When we reached out to the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club we didn’t realize we were dealing with one of the country’s longest running sporting organizations and a highly decorated soccer team to boot. Gina Travaglio, Marco Saglimbeni, Alessandro Giannini, and Leo Pierini all leant their respective expertise to put the puzzle together and explain where SFIAC has come from - what they’re doing now - and the trajectory for the future.

Tell us about the history of the club - when did SF Italian AC begin playing soccer and what is one of your biggest successes?
The San Francisco Italian Athletic Club has always cherished the virtues that competitive athletics bring to its young men, dating back to its participation in boxing, fencing, baseball, basketball, gymnastics, distance running and soccer in the early twentieth century. The Club established the Statuto Race in 1919, the fourth oldest continuously running foot race west of the Mississippi.

But Soccer speaks of the homeland. The San Francisco Soccer Football League dates itself to 1902 and is the oldest continuously operated league in the United States; rivaled only by the Cosmo League in NY (est 1923) and the National Soccer League in Chicago (est 1938). And while the story of immigrants and soccer in San Francisco dates back even further than the SFSFL, SF Italian AC began life in 1917 and only the Olympic Club has been in operation in San Francisco longer (est 1916).

The SFSFL can lay claim to four US Open Cup titles and SF Italian AC earned their DeWar Cup in 1976 with a Cup Final win over NY Inter-Giuliana. The match was played in New York and pitted the best Italian squad on the East Coast against the Italians from the West Coast. In the end, it came down to a single goal by Andy Atuegbu.

The history of SFIAC is long and storied - it would take an entire article on its own to share the accolades of such a successful team…

Tell us about your badge and colors – how does it connect to community and has it evolved over time or always been the same?
We use the same badge as our brick and mortar cultural fraternal club, the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club in North Beach, San Francisco. The club has been around since ~1917, so the crest has evolved over the years, but we've been using our club's 100 year anniversary badge from 2017. The badge includes red, white, and green coloring to represent the Italian flag and the North Beach neighborhood (with a set of golden wings). We wear blue and white kits, just like the Italian National team.

SF Italian AC have been winning silverware for a long time.

The San Francisco Soccer Football League is one of the oldest in the country - have you played exclusively in this league or have SFIAC ever played in other leagues?
As far as we are aware, the Club has always played in the SFSFL. We are proud to be one of the original teams in the league in the early years when it was first established. The Club has won many titles across the divisions over the years and are proud to continue being a part of such a historic league.

Many clubs choose to sell hats, scarves or replica kits - how does your club keep the lights on and cover its league costs?
Since we represent a Club and foundation that is broader in scope than just the soccer team, we are very lucky to play as ambassadors / representatives of the Club in the soccer community. Every year, we purchase extra team jerseys that the Club then re-sells to members who are interested in supporting the team or enjoy wearing the same gear as the team. We also recently started a Poker Night fundraiser to raise money for the team (open to both club members and the public). Overall, the best way interested people can support us is to come to our games on Sundays! We love seeing club members, parents, family, and friends supporting us when we play.

How has this season gone for you? What were the goals and aspirations heading into it? What is something to work on for the future?
In 2022, we won the SFSFL Premier division title for the first time in over 40 years for the Club. It was an incredible achievement for our team and the Club. Last year, our goal was obviously to defend our title, but unfortunately we lost in the semifinal of the playoffs. Looking forward to the 2024 season, our first goal is to clinch a playoff spot for the 3rd season in a row, while our ultimate goal is to bring the Premier Division title back to North Beach

If there were one or two teams, within a 100 miles of you, to play a friendly against – who would you play and why?
I think the clear answer would be to play the San Jose Earthquakes. It would be amazing to play against the local professional team, especially in a professional soccer stadium. By the time the Earthquakes were established in 1974, the Italian Club had already been fielding a team for over 50 years (including one team that won the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 1976)! Otherwise, we really enjoy the familiarity and rivalries of the SFSFL, and look forward to continuing to compete for many years to come.

Want to know more or get involved?
Follow San Francisco Italian Athletic Club on Instagram HERE
Visit the SFIAC website for news and updates HERE