History

Venezia Foot Ball Club was founded on December 14, 1907 in Venice through the merger of the football sections of two Venetian sports clubs: the Martial Gymnastics Society and Costantino Reyer. The football club was born at the restaurant "Da Nane in Corte dell'Orso" near Campo San Bortolomio. Among the founders were Davide Fano, the first president, Walter Aemisseger, from Swiss club FC Winterthur, the first coach and captain, Guido Battisti, Antonio Borella, Gerardo Bortoletti, Aldo Federici, Pietro Golzio, Silvio Lorenzetti, Pietro Piccoli, Primo Pitteri, Alessandro Santi, Marcello Santi, Luigi Vianello, Pietro Visintin, and Mario Vivante.

Upon returning to Serie A after a 12-year absence, the Venezia squad was strengthened, with the arrival of players including Luigi Busidoni, Silvio Di Gennaro, Sergio Stefanini, and, most importantly, Valentino Mazzola. Mazzola was in Venice for military service, and after having showcased himself playing with military representatives in Campo dei Bacini, Venezia took him on trial and then bought him from Serie C club Alfa Romeo Milano. In the 1939/40 Serie A season, Venezia finished 10th in the table — highlighted by a win in Venice over eventual champions Ambrosiana Inter — and took a step towards the two most successful seasons in the club's history.

Nel 1940 il Venezia assume come allenatore Giovanni Battista Rebuffo e rafforza ulteriormente la rosa con l'arrivo di Ezio Loik dal Milan, che a Venezia avrebbe fatto coppia con Valentino Mazzola. Pur terminando la stagione 1940/41 al dodicesimo posto, il Venezia vince la Coppa Italia, ad oggi il trofeo più prestigioso conquistato dal club. Il Venezia sconfigge l'MU Borzacchini ai sedicesimi di finale, l'Udinese agli ottavi di finale, il Bologna ai quarti e la S.S. Lazio in semifinale, incontrando poi l'A.S. Roma in finale. Dopo un 3-3 a Roma, il Venezia vince la gara di ritorno allo Stadio Penzo, 1-0, su un gol di Loik.

After winning the Coppa Italia, Venezia would make a run for the Scudetto. In the 1941/42 Serie A season, the Ezio Loik - Valentino Mazzola duo was outstanding, while Francesco Pernigo would score 12 league goals. In a potential title-deciding match towards the end of the season, Venezia hosted Roma at Stadio Penzo and lost, 0-1, after missing a penalty. Roma would go on to win the championship on 42 points, with Torino second on 39 points and Venezia third on 38 points. The third-place finish remains Venezia's best-ever result in Serie A. In the 1941/42 Coppa Italia, Venezia defeated Torino in the Round of 32, Pisa in the Round of 16, and Bologna in the quarterfinals, but would lose to A.C. Milan in the semifinals, 2–1.

In 1960/61, entrepreneur Anacleto Ligabue took over as extraordinary commissioner of the club, and he immediately recalled Carlo Alberto Quario to the bench. It would be a winning move, as Venezia finished top of the Serie B table, and returned to Serie A after an 11-year absence. The promotion-winning team featured the young Venetian Gianni Rossi plus new arrivals Virginio De Paoli, Sergio Frascoli, Gianni Grossi, and striker Luigi Raffin, who scored 17 goals during the year. The triumph was celebrated with a procession of gondolas escorting the Serenissima, a traditional Venetian boat, carrying the players from Stadio Penzo to Piazza San Marco.

On Venezia's return to Serie A in 1961/62, Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata became club president, with Anacleto Ligabue and Enrico Linetti as his deputies. Venezia would put together a respectable campaign, earning wins over Juventus and A.C. Milan and finishing 12th in the table. But the following season, Venezia were again relegated to Serie B. At the end of the season, there would be several departures, including manager Carlo Alberto Quario and striker Gino Raffin, who had scored 39 goals over the previous three seasons. After three seasons in Serie B, Venezia earned promotion to Serie A once again, but would be directly relegated back to Serie B, and would not see the top flight again for more than 30 years.

After relegation from Serie B in 1968, Venezia would languish in the lower divisions into the late 1980s, falling as far as Serie D. In 1986, Friulian businessman Maurizio Zamparini acquired the club, and he would lead a period of revival. On June 26, 1987, Zamparini merged Venezia with mainland club A.C. Mestre, giving birth to the arancioneroverde colors. In 1987/88, Venezia achieved promotion to Serie C1, returning to the third tier for the first time since 1976/77. The team featured players including Andrea Poggi, Giancarlo Filippini, and a young Paolo Poggi, and steadily built towards a return to Serie B. In 1990/91, under manager Alberto Zaccheroni, Venezia earned promotion back to Serie B after a 23-year absence. On June 16, 1991, in a playoff for second place to achieve promotion, Venezia defeated Como, 2–1, with 7,000 fans from Venice and Mestre attending the match in Cesena.

In 1997/98, under manager Walter Novellino, Venezia would finally earn promotion back to Serie A after a 31-year absence. The promotion was clinched at home against Fidelis Andria on June 7, 1998. Going into Serie A, Venezia sporting director Beppe Marotta would strengthen the team, including the signing of striker Filippo Maniero from A.C. Milan. But through the first half of the season, Venezia were bottom of the table, and Maniero hadn't scored a goal. In January, a turning point came with the arrival of young playmaker Álvaro Recoba on loan from Inter Milan. Maniero and Recoba would form a prolific partnership, combining for 23 goals in the second half of the season — Maniero with 12, Recoba with 11 — as they gradually pulled Venezia out of the relegation zone. In the penultimate week of the season, Venezia needed a win against Inter to preserve their Serie A status, and Recoba notched a goal and an assist in a 3–1 win, as Venezia completed their great escape.

