After five years, ErmGroup Altotevere and head coach Marco Bartolini are parting ways. The 52-year-old coach from Città di Castello will no longer lead the team, which will face Credem Banca in the Serie A3 championship again next season. There’s nothing unusual about this decision: it’s simply a “physiological” mechanism that has become normal in the sporting world. Indeed, given the general averages, it can be said that it was undoubtedly a happy and lasting marriage, which began in the summer of 2021, when the white and blue team was still playing in Serie B. They missed out on promotion on the pitch in the final against Stadium Mirandola, then finished ninth in their debut season in Serie A3, fifth place after reaching the first round of the playoffs, fifth place after being defeated in the semifinals, and finally third place after narrowly missing out on the playoff final. Bartolini’s record as ErmGroup’s coach is undoubtedly positive: in 127 league games (26 in Serie B and 101 in Serie A3), including the playoffs, he has achieved 78 wins, 69 of which were in the regular season (22 in Serie B) and suffered 49 defeats, including 8 in the playoffs (4 in Serie B). To these numbers, we must add the two Serie A3 Italian Cup games, both lost, bringing his appearances on the bench to 129 and his defeats to 51. The difference in tie-breaks is negative: 12 wins and 19 losses. With his trademark elegance, the “Barto” maintains a confident smile: “These have been five wonderful years,” he declares, “and I realized that the club needed new motivation, including in terms of technical management, as did I. Therefore, there was careful consideration on both sides, and we agreed that it was best this way. I therefore thank President Elena Gragnoli and CEO Claudio Bigi for giving me the opportunity to work at such a high level, so close to home; I will remain eternally grateful to them: together, we came close to achieving a miracle.”
