Lazio was founded as an athletic club in January 1900, and Lazio fans are immensely proud of their heritage, which pre-dates many of the other modern clubs. With accuracy as well as pride Laziali call their team 'the first team of the capital.'

Becoming a 'Societa Sportiva' in 1925, Lazio's scope encompassed other sports as well as football, including rugby. The team managed respectably in the early years, although not winning anything of note. They were also to face competition from the newly-founded AS Roma.

As the decades progressed, Lazio improved , finishing higher in the rankings, while still missing out on the trophies. In the 1950s they moved into the present home, the Stadio Olimpico, and in the middle of the decade (under British manager Jesse Carver) managed to finish in second place for two consecutive years.

The end of the 50s saw a turn in fortunes, and Lazio's relegation to Serie B. The team also, however, won their first trophy, the 1958 Coppa Italia.

After a decade spent in and out of Serie B, the start of the 70s saw a new Lazio. The fondly-remembered glory years had begun, with legendary names such as manager Maestrelli, and the Cardiff-raised Giorgio Chinaglia. In the 1973/74 season Lazio finally did it. They won the scudetto in a never-forgotten blaze of blue-and-white excitement.

As ever, the team's fortunes see-sawed. Following years saw the deaths of Maestrelli and of popular star Luciano Re Ceccone, Lazio's relegation amid a nasty assortment of scandals and a near-descent to Serie C.

The 80s were dark days of financial and footballing problems. Things didn't really start looking up until the beginning of the 90s, a time which saw the arrivals of, amongst others, Dino Zoff and Paul Gascoigne.

In 1992 the club was bought by Sergio Cragnotti, and the cash injection brought to the club players like Beppe Signori and Diego Fuser.

The late 90s saw a squad enriched with favourites such as Pavel Nedved, Roberto Mancini, Alessandro Nesta and Sergio Conceicao. Under the management of Sven Goran Eriksonn Lazio won the 1998 Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italia.

The golden seasons, 1998-2000, saw the celebration of Lazio's centenary. Led by local hero, captain Nesta, the team suddenly saw the shelves fill with silverware. Best of all, they won their coveted second scudetto in 1999/2000.

After the departure of some of their best players, Lazio struggled up the table in the 2000-2001 season, to hotly contest the eventual victory of rivals Roma. The 2001-2002 season saw a return to darker times, with constant disputes, legal problems and doping suspensions. But the club's history shows that ups and downs go hand in hand, and who know what tomorrow will bring?

To prove the point in the paragraph above, since this page was originally written we have seen our two best players sold, but some of the finest football on the pitch for years. The club itself is on the market, the president is set to leave, but as I write this, the team are just one point off top place in Serie A. Life is never boring for Lazio fans.