Empoli FC facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Empoli

Full name	Empoli Football Club S.p.A.
Nickname(s)	Azzurri Empolesi (Empoli Blues)
Founded	1920; 105 years ago (1920)
Ground	Stadio Carlo Castellani
Ground Capacity	16,284
Owner	Fabrizio Corsi
Chairman	Fabrizio Corsi
Head coach	Guido Pagliuca
League	Serie B
2018–19	Serie A, 18th of 20 (relegated)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Empoli Football Club is a professional football team from Empoli, Tuscany, Italy. It was started in 1920. This club is special because it's one of the few Italian teams not from a big city that has played in Serie A, Italy's top football league.

Empoli has spent most of its time playing in professional football leagues. The team even played in a European competition once, the 2007–08 UEFA Cup, but was knocked out early.

History

Empoli's journey through Italian football leagues since 1929.

Early Years: 1920s to 1970s

In August 1920, two football groups in Empoli, Foot Ball Club Empoli and Unione Sportiva Empoli, were formed. They soon joined together to create one club. The new club officially joined the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in September 1921.

They started playing in a lower league called Terza Categoria. In the 1922–23 season, Empoli did well, finishing second in their group. This helped them move up in the football system.

From 1923 to 1926, Empoli continued to play in the third division of Tuscany. In the 1926–27 season, they won their group and moved up to the Second Division, which was the third highest league in Italy at that time.

The club played in the Prima Divisione, later known as Serie C, until the 1935–36 season. They had to stop playing for a while because many players were called to serve in the military. Empoli started playing again the next season as OND Empoli. They won their group and returned to Serie C.

During World War II, the club changed its name a few times. After the war, it became Empoli Foot Ball Club again. They were then allowed to play in Serie B, the second highest league, after finishing third in the 1945–46 season. Empoli played in Serie B for four years, even finishing third in 1946–47.

However, Empoli was relegated to Serie C at the end of the 1949–50 season. They stayed in Serie C for six seasons. In 1955, the club sold many players, and by the end of the 1955–56 season, they were relegated to Serie D.

After three seasons in Serie D, Empoli almost dropped to a regional league in 1959–60. But they managed to avoid it with a crucial win. In 1960–61, Empoli returned to the third league, but only for one season before being relegated again.

The club returned to Serie C on 9 June 1963 after winning a play-off game. Empoli then stayed in the third tier of Italian football, which was called Serie C1, for 20 years until the 1982–83 season.

Rise to Serie A: 1980s and 1990s

In 1986, Empoli, a team from a small town, was promoted to Serie A, Italy's top league! They played their first few home games in Florence. Their first Serie A game was a 1–0 win against Internazionale. They managed to stay in Serie A that season, partly because another team, Udinese, had points taken away.

The next season, Empoli faced a five-point penalty themselves. They were relegated despite playing better. They dropped to Serie C1 in 1989.

The club spent several seasons in Serie C1. Then, they returned to Serie B in 1996. The very next year, in 1997, they earned another promotion, this time back to Serie A! With Luciano Spalletti as their coach, Empoli surprised many by finishing 12th and avoiding relegation.

They were relegated again the following year. Empoli then spent three years in Serie B. During this time, the club became known for finding and developing talented young players.

European Dreams and Challenges: 2000s

Empoli was promoted to Serie A again in 2002 and 2005. They became known as a team that fought hard to avoid relegation. In the 2005–06 season, they finished tenth in the top league.

Because of a match-fixing scandal in Serie A that year, Empoli qualified for the UEFA Cup for the next season. However, they did not play because the club did not apply for a special UEFA license in time. In the 2006–07 season, they qualified for the UEFA Cup again.

To prepare for European football, the team signed many young players. Empoli played their first UEFA Cup match against Zürich. They lost 4–2 over two games and were knocked out.

After a tough start to the season, the chairman, Fabrizio Corsi, changed coaches. But the team's luck did not improve. Empoli was relegated in the last game of the season.