In the 1999/00 Serie A season, manager Luciano Spalletti took charge of the team, but it would be a struggle after Recoba's departure. While Venezia would make a run in the Coppa Italia, eliminating Udinese and Fiorentina among others on their way to the semifinals, where they were finally beaten by Lazio, that form would not carry over to the league. Venezia ultimately finished 16th and were relegated back to Serie B. The following season, manager Cesare Prandelli arrived in the lagoon, and he would lead Venezia to an immediate return to Serie A, which was sealed with a win at Ravenna on June 3, 2001. But it wouldn't last, as Venezia struggled in the top flight in 2001/02 and would see its second relegation to Serie B in three years. On July 21, 2002, Zamparini withdrew from Venezia and took over Palermo.

At the end of the 2004/05 Serie B season, Venezia were relegated and fell into bankruptcy. After the club was re-founded and admitted to Serie C2, Venezia earned promotion to Serie C1 in the 2005/06 season. Venezia would spend the next three seasons in the third tier, but the club would be declared bankrupt once again by the end of the 2008/09 season. In the summer of 2009, Venice was in danger of being a city without a football club, but mayor Massimo Cacciari supervised the foundation of a new club, which was admitted to Serie D. Venezia won Serie D in the 2011/12 season and earned promotion to Lega Pro Prima Divisione in the 2012/13 season, but would last just two seasons in the third tier before going bankrupt for the third time in 10 years.

In September 2015, a group of American investors acquired the club out of bankruptcy. After earning promotion to Serie C, Venezia hired former Italian national team star Filippo Inzaghi as manager. In Inzaghi's first season with the club, Venezia won promotion to Serie B, returning to the second tier for the first time in 12 years, and also won the Coppa Italia Serie C. The following season, Venezia finished fifth in Serie B, their highest finish in the league since the 2000/01 season, when they were last promoted to the top-flight. In the promotion playoffs, Venezia defeated Perugia in the opening round, but would lose to Palermo in the semifinals. Inzaghi would leave for Bologna at the end of the season.

In February 2020, Venezia owner Duncan Niederauer reorganized the club and took on the role of president. The following month, the 2019/20 Serie B season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but would resume in June. When the season resumed, Venezia would lose just two of their final 10 matches, and defeated Perugia on the final day of the season to remain in Serie B, finishing 11th in the league table, five points clear of the relegation play-out. The following season, a resurgent Venezia finished fifth in Serie B, and thereby qualified for the promotion playoffs. In the opening round, Venezia eliminated Chievo Verona in extra time, 3-2, in a dramatic match at Stadio Penzo. In the semi-finals, Venezia defeated Lecce at Stadio Penzo, 1-0, and then held on for a 1-1 draw in Lecce to advance to the final, where they would face Cittadella. After winning the first leg at Cittadella, 0-1, Venezia seemed destined to take care of business at home — until they went down a goal and down a man in the first half. But Venezia's 10-man side fought valiantly in the second half, and in the 93rd minute veteran striker Riccardo Bocalon struck an equalizer to secure Venezia's return to Serie A for the first time in 19 years.

The 2021–22 season marked Venezia FC’s historic return to Serie A after 19 years. Despite earning several prestigious victories — including a memorable 3–2 win over Roma at the Penzo on November 7, 2021 — the arancioneroverdi were unable to retain their top-flight status and were relegated back to Serie B at the end of the season.

To begin a new chapter in Serie B, Venezia FC appointed Croatian coach Ivan Javorčić as head coach. However, the start to the campaign proved difficult, and on October 31, 2022, with the team sitting third from bottom on 9 points after 11 matches, Javorčić was relieved of his duties. Primavera coach Andrea Soncin took charge on an interim basis.

On November 7, 2022, after just one match under Soncin, Paolo Vanoli was appointed as the new head coach of Venezia FC, taking over a side struggling near the bottom of the table. Shortly after his arrival, Filippo Antonelli was also appointed as the Club’s new Sporting Director and General Manager, taking charge of the sporting department.

Thanks to the outstanding work of both Vanoli and Antonelli, supported by the entire staff, Venezia managed to turn their season around, collecting 40 points in 26 matches and finishing the league in eighth place, securing qualification for the Serie B play-offs. Venezia were eliminated by Cagliari in the first round, but exited with pride after a remarkable comeback effort.

The following season, Venezia built on the foundations laid by Vanoli and Antonelli, assembling a strong squad that consistently remained among the top teams in the league throughout the campaign. The arancioneroverdi even drew level with Parma at the top of the table between Matchdays 13 and 14.

Venezia fought for automatic promotion to Serie A until the very final matchday in a head-to-head battle with Como. However, after a 2–1 defeat away at Spezia, they finished the regular season in third place with 70 points, earning direct qualification to the Serie B play-off semi-finals.

In the play-offs, Venezia’s first opponents were Palermo. The arancioneroverdi overcame the Rosanero in impressive fashion, winning both legs: 1–0 away thanks to a goal from Nicholas Pierini, and 2–1 at home with goals from Tanner Tessmann and Antonio Candela.

The final obstacle between Venezia and promotion to Serie A was Cremonese. After a tightly contested first leg ended in a goalless draw, Venezia secured victory in the return leg thanks to a stunning goal from Christian Gytkjaer. In a Penzo Stadium overflowing with joy, the dream of Serie A became reality as Venezia returned to the top flight just two years after relegation.