Crotone sits on the Ionian coast of Calabria, and its football ground stands near the old town and the sea.
Few stadiums in Italy are so close to the heart of their city: from Piazza Pitagora it is a walk of about a kilometre.
The Scida took a long time to arrive. Work started in 1935, stopped during the war, and the stadium eventually opened in 1945. Since then it has been rebuilt several times, most recently for Crotone’s first season in Serie A.
Here is everything you need to know.
What Makes It Special?
The name came only a few months after the opening. In January 1946, the team’s truck overturned on the road to Castrovillari, where Crotone were due to play a friendly, and the captain, Ezio Scida, was killed. The mayor, Silvio Messinetti, who was also president of the club, proposed giving the new stadium his name.
For decades the Scida was a small, local ground with room for about 5000 people. The first big change came around 2000, when Crotone reached Serie B for the first time and the stadium’s capacity doubled.
The second came in 2016. Promotion to Serie A arrived suddenly, and the works were slowed by the archaeology beneath the pitch. A new steel tier went up on the west and south sides, the main stand got a new roof, and a big LED screen was installed above the north end. The result is a ground with an uneven shape. The west and south stands rise much higher than the other two, so the noise from the Curva Sud carries across the pitch.
It was here that Simy scored his famous overhead kick in a 1-1 draw with Juventus, right in front of the home end. Players such as Alessandro Florenzi, Federico Bernardeschi and Junior Messias also passed through the Scida on their way up.
How To Get There
The stadium is on Viale Giovanni Paolo II, between the old town and the seafront. From anywhere in the centre, the easiest option is to walk. There is no railway station near the ground, and parking around the stadium is tight on matchday.
Map
Neighbourhood Tips
Bar La Capasa on Via Bologna is a few steps from the stadium and the easy choice for a coffee before the match. It closes early in the evening and all day on Sunday. After the final whistle, walk down to the Lungomare, the long seafront promenade that starts a few minutes from the ground. It is lined with bars and restaurants and stays busy until late on a mild evening.
Need To Know
The club lists the Scida’s capacity at 12,307. The main stand, the Tribuna Coperta, runs along the west side and is the tallest part of the ground, with the best views. Opposite is the open Tribuna Scoperta. The home support fills the Curva Sud, and the north end carries the LED screen. The Scida is busier than usual this season. While their own ground is being renovated, Cosenza have been playing their home games here, so make sure you have the right fixture before you book.
Tickets
Tickets are sold through TicketOne and, on matchday, at the official ticket point on Via G. Di Vittorio. All tickets carry the holder’s name, so bring photo ID.
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