Crotone promoted to Serie A for first time in club's history

FC Crotone, a club from Italy's poorest town, is giving Crotone, Italy something to cheer about.

On Friday, Crotone secured promotion to Serie A for the first time in its history by virtue of a 1-1 draw at Modena that was played in front of around 12,000 travelling supporters. The result ensured that the Pitagorici can finish no lower than second in Serie B and put the club seven points clear of second-place Cagliari Calcio.

Crotone's achievement comes one year after the Pitagorici narrowly avoided relegation from Serie B, finishing one point above the relegation play-offs. Making its turnaround all the more remarkable, however, is that the town of Crotone is suffering from the highest unemployment rate in Italy, while the club was re-founded in the eighth division of Italian football in 1991 because of bankruptcy.

Michael Yokhin of ESPN FC elaborates:

Located in Calabria, on the sole of the Italian boot, Crotone is the poorest town even by southern Italy standards. It has been mismanaged for decades, and the unemployment rate is the highest in the country, incredibly estimated at 31 percent in 2015. Young people have no future, heading north as soon as they can. They can't even go by train because the station has been closed, while the main highway is so bad that it is called "the road of death."

Crotone's accomplishment continues the trend of clubs achieving promotion to Serie A for the first time. Last year, Carpi FC 1909 and Frosinone Calcio both reached the top division of Italian football for the first time, the former is set to survive its inaugural campaign in the promised land while the latter is set for a return to Serie B.

Among Crotone's most notable former players is Angelo Ogbonna of West Ham United, who was quick to express his happiness at seeing the Pitagorici punch its ticket to Serie A.