Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, the history

Between the end of 1904 and the beginning of 1905, the Naples Football Club was born, the first football club founded in Naples. Its colours, from the very start, were sky blue and sea blue.

by Alessia Giannino

Between the end of 1904 and the beginning of 1905, the Naples Football Club was born, the first football club founded in Naples. Its colours, from the very start, were sky blue and sea blue. The first president was the engineer Amedeo Salsi, joined by Poths, Mister Bayon and the amateur footballers Conforti and Catterina.

Mister Poths, who had moved to Naples in 1903, worked for the Cunard Line, a commercial shipping company that had offices at the port and had brought with it many English habits, including a passion for football, which had been played in England since 1847. In Naples there already existed the aristocratic Open Air club, founded by the Marquis Ruffo, the Costa brothers, Verusio, D'Andria, the Panagia brothers, Alfonso Parise and Alfredo Reiclin.

From Naples Football Club to Associazione Calcio Napoli

The first international football match was played against the crew of the ship Arabik. In 1913, Naples won its first Campania tournament with a line-up made up of Cavalli, Del Pezzo, Garozzo, Paduli I, Hansen, Grieco, Argento, Paduli III, Toerstenson, Dodero and Imerigo. After the First World War, thanks to the passion of people like Garozzo, Naples took up playing again, and it's worth remembering the 3-1 win in Rome against Juventus.

In 1921 the team merged with Internazionale, giving rise to Internaples, from which the Associazione Calcio Napoli was later born, coming into being on the first of August 1926. The founding act, written, reread and formalised over wine at the owners' D'Angelo restaurant, changed not only the name from Internaples but also its legal status from a Limited Liability Company to a Joint-Stock Company, in line with the new federal rules.

The early years

The first President was Giorgio Ascarelli, the second the Honourable Giovanni Maresca di Serracapriola, and the third Gustavo Zinzaro. In 1936, the commander Achille Lauro, one of the greatest Italian entrepreneurs, joined the club and, for four years, he was the President of Napoli. From here on, a whole series of figures who made history followed one another. Certainly, one of the most flourishing periods for Napoli was when, in 1969, the engineer Corrado Ferlaino was elected president. With him began an era of truly special moments: in 1970/71 and in 1973/74 the team narrowly missed out on the league title; the following year, in 1976, it won the second Coppa Italia (the first had been won in 1962) and the Anglo-Italian League Cup. In 1975, in fact, Ferlaino had bought, for the sum of 2 billion lire, Beppe Savoldi, who marked an era, driving the blues on to victory.

From the 1980s to bankruptcy

The 1980s opened with another masterstroke by Ferlaino who, together with Antonio Juliano, signed Ruud Krol. That year Napoli again came close to the league title, but before long things would change with Diego Armando Maradona. Juliano signed him from Barcelona and brought in two great managers: Italo Allodi and Pier Paolo Marino. With Maradona, Napoli lived through its happiest period: it won its first Scudetto (league title) and the third Coppa Italia in 1986/87; the following year came the UEFA Cup; in 1989/1990 it won the second Scudetto, and in 1990/91 the Supercoppa against Juventus.

In 1993 Ferlaino left the scene, giving up the majority of shares only the following year. From here came the bankruptcy, which led, in 1997, to Napoli's relegation to Serie B.

Napoli return to Serie A and the era of Sarrismo begins

Only in 2000 did the team return to Serie A, under the guidance of Walter Novellino, but it did not stay there for long. In the two years 2002-2004, despite a series of managerial changes, Napoli went back down to Serie B.

After Ferlaino, the Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli was full of debts, so much so that, in 2004, it was declared bankrupt with a debt of 79 million euros. Registration for the Serie B Championship was impossible, and so the team was forced to start again from Serie C1. The spotlight and attention were on Napoli, until the arrival of the film producer Aurelio de Laurentiis, who, even back in Ferlaino's time, had offered an unexpected sum to buy the club. De Laurentiis paid 30 million euros into court and founded Napoli Soccer, presenting the project and entrusting it to Pier Paolo Marino.

Napoli returned. First championship, Play-Off final against Avellino, promotion narrowly missed at the first attempt. Won at the second, with a squad that would have deserved a far bigger stage. From Serie C to Serie A in just a few years.

On 10 June 2007 Napoli returned to Serie A, bringing enthusiasm back to Neapolitan fans. It was time for the club's rebirth. Lavezzi and Hamsik arrived. Roberto Donadoni became the coach, taking the team close to the European dream. In 2010/2011 the team won back the Europa League place. The following year it won the Coppa Italia, beating Juventus 2-0 at the Olimpico. Paolo Cannavaro lifted that trophy, which had been missing for 25 years.

Then Rafa Benitez arrived in Naples, with whom the fifth Coppa Italia was won. Benitez prepared Napoli for the Era of Sarrismo: indeed, since 11 June 2015, it has been Sarri coaching the Neapolitan team, continuing to deliver excitement.
Napoli, champions of Italy! The 2022-2023 Scudetto is blue! 33 years after the last title, and after a thrilling run through Serie A, Spalletti's men claimed the club's third Scudetto in its history with five matches to spare: the last one had come with Diego Armando Maradona in 1990, the first in 1987.