Empoli FCEmpoli FC was founded in August 1920 through the merger of two local sides, Foot Ball Club Empoli and the football section of Unione Sportiva Empoli. The Tuscan club belongs to a select group of Italian teams not representing a provincial capital that have nonetheless carved out a lasting place in Serie A history.
One of the most moving chapters in the club's history concerns Carlo Castellani, the team's star player in the 1920s, whose goals in the 1928-29 season secured Empoli's first ever promotion to the top division. Castellani, suspected by fascist authorities of involvement in the Resistance, was deported to the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, from which he never returned. The club's stadium, opened in 1965, was named in his honour.
A turning point in the club's modern history came in the early 1990s, when Empoli entrusted the team to a young coach, Luciano Spalletti, in his first significant managerial role. Under his guidance, the side rose from Serie C1 to Serie A in two consecutive seasons — a feat that launched Spalletti's career as one of Italy's most respected coaches. The club's best-ever league finish came in the 2006-07 season, when Empoli placed seventh in the table, securing its only appearance in European competition, in the qualifying rounds of the 2007-08 UEFA Cup.
For decades, Empoli has enjoyed a reputation as one of Italy's finest youth academies, producing players such as Claudio Marchisio and Sebastian Giovinco. The team, nicknamed Azzurri Empolesi, plays its home matches at the Stadio Carlo Castellani, a venue with a capacity of more than 16,000 that stands as a lasting tribute to one of the most significant figures in the club's history.