The majority of Catanzaro’s fans come from the city and its province, but a large portion is represented by supporters residing in municipalities detached from the same province and in the municipalities of Locride.
During its most successful period, that of Serie A between 1970 and 1983, Catanzaro was the team that represented and identified the whole of Calabria, gathering fans from all over the region. There was also a significant following among Calabrian immigrants settled in northern Italy for the away games of the yellow-reds during the aforementioned period when they played in the top league. The Catanzaro fanbase is often considered one of the best in Italy in relation to the city’s population, which constitutes a smaller catchment area compared to the larger football cities in Italy.
The organized fanbase embodies the values and idealism of popular football. Since the nineties, it has been characterized by an English-style fan culture, with extensive use of banners and two poles, also encouraged by the aesthetics of the stands of the Nicola Ceravolo Stadium – characterized at the time by bare concrete and barriers – reminiscent of the appearance of English stadium terraces prior to the restrictive measures adopted following the Taylor Report. The ultras movement arrived in Catanzaro in 1973, with the birth of the historic group “Ultras Catanzaro 1973”, also known by the acronym UC ’73. The group, which over the years has earned respect from many fanbases, is one of the longest-standing in the national ultras scene.
In 1984, one of Italy’s first female ultras groups was born, the Commando Girl. At that time, the main groups in the terrace were the Wild Eagles and the Brigate Catanzaro.
In September 1989, the Tipsy Group was founded in the Pontepiccolo neighborhood of the city, a group that soon became the armed wing of the terrace.
Over the years, among others, the Ultras Catanzaro 1973 and their numerous sections scattered throughout the Center North – including those in Rome, Brescia, Florence, Perugia, Pisa, and Pero (MI) – have been joined by the Wild Eagles, the SAG (Yellow-Red Action Squads), the Generazione, the Avulsi, the Tipsy Group, whose motto was “we drink your beer, we fuck your womens”, the Incoscienti, the Exalters, the Brigata, the Gruppo Stadio, the Maestri Tessitori, the Mods Rule, the West Gate Soccer Fan, and the Teski.
In the world of Catanzaro fan culture, there have also been many clubs of moderate, apolitical, and non-ultras fanbases. Among the main ones are remembered the Club A. Banelli, named after the captain of the seventies, the Club M. Palanca, named after the most representative player in the club’s history, the Catanzaro Club 79, the Club Centro Storico 1911, and the Club Torrini, dedicated to Pietro Torrini, who prematurely passed away in a game clash while wearing the Calabrian team’s shirt, the “Catanzaro Club Carlo La Forza,” named after a great fan who passed away prematurely and gained nationwide attention for his gesture of wanting to renew his subscription shortly before dying to let his young son know how much he loved Catanzaro.
On October 18, 2013, on the occasion of the home match against Ascoli, the Ultras Catanzaro 1973 welcomed the team with an impressive choreography to celebrate the group’s 40 years of activity. The yellow-red fanbase was placed by the French specialized website lagrinta.fr in the eighth position among the ten most beautiful fanbases of the weekend.
During the 2014-2015 season, through a survey conducted on Sportube.tv, which hosts Lega Pro Channel, the Curva Ovest Massimo Capraro reached the final for the title of the most beautiful curve in Lega Pro against those of Salernitana and Lecce.
As of 2023, the groups that make up the organized fanbase are the Ultras Catanzaro 1973, the Volti Noti, and the Tipsy Group, supported by the Fieramente Catanzaresi, Borgia Clan, Siano Ultras, West Gate Soccer Casuals, Cani Sciolti, Soliti Ignoti, Mater Domini, GCDS, Warriors Catanzaro.
The fans of Catanzaro maintain a twinning with the Fiorentina Fanbase, born on the occasion of the Coppa Italia final in 1965-1966 and strengthened in the early eighties, immediately after Fiorentina’s second place in the 1981-82 season; Catanzaro hosted Juventus in the decisive match for the assignment of the league title and the reception of the Calabrian fans to the team and the Juventus supporters was poor. This accentuated the bond with the Fiorentina fans. Moreover, at that time, many Calabrians, who attended the University of Florence, sympathized with the Viola team and often went to the stadium to support them.
However, it is inconsistent to attribute the beginning of the twinning to 1966, as at that time there were no organized groups between the fanbases of the two teams.
A long-standing twinning is with the Barletta fanbase. It was born on May 31, 1987. At the Cosimo Puttilli Stadium in the Apulian city, the locals faced the Calabrians. On that occasion, Catanzaro gained promotion to Serie B, subsequently also achieved by Barletta. Since then, during the matches between the two teams, there have been mutual chants of respect and warm welcome exchanged between the two fanbases.
