four behind leaders Albatros. While the Biancorossi fans and players were initially disappointed in narrowly missing out on direct promotion, the Marineo side still had a second chance in the playoffs. And as a result, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio was successful in their second attempt in the Prima Categoria playoffs. The Biancorossi defeated S. Anna 2-0, sending the home fans inside the Comunale di Marineo into euphoria. Thus, after enduring four seasons in the seventh division, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio finally achieved promotion to Promozione.
Most Marinesi expected Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio to settle firmly in their transition to the sixth division. In the 2018-19 season, the Biancorossi were playing in Promozione’s Group A. This difficult group was packed with strong competition such as Akragas, Monreale, Salemi, Castelterminini, Folgore Castelvetrano and Don Carlo Misilmeri. Despite all the odds stacked against the debutants, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio pulled off an extraordinary upset that had significant repercussions in the race for promotion. The fact that the Marineo side was even flirting with promotion competitors sent shockwaves throughout the Province of Palermo.
By boasting the best defensive record in Promozione’s Group A, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio recorded a second-place finish at the end of the regular 2018-19 season. Beating Akragas, Monreale, Salemi, Castelterminini and Folgore Castelvetrano was nothing short of extraordinary. With Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio on 72 points and Don Carlo Misilmeri on the exact tally, these two sides were locked into a playoff battle. The winner from this match would directly gain promotion to the Sicilian Eccellenza.
For Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio, this wasn’t supposed to be in the season’s script. It was expected that the Marineo side would stabilise in the sixth division - maybe push for a midtable position. But here was Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio, locking horns with firm favourites Don Carlo Misilmeri. And it was the underdogs, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio, which won the battle 3-2. It was jubilant scenes in the town of Marineo, as this minnow side sent the entire Palermo Province into complete shock. In their maiden season in Promozione, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio gathered momentum from their promotion in the previous campaign and applied it to the current one.
For a young football side from the small town of Marineo, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio was successfully navigating its way through the regional amateur leagues in Sicily. The Biancorossi were finally in the Sicilian Eccellenza (fifth division), ready to rub shoulders with the likes of Dattilo Noir, Canicattì, Akragas, Mazara, Favara and Sancataldese. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic suspending the 2019-20 season, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio’s first time the Eccellenza was cut short. Although, the Biancorossi still finished 13th - avoiding relegation altogether. The 2020-21 Eccellenza season may have also been cut extremely short, but it still resulted in the Marineo team securing salvation.
After only being founded nine years ago, Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio rapidly rose to the highest amateur football level from starting at the very bottom of the Italian football pyramid. The Sicilian Biancorossi are currently in 4th spot in the 2021-22 Sicilian Eccellenza in Group A - in a prime position to contest for the playoffs. There may still be a long way to go in the 2021-22 campaign, but the Marinesi feel that their entertaining side is poised for more memorable moments throughout this season. With a new stadium, a core of promising talent and an efficient organisation at the helm, there’s no reason why Oratorio S. Ciro E Giorgio can dare to dream of semi-professional (Serie D) football in the near future.