Empoli FC facts for kids
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| Full name | Empoli Football Club S.p.A. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Azzurri Empolesi (Empoli Blues) | |||
| Founded | 1920 | |||
| Ground | Stadio Carlo Castellani | |||
| Capacity | 16,284 | |||
| Owner | Fabrizio Corsi | |||
| Chairman | Francesco Ghelfi | |||
| Head coach | Roberto D'Aversa | |||
| League | Serie B | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie A, 18th of 20 (relegated) | |||
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Empoli Football Club is an Italian professional football team. It is based in Empoli, a town in the Tuscany region. The club was started in 1920. Empoli is special because it's one of the few Italian football clubs not from a big city that has played in Serie A. Serie A is 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 they were knocked out early.
Contents
Empoli's Football Journey
How Empoli Started: The Early Years
In August 1920, two football groups were formed in Empoli: Foot Ball Club Empoli and Unione Sportiva Empoli. After playing in a local tournament, they decided to join forces. The new club officially joined the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in September 1921.
They started playing in the lower leagues, like the Terza Categoria. In the 1922–23 season, they did well, finishing second in their group. By 1926–27, Empoli won their group and moved up to the Second Division, which was the third-highest league back then. They even reached the Prima Divisione (another top league) in 1928–29.
Empoli continued to play in these leagues, which later became known as Serie C. However, in 1935–36, they had to stop playing for a bit because many of their players were called to serve in the military. They started again the next season. After World War II, the club changed its name back to Empoli Foot Ball Club. They were then allowed to join Serie B, Italy's second-highest league, in 1945–46. They played in Serie B for four seasons, even finishing third in 1946–47!
Moving Up and Down: The 1980s and 1990s
A big moment for Empoli came in 1986 when they were promoted to Serie A for the first time! This was a huge achievement for a small-town club. They even won their first Serie A game 1–0 against a famous team, Internazionale. They managed to stay in Serie A that season, partly because another team, Udinese, had points taken away.
However, the next season, Empoli faced their own five-point penalty and were relegated back to Serie B. They then dropped to Serie C1 in 1989. The club spent several years in Serie C1 before making a comeback. They returned to Serie B in 1996 and then got promoted to Serie A again in 1997! With coach Luciano Spalletti, Empoli surprised everyone by finishing 12th and avoiding relegation. They were known for finding and developing great young players.
European Dreams and League Battles: The 2000s and Beyond
Empoli continued to be a team that fought hard against relegation. They finished tenth in Serie A in the 2005–06 season. Because of a big match-fixing scandal that year, they even qualified for the UEFA Cup (a European competition) for the next season! However, they couldn't play because the club didn't apply for the special license needed.
In the 2006–07 season, they qualified for the UEFA Cup again and this time they played! They faced FC Zürich but lost 4–2 over two games. After this, the team struggled in the league and were relegated again in 2008.
Since then, Empoli has often moved between Serie B and Serie A. They are known for their fighting spirit. In the 2011–12 season, they almost got relegated to a lower league, but a dramatic comeback in a play-off game saved them. They scored two goals in two minutes and then a winning goal in injury time to win 3–2!
They earned promotion back to Serie A in 2014 and stayed there for two seasons. They were relegated again in 2017 but quickly won Serie B in 2018 to return to Serie A. They were relegated once more in 2019 but again won Serie B in 2021 to come back to the top league. In the 2023–24 season, Empoli secured their place in Serie A on the very last day with a late winning goal against Roma.
Empoli Players
Current Squad
Here are the players currently on the Empoli team:
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Primavera (Youth Team)
Empoli also has a youth team called Primavera, where young players develop their skills.
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Players on Loan
Some Empoli players are currently playing for other teams to gain more experience.
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Coaching Team
The current head coach for Empoli is Roberto D'Aversa. He leads the team along with his assistant coach, Salvatore Sullo, and other staff members who help with training, fitness, and medical care for the players.
Famous Former Players
Many talented players have played for Empoli over the years. Some have even played for their national teams or made over 100 appearances for Empoli!
Etrit Berisha- Ardian Ismajli
- Stiven Shpendi
- Kristjan Asllani
- Elseid Hysaj
- Nedim Bajrami
- Frédéric Veseli
Mark Bresciano- Vince Grella
Emílson Cribari
Jorge Vargas
Igor Budan
Ignazio Abate- Daniele Adani
- Stefano Bianconi
- Marco Borriello
- Raoul Bortoletto
- Luca Bucci
- Antonio Buscè
- Andrea Coda
- Dario Dainelli (youth)
- Antonio Di Natale
- Éder
- Sebastian Giovinco
- Massimo Maccarone
- Claudio Marchisio
- Vincenzo Montella
- Alessandro Pane
- Andrea Raggi
- Tommaso Rocchi
- Luca Saudati
- Luciano Spalletti
- Francesco Tavano
- Luca Toni
- Ighli Vannucchi
Piotr Zieliński
Samuel Mráz
Zlatko Dedić
Johnny Ekström
Marcelo Zalayeta
- See also: Category:Empoli FC players
More About Empoli
In Spanish: Empoli Football Club para niños
Empoli's Coaches Over Time
Many coaches have led Empoli since 1920. Here are some of them:
Antonio Vojak (1937–39)- Enrico Colombari (1939–40)
- Sergio Cervato (1968–70)
- Sergio Castelletti (1971–72)
- Renzo Ulivieri (1972–76)
- Bruno Giorgi (1976–77)
- Vincenzo Guerini (1983–85)
- Luigi Simoni (1988–89)
- Vincenzo Montefusco (1989–91)
- Francesco Guidolin (1991–92)
- Adriano Lombardi (1993–94)
- Luciano Spalletti (1995–98)
- Luigi Delneri (1998)
- Mauro Sandreani (1998–99)
- Corrado Orrico (1998–99)
- Elio Gustinetti (1999–2000)
- Silvio Baldini (2000–03)
- Mario Somma (2004–06)
- Luigi Cagni (2006–07)
- Alberto Malesani (2007–08)
- Luigi Cagni (2008)
- Silvio Baldini (2008–09)
- Salvatore Campilongo (2009–10)
- Alfredo Aglietti (2010–11)
- Giuseppe Pillon (2011)
- Guido Carboni (2011–12)
- Alfredo Aglietti (2012)
- Maurizio Sarri (2012–15)
- Marco Giampaolo (2015–16)
- Giovanni Martusciello (2016–17)
- Vincenzo Vivarini (2017)
- Aurelio Andreazzoli (2017–18)
- Giuseppe Iachini (2018–19)
- Aurelio Andreazzoli (2019)
- Cristian Bucchi (2019)
- Roberto Muzzi (2019–20)
- Alessio Dionisi (2020–21)
- Aurelio Andreazzoli (2021–22)
- Paolo Zanetti (2022–23)
- Aurelio Andreazzoli (2023–24)
- Davide Nicola (2024)
- Roberto D'Aversa (2024–present)
Empoli in the UEFA Cup
Empoli played in the UEFA Cup once. Here's how they did:
| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | First round |  Zürich |
2–1 | 0–3 | 2–4 |
Empoli's Trophies
Empoli has won several titles in different leagues:
