Serie D: the combined annual budget of the 162 teams exceeds €150 million

In the 2025/26 season, clubs spent between €500,000 and €2.5 million – the latter figure being that of Scafatese, who won the league title

by Emanuele Cuomo

15 June 2026

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The Serie D league represents the pinnacle of amateur football on the national scene, although in many respects it appears more like a genuine semi-professional competition. The Interregional Department of the National Amateur League (LND) manages the competition: 162 teams divided into 9 groups, organised according to geographical proximity. Between the regular season, play-offs and the Scudetto Play-offs, 2,822 matches are played, watched at the stadium by over 2 million fans.

The league

Serie D, moreover, is the truest expression of the bond between clubs and their local communities. Almost all matches are played on Sunday afternoons, with very few brought forward to Saturday. Barletta and Reggina attracted the largest crowds in the 2025/26 season, with an average of 5,000 and 4,600 spectators per match respectively.

One match per matchday is broadcast on VivoAzzurro TV and on the LND’s YouTube channel. Local broadcasters can purchase the radio and TV rights from LND Servizi Srl to broadcast one or more matches. However, for Serie D clubs, revenue from the sale of radio, audio and video broadcasting rights is a far cry from the figures seen in professional football. Seasonal costs are mainly covered by sponsorship and membership fees. Other income comes from stadium revenue and, for the most successful clubs, from the sale of players, but player transfers are very common, with the transfer window almost always open from July to March.

Economic aspects

The 162 clubs spent a total of 155 million in the 2025/26 season. The average budget is just under a million (950,000): it ranges from 500,000 euros to Scafatese’s 2.5 million. Whilst around 2 million per season is needed to chase promotion, aiming for a place in the play-offs requires a budget of at least 1.1 million, barring a few notable exceptions. Salaries, lump-sum reimbursements, travel allowances and bonuses account for at least 65% of seasonal resources. Other items affecting the accounts include: away trips (sometimes over 600 km long, see Vallo della Lucania-Caltanissetta for Gelbison and Nissa), board and lodging for players and staff, administrative costs, rent and maintenance of facilities, the youth academy and kit.

In Serie D, there were 4,351 players in May 2026. The Sports Reform, which came into force in July 2023, has revolutionised amateur contracts. Tax and social security arrangements are based on annual salary brackets. Sports workers’ earnings are treated as employment income and are divided into three bands. Up to €5,000: exempt from tax and social security contributions. Between €5,000 and €15,000: subject to social security contributions but tax-exempt. Over €15,000: subject to social security contributions and taxation in accordance with standard rules.

Teams and Regions

From 4 July 2026, the registration period for the 2026/27 championship will open, with clubs required to provide a guarantee of €31,000, pay €16,000 in registration fees, a deposit of €3,200 to cover potential liabilities, a further €2,000 for the Under-19 team (excluding Sicily and Sardinia), as well as membership fees and player insurance. The deadline is set for 10 July, with Co.Vi.So.D. responsible for verifying any irregularities. Following checks and the appeal period, the final squad lists will be published on 25 July.

On Sunday 14 June 2026, following the second legs of the Eccellenza national play-offs, the list of teams that have earned the right to compete in the upcoming Serie D Championship (2026/2027) was finalised. The seven teams promoted to Serie D via the promotion play-offs were: Solbiatese, Fezzanese, Certosa, Santegidiese, Pietralunghese, Avola and Gladiator.

The regions are represented as follows for the 2026/2027 season (subject to change in the event of non-registration, repechage or exclusion): Lombardy (23), Veneto (15), Campania (13), Sicily (13), Tuscany (13), Lazio (10), Piedmont (10), Apulia (10), Emilia-Romagna (9), Liguria (8), Marche (7), Abruzzo (6), Calabria (5), Sardinia (5), Umbria (5), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (4), Basilicata (2), Molise (2), Trentino-Alto Adige (2).

In the 2025/26 season, the regions with the highest number of teams were: Lombardy (with 26 teams), Tuscany (16), Veneto (16), Campania (13), Lazio and Sicily (12). Teams such as Alessandria, Ancona, Chievo, Foggia, Piacenza, Pistoiese, Prato, Pro Patria, Reggina, Siena, Trapani and Triestina will be present in 2026/27. Messina (with a 38,722-seat stadium) were relegated, whilst Lucchese were promoted from Eccellenza. Nine teams are promoted to Serie C: Folgore Caratese, Treviso, Grosseto, Ostiamare, Savoia, Vado, Desenzano, Scafatese and Barletta. The latter four reached the semi-finals of the Poule Scudetto. In the final on 6 June, played at the Gaetano Bonolis Stadium in Teramo, Scafatese claimed the title of Italian Amateur Champions, winning 6-0 against Vado.

The defending champions

The president of the Scafati team is Felice Romano, an entrepreneur who heads Regina di San Marzano, a company specialising in the production of tinned tomatoes and ready-made sauces, which achieved a turnover of 390 million in 2025. In December 2025, the American firm Campbell’s acquired a 49% stake for $286 million. The president of Vado is Franco Tarabotto, a Genoese born in 1946, who has worked for years at SAAR Depositi Portuali (an operator with coastal terminals in the ports of Genoa and Vado Ligure), of which Giuseppe Costa is president. Costa himself is one of the club’s main sponsors. During the promotion season, the Adamant BioNRG logo (a sustainable biofuels division) was visible on Vado’s shirts; the company is part of the joint venture with SAAR DP Green, which acquired the Alkion terminal in Vado Ligure in 2024.