Ups and Downs: Serie B and Serie A

Empoli continued to have changes in coaches. In the 2011–12 season, they barely stayed in Serie B. They finished 18th and had to play a relegation play-off against Vicenza. After a goalless first game, Vicenza was leading 2–0 in the second game with only 30 minutes left. But Empoli scored two quick goals to tie it, and then Massimo Maccarone scored a winning goal in injury time, making it 3–2!

The 2012–13 season was much better, with Empoli finishing fourth. However, they lost the promotion play-off final to Livorno. The club finally earned promotion back to Serie A the next season, finishing second to Palermo.

They stayed in the top league for two seasons, finishing 15th in 2014–15 and 10th in 2015–16. In the 2016–17 Serie A season, Empoli was just one point above the relegation zone on the final day. They were relegated to Serie B after failing to beat Palermo, while Crotone won their game.

After winning 2017–18 Serie B, Empoli quickly returned to Serie A. They won the Serie B title on 28 April 2018, with four games left. On the last day of the 2018–19 Serie A season, Empoli was again just above the relegation zone. They were relegated to Serie B after losing to Internazionale, while Genoa drew their match. Both teams had the same points, but Genoa had a slightly better goal difference.

However, Empoli finished first in the 2020–21 Serie B season, winning their third Serie B title. This brought them back to Serie A after two seasons. In the 2023–24 season, Empoli secured their place in Serie A for another year. They won 2–1 against Roma with a goal in stoppage time on the final matchday.

Players

Current squad

No. Position Player 2 DF Saba Goglichidze 3 DF Giuseppe Pezzella 5 MF Alberto Grassi (captain) 11 FW Emmanuel Gyasi 12 GK Jacopo Seghetti 13 DF Liberato Cacace 24 DF Tyronne Ebuehi 31 DF Lorenzo Tosto 32 MF Nicolas Haas 90 FW Ismael Konate 98 GK Federico Brancolini GK Lovro Štubljar

No. Position Player DF Gabriele Guarino MF Luca Belardinelli MF Duccio Degli Innocenti MF Rareș Ilie (on loan from Nice) MF Iwo Kaczmarski MF Edoardo Saporiti MF Andrea Sodero FW Thomas Campaniello FW Herculano Nabian FW Bohdan Popov FW Stiven Shpendi

Out on loan

No. Position Player DF Michele Tempre (at Pontedera until 30 June 2026)

No. Position Player MF Tino Anjorin (at Torino until 30 June 2026)

Youth sector

Coaching staff

This table shows the coaching staff for Empoli as of 2 July 2024.

Position	Name
Head coach	Roberto D'Aversa
Assistant coach	Salvatore Sullo
Technical collaborator	Stefano Bianconi Marco Piccioni
Goalkeeper coach	Luigi Turci Matteo Fantozzi
Fitness coach	Danilo Massi Rocco Perrotta Riccardo Ragnacci Andrea Vieri
Rehab coach	Diego Chiesi
Match analyst	Giampiero Pavone
Head of medical staff	Luca Gatteschi
Club doctor	Jacopo Giuliattini Giuseppe Anania
Physiotherapist	Mirco Baldini Francesco Brandinelli Francesco Marino Claudio Patti
Nutritionist	Marta Pieraccioli
Podiatrist	Daniele Palla
Kit manager	Luca Batini Sauro Spera

Notable former players

Here are some famous players who have played for Empoli. Many of them have played for their national teams or made over 100 appearances for Empoli.

• See also: Category:Empoli FC players

List of coaches

This is a list of all the coaches who have managed Empoli since 1920.

Continental appearances

Empoli has played in the UEFA Cup, a European football competition, once.

UEFA Cup

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2007–08	First round	Zürich	2–1	0–3	2–4

Honours

Empoli Football Club has won several titles:

• Serie B (Italy's second division)
  • Winners: 2004–05, 2017–18, 2020–21
• Serie C1 (Italy's third division)
  • Winners: 1928–29, 1982–83
• Coppa Italia Serie C (A cup competition for Serie C teams)
  • Winners: 1995–96

See also

In Spanish: Empoli Football Club para niños