At the end of the return match valid for the Lega Pro Prima Divisione 2013-2014 championship, played in Barletta and won widely by the guests, the local fanbase ignored the white-red players and called the Calabrians under their curve.
Another long-standing friendship connects the Calabrian fanbase with the Lombards of Brescia. Dating back to the eighties, over the years, due to the lack of opportunities for the two fanbases to meet, it has slightly weakened. In October 2013, following the celebrations for the 40 years of Ultras Catanzaro 1973, the Brescia north curve displayed a banner with the inscription “40 years of honorable career… Brescia greets the ‘warrior’ Catanzaro!”, in the home game played against Cittadella.
The friendship with Nocerina fans has its roots in a playoff dated June 18, 1978, played in Catanzaro between the Campania team and Catania. On that occasion, the yellow-red ultras decided to stand alongside the “molossi”, clearly outnumbered compared to the Etna team. Following the victory on Nocerina’s field, there were harsh clashes outside the stadium, with many Nocerina fans finding shelter and welcome in the houses of Catanzaro residents.
Other notable friendships exist with the Sardinian fans of Olbia, with the Siracusa fanbase, and with the co-regionalists of Reggina, currently turned into conflict. There was a twinning with the Amaranto fanbase, dating back to the eighties, which peaked in the early nineties, characterized by numerous reciprocal visits. Following the dissolution of the Reggina ultras groups “Warriors” and “Fighters”, relations deteriorated, leading to a true rivalry in August 2017, during the Coppa Italia match moments of tension were recorded outside the stadium in Reggio Calabria, an event that marked a real rivalry between the two fanbases. The cities of Catanzaro and Reggio Calabria have historically been rivals due to the dispute for the regional capital, which occurred in 1970, and culminated in the Reggio Riots. This contributes to making the relationships even more bitter. After the events described above, personal friendships remain between representatives of the Ultras Catanzaro and those of the “CUCN”, the main organized group of the Reggina fanbase.
Still within regional boundaries, good relations with the Vibonese fanbase are worth noting. The friendship in question goes beyond the football sphere, facilitated by the fact that the city of Vibo Valentia was part of the Province of Catanzaro until 1992. Not surprisingly, the encounters between the two teams are called the “Friendship Derby.” The matches played at the Luigi Razza Stadium have always been sold out thanks to the massive presence of Catanzaro supporters traveling away, warmly welcomed by their “cousins” from Vibo Valentia.
During the Lega Pro Prima Divisione 2012-2013 championship, a friendship was formed with the Austrian supporters of Austria Salzburg. The Viola ultras have maintained a twinning relationship since 2000 with the ultras of Barletta, who are in turn twinned with those of Catanzaro, and have always expressed their intention to get to know the Ultras Catanzaro. On the occasion of the last match of the championship in question, a delegation of ultras belonging to the group “TGS – Tough Guys Salzburg 1992” traveled to the capital of Calabria to attend, as guests in the Massimo Capraro curve, the match against Avellino. Also abroad, there is a friendship with the “Frente Atletico de Madrid 1982,” the main organized group of Atlético Madrid fans, dating back to the early 2000s and characterized by sporadic reciprocal visits.
There was an old friendship with the Juve Stabia fanbase dating back to the eighties and nineties. Furthermore, there was a twinning with the Sampdoria fanbase, characterized until the first half of the 2000s by reciprocal visits. Friendships between the two fanbases still exist.
Additionally, there are friendships with the Potenza, Sporting Lisbon, and Locri fanbases; and mutual respect with Pescara, Avellino, and Feralpisalò.
Historical rivals of the Catanzaro fanbase are the “cousins” from Cosenza. In the 1980s and 1990s, during the matches between Catanzaro and Cosenza, real battles were recorded in both Calabrian cities. After years of missed encounters due to the different leagues in which the teams played, in recent years, both the yellow-red and red-blue teams compete in the Serie C championship, and moments of tension are recorded during the matches. The famous playful gesture of the Catanzaro ultras, who were banned from traveling to the city of Cosenza, occurred in 2008. On that occasion, Catanzaro fans flew over the “San Vito” municipal stadium in Cosenza with hang gliders, displaying and launching a banner onto the field with the inscription “the eagles always overshadow you”.
Still within regional boundaries, relationships with the Reggina fanbase have recently become tense and definitively broken.
There is still a lot of rivalry with Crotone and Vigor Lamezia.
Another intense rivalry is with the ultras of Catania, which began when, in the Serie C 1977-78 championship, the Catanzaro fans hosted Nocerina at the Ceravolo Stadium for the playoff with Catania, valid for promotion to Serie B.
There are also strong rivalries with fans from Andria, Acea, Messina, Casarano, Taranto, Brindisi, Verona, Perugia, Pisa, Venice, and Modena.