 Years were spent in the shadows of Italian football until more recently when the league was won in the 2002–03 season.Consolidation in Serie C1 followed, later becoming Lega Pro Prima Divisione, until the
historic promotion of the 2009–10 season where the club returned to Serie B after 33 years.On 12 June 2011, Novara remarkably secured its promotion to Serie A after a 55-year absence from the league, by defeating Padova in the play-off final.