Originally founded as Venezia Foot Ball Club in , the club have spent a large part of their history in Italy's top two divisions. Venezia's biggest achievement to date was winning the Coppa Italia in the —41 season.
They followed this cup success up with their highest Serie A finish of third place in the following season. Venezia Foot Ball Club was founded on 14 December in Venice by about 20 enthusiasts through the merger of the football sections of two Venetian sports clubs: the Martial Gymnastics Society and Costantino Reyer.
The place chosen by the founders to give life to the new football club was the restaurant "Da Nane in Corte dell'Orso" near Campo San Bortolomio. In its early years, the club's matches were played in the pine forest of Sant'Elena. Venezia's first matches were played against the Veneto teams of Padova , Verona , and Vicenza , as well as against the crews of the ships arriving at the port of Venice.
Venezia's first match was played on December 22, , against Vicenza, ending 1—1. Venezia participated in Italy's top division for the first time in the Italian Football Championship. As the only Veneto club, Venezia were directly admitted to the semifinals against the winners of the Lombardia group, US Milanese , and lost the first leg 7—1 and the return leg 11—2.
Venezia participated in the Prima Categoria, Italy's top division, from the —11 season through the —15 season , which would be the last season played before Italy entered World War I. In the —12 season , Venezia won the Veneto-Emilian group and reached the national final against Pro Vercelli , losing 7—0 in the first leg and 6—0 in the second leg.
