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Foundation and first tournaments (1912–1927)

Monza's first lineup in 1912

Monza Foot-Ball Club was founded on 1 September 1912<1> in the Cappello Vecchio trattoria,<2> following the merger of the Monza-based clubs Pro Italia and Pro Monza.<3> The new club established their first headquarters in the Roma coffeehouse located on the similarly named town square in Monza;<1> the team initially wore a blue and white kit.<3> Monza's first recorded game was against a team from Milan,<4> while their first win came on 20 September 1912 when they beat Juventus Italia <it> 2–1 in Triante.<5> The club won their first trophy, the Coppa Colli, in early 1913 after beating Saronno <it> 3–2 in the final.<6>

In November 1913, Monza F.B.C. merged with Juventus F.B.C. (a group of athletes formerly part of the Forti e Liberi <it> sports club)<7> to form Associazione Calcio Monza.<8> Monza first participated in the Terza Categoria (third level) in the 1913–14 season <it>; they played their first match on 4 January 1914,<9> losing 3–1 at home against Fanfulla.<10> The following season <it>, Monza took part in the Promozione (second level),<11> finishing fourth in their group of six.<12> Despite the outbreak of World War I, when conscription forced teams to send their adult players to war, Monza were able to continue their sporting activity with young players.<13>

Between 1915 and 1918, the war interrupted official tournaments.<14> Upon the resumption of football in 1919,<14> Monza took part in the 1919–20 Promozione <it> (second level).<15> Having finished first in their group,<16> Monza played the promotion finals against Trevigliese <it>, losing 2–1.<17> The Italian Football Federation, however, decided to promote Monza via repechage,<17> and the team were allocated to the Prima Categoria, the top tier of Italian football.<18> In 1919, Monza hosted the Czechoslovakia military national team<19> for a friendly game at Grazie Vecchie field that ended in a 1–1 draw.<20>

Monza were grouped with Milan, Cremonese and Pro Patria in their qualifying group for the Prima Categoria.<20> Their first game was played on 24 October 1920, a 4–1 home defeat to Milan; Francesco Mandelli scored Monza's lone goal.<21> They finished the 1920–21 season with no points and in last place in their group.<22> The following season, Monza finished second in their group, missing out on the final stage by one position.<23> Due to a restructuring of the league system, Monza were moved to the Seconda Divisione (second level) for the 1922–23 season;<24> they avoided relegation by beating Chiasso and Canottieri Lecco in the play-offs.<25> In 1926–27, after beating Ponziana 3–2 in the final, Monza were declared champions of the Seconda Divisione Lega Nord (third level) and were promoted to the Prima Divisione (second level).<26>