The club's promotion to the "Prima Categoria" came only two years later. At this point, it was no longer possible to remain competitive by fielding a team composed solely of local talent, and although they were still not a professional team, Gravina "hired in" players from out of town to work at local jobs and thus be available to play for the team. In this way, the team quickly moved up the ranks, and by 1989 it had reached the professional ranks of Serie C2.