Zebre Parma

Originally founded in 1973 as an invitational club reserved for the best players in the Italian league and the best foreign players in the European championships by Renato Tullio Ferrari -first president- assisted by then national team captain Marco Bollesan, Zebre played its competitive activities especially in Northwestern Italy. In 23 years, 25 matches were organized against prestigious international clubs with a high number of victories. Memorable was the victory against the Barbarians in Brescia while the last match played by the Zebras in the form of an invitational club was in 1996.

On June 7, 2012, the Italian Rugby Federation assumed ownership of the name "Zebre" for the new federally run franchise based in Parma that took part in the Celtic Championship and European Cups against top teams from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Italy, and from 2017 South Africa as well.

In the summer of 2014, on the eve of the third Guinness PRO12 season, the suffix "Rugby" was added next to the name Zebre.

From 2015 to 2017, Zebre Rugby experienced two seasons of competitive and corporate activity under the direction of a pool of private individuals with the support of the Italian Rugby Federation. In the 2015/16 season, the white-blacks achieved 8 victories by qualifying for the 2016/17 EPCR Champions Cup, Europe's most prestigious club cup.

In the summer of 2017, the management of the franchise returned totally under the Italian Rugby Federation, which formed the new club Zebre Rugby Club that participated in the Guinness PRO14 -in the new format with the introduction of two South African teams- and the EPCR Challenge Cup. Zebre introduced their new multicolor zebra color scheme in order to represent the colors of all clubs in the Italian movement in Europe and South Africa.

The 2017/18 season is along with the 2015/16 season the most victorious in the club's history, with 8 overall wins between the Celtic Championship and Challenge Cup, including 7 in the Guinness PRO14 (a Zebre Rugby record).

In June 2021, the Guinness PRO14 announced the new formula and name for the coming seasons. Starting with the 2021/22 season, the Celtic Championship has given way to the newly created United Rugby Championship (abbreviated "URC"), the prestigious international tournament that embraces the top 16 teams from Italy, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and South Africa.

Same story, new name: The United Rugby Championship is a fast-growing tournament in terms of commercial opportunities and media exposure. The URC effectively inherits the tradition of the Celtic Championship in which Zebre have participated since 2012, raising the level of spectacle and competitiveness of the then Guinness PRO14 to an even higher standard.

On September 29, 2021, Zebre mourned the passing of Leonardo Mussini, head of communications and marketing for the federal franchise. Leonardo was the soul and driving force behind Zebre since their founding back in 2012 and, during his nine years at the club, he helped create and develop the club's image and identity, promoting its many sporting and non-sporting activities, as well as its ties and roots with the Parma area. His figure will always be remembered with love and esteem by the many friends, colleagues and rugby fans who had the pleasure of knowing him directly or indirectly.