  We present a sample of 171 candidate groups and clusters of galaxies at
intermediate redshift over an area of ~550 square degrees at the South Galactic
Pole selected by using optically identified radio sources from the NRAO VLA Sky
Survey as tracers of dense environment. Out of these 171 candidates, 76 have a
counterpart in the literature while 95 of them are previously unknown clusters.
This paper presents the cluster selection technique, based on the search of
excesses in the optical surface density of galaxies near identified
radiogalaxies, and the first spectroscopic results aimed to confirm the
presence of a cluster. Spectroscopy for 11 candidates led to the detection of 9
clusters at redshift in the range 0.13 - 0.3, with estimated velocity
dispersions ranging from values typical of clusters to those of galaxy groups.
These results show that this technique represents a powerful tool for the
selection of homogeneous samples of intermediate redshift clusters over a wide
range of richness.
