| Upright: | 0.8 |
| Fullname: | Charlestown Azzurri Football Club |
| Nickname: | Azzurri |
| Founded: | 1963 |
| Ground: | Lisle Carr Oval |
| Capacity: | 3000 |
| Coordinates: | -32.9784°N 151.7149°W |
| Chrtitle: | President |
| Chairman: | Roby Valentinis |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Manager: | James Pascoe |
| Website: | http://www.charlestownazzurri.com/ |
Charlestown Azzurri FC (formerly Charlestown City Blues FC) is an Australian soccer club based in Whitebridge, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Northern NSW (NPL NNSW).
Charlestown United was founded in 1900, while Hamilton Azzurri was founded in 1963 which later became Highfields Azzurri during the 1970s. In 2006, Highfields Azzurri became Azzurri FC. In 2009, Football Federation Australia forced Azzurri to change its name.[2]
After the 2009 season, the club became Charlestown City Blues FC, when Azzurri FC and Charlestown United merged.[3]
In 2014, Charlestown City was accepted into the National Premier Leagues Northern NSW (NPL NNSW). The Blues finished in 4th place in the first season of the NPL NNSW, qualifying for the finals series.[4]
In October 2017, Azzurri announced the signing of former Socceroo Ljubo Milicevic.[5]
The 2018 season saw Charlestown finish in 6th place in the league. Scott Smith and Kane Goodchild were the side's leading goalscorers with 7 goals each. The club also enjoyed FFA Cup success, progressing to the round of 32 for the first time in their history, where they were defeated by Heidelberg United.
2022 saw finals football return to Azzuri under now ex-manager Graham Law. A team led by Nigel Boogard and Taylor Regan finished 4th and fell at the hands of Newcastle Olympic in the 4th v 5th playoff game.
2023 invited a new look for Azzuri who under new management of James Pascoe finished the season in 3rd place. After a strong start to the season, injuries and the loss of goalkeeper Nate Archibald saw Charlestown's form drop towards the end of the season. Azzuri lost to Broadmedow magic in the first round of the finals before going on to beat the Weston Bears 1-0 at their home ground (Lisle Carr). Following this Azzuri would once again face magic where they were unsuccessful resulting in the Azzuri boys falling just short of a grand final appearance.