SSD Empoli Ladies FBC

{{short description|Women's association football club from Italy}}

{{Infobox football club

| clubname = Empoli Ladies

| short name = Empoli

| current = 2020–21 S.S.D. Empoli Ladies FBC season

| image =

| upright = 0.7

| alt =

| fullname = Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Empoli Ladies FBC{{Cite web |title=Empoli |url=https://www.figc.it/it/femminile/club/club-serie-a/ssdarl-empoli-ladies-fbc/ |access-date=15 May 2022 |website=FIGC}}

| nickname = [Le] Azzurre (The Blues)

| founded = {{start date and age|df=yes|2016|6|23}}

| ground = Centro Sportivo Monteboro

| capacity =

| owner =

| chairman = Rebecca Corsi

| manager =

| league =

| season =

| position =

| website = http://www.empoliladies.it/

| pattern_la1 = _empoli2021H

| pattern_b1 = _empoli2021H

| pattern_ra1 = _empoli2021H

| pattern_sh1 = _empoli2021H

| pattern_so1 =

| leftarm1=3075E7

| body1=3075E7

| rightarm1=3075E7

| shorts1=3075E7

| socks1=3075E7

| pattern_la2=_empoli2021A

| pattern_b2=_empoli2021A

| pattern_ra2=_empoli2021A

| pattern_sh2=_empoli2021A

| pattern_so2 =

| leftarm2=ffffff

| body2=ffffff

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| pattern_la3=_empoli2021T

| pattern_b3=_empoli2021T

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}}

Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Empoli Ladies FBC, known as Empoli Ladies or simply Empoli, is a women's football club based in Empoli, Tuscany, Italy. It was established in 2016 as the women's section of Empoli, following an acquisition of the sporting license of Castelfranco. Having debuted in the Serie B, the team first competed in the Serie A in 2017–18. They disbanded their senior team in 2022, and have only operated at youth level since.

History

Following a collaboration in 2015–16 with Castelfranco, the management of Empoli decided to form a women's football club in June 2016, buying 51% of the shares of the Castelfranco di Sotto club, and registering the team under the name of Empoli Ladies FBC.{{Cite web|title=Nasce l´ Empoli Ladies FBC|url=https://www.empoliladies.it/Nasce-l-Empoli-Ladies-FBC.htm|access-date=2021-02-05|website=www.empoliladies.it|language=it}} In their first season in 2016–17, the team played in the 2016–17 Serie B, finishing in first place and earning promotion to the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football.{{Cite web|last=Ladies|first=Empoli|date=2017-05-15|title=Empoli Ladies promosso in Serie A!|url=https://www.calciofemminileitaliano.it/calcio-femminile/serie-b/empoli-ladies-promosso-serie/|access-date=2021-02-05|website=Calcio femminile italiano|language=it-IT}} In the same season Empoli reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, where they were eliminated by eventual champions Fiorentina.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=12 June 2017|title=In finale Brescia e Fiorentina|url=https://www.lnd.it/it/news-dcf/coppa-italia/in-finale-brescia-e-fiorentina|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=5 February 2021|website=lnd.it}}

The first season in the Serie A started with a home draw against San Zaccaria; they finished in last place and were relegated to the Serie B.{{Cite web|title=Brescia Empoli: Davide sconfitto da Golia|url=https://www.empoliladies.it/Brescia-Empoli-Davide-sconfitto-da-Golia.htm|access-date=2021-02-05|website=www.empoliladies.it|language=it}} The 2018–19 season saw Empoli play in the first Serie B championship organized in a single group. They finished the tournament in second place, gaining promotion back to the Serie A.{{Cite web|date=2019-04-29|title=L'Empoli Ladies festeggia la promozione in Serie A|url=https://www.lfootball.it/2019/04/lempoli-ladies-festeggia-la-promozione-in-serie-a|access-date=2021-02-05|website=L Football|language=it-IT}}

At the end of the 2021–22 season, which ended with a ninth-place finish in the Serie A and a semi-finals finish in the Coppa Italia, Empoli decided to sell the Empoli Ladies company to Parma, continuing to operate in the youth sector.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-09 |title=Comunicato ufficiale |url=https://empolifc.com/comunicato-ufficiale-40/ |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=Empoli FC |language=it-IT}}