Societa Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as simply Napoli or the abbreviation SSC Napoli, is an Italian professional football club based in Naples, Campania that was originally founded in 1904. The club has spent most of their history in the top tier in Italian football, where they currently play for the 2007–08 season after recently gaining promotion.The club was first founded as Naples Foot-Ball & Cricket Club in 1904, by English sailor William Poths and his associate Hector M. Bayon. Neapolitans such as Conforti, Catterina and Amedeo Salsi were also involved, the latter of which was the club's first president. The original kit of the club comprised of a sky blue and navy blue striped shirt, with black shorts. The name of the club was shortened to Naples Foot-Ball Club in 1906.Napoli, who play in azure blue shirts with white shorts have won Serie A twice, first in 1986–87 and then again in 1989–90. They have also won Coppa Italia in their home country three times. On the European stage, Napoli have won the UEFA Cup, a triumph which was achieved in 1988–89. Historically, Napoli are the ninth most successful club in Italian football and the most successful in Southern Italy.The club have had several names changes since first appearing in 1904; one of these was after a merger with another club called Internazionale Napoli. The most recent change was in 2004, when the club went bankrupt but were refounded by film-producer Aurelio De Laurentiis as Napoli Soccer; he restored the name back to Societa Sportiva Calcio Napoli in early 2006.
