Città di Varese

The good years came in a run. Promotion out of Serie B in 1963–64, again in 1969–70, again in 1973–74 — three titles inside eleven seasons, each one buying another spell in the top flight. The best of those spells ended with seventh place in 1967–68, which remains the highest the club has finished. Pietro Anastasi went from here to a career that outgrew the town; Claudio Gentile and Roberto Bettega also passed through before their names meant what they came to mean.

The ground is named for Franco Ossola, who died at Superga in 1949. Its 8,213 seats are the frame for the Derby Varese against Pro Patria, the fixture that still fills them.

Then the finances gave way. Bankruptcies and refoundations ran through the 2000s, and in July 2019 the club was dissolved outright. Supporters set up a new, fan-owned entity later that same month and entered Terza Categoria — the bottom of the Italian pyramid, several divisions below anything the older honours had been won in. In May 2025 the name Varese Football Club returned, along with the 1910 founding date.

What has not returned is the football. The last Serie C2 title was won in 2008–09, before the collapse; the climb back up from the amateur leagues is unfinished, and the Serie B of 1974 is now further away in divisions than it is in years.