Jiangsu Sainty Football Club was established as a professional club in March 1994, although its roots can be traced back to the foundation of Jiangsu Provincial Team in 1958. They were a founding member of China's first professional top tier, the Jia-A League. The club is currently owned by the Jiangsu Sainty International Group.
Since turning professional, Jiangsu Sainty have spent much of their time outside of the top flight, having been relegated at the end of the 1994 season. At the conclusion of 1996, the team dropped as far as the third tier, before beginning its ascent back through the divisions.
After eleven seasons in the second tier, the club gained promotion back to the top flight at the end of 2008 season, when they were crowned champions of China League One. Since reaching the top flight, their performances have gradually improved and in 2012, they finished the season as runners up. The 2013 season saw the team win their first major honour, as they lifted the Chinese FA Super Cup, overcoming Guangzhou Evergrande 2-1.
Tan Si and currently captain Lu Bofei are amongst the team's most notable players. However, in recent years, the club has relied more and more on foreign players. Cristian Dănălache, Sergey Krivets and Márcio Barros are perhaps the team's most significant foreign imports. Krivets was named MVP for the club's Super Cup win, while Márcio Barros was Jiangsu Sainty's top scorer during their successful 2008 promotion season. Cristian Dănălache was named the Chinese Football Association Footballer of the Year for 2012.
At present, the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center serves as the club's home stadium. The venue, which first opened in 2005, hosted the 10th National Games of China and will host the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. It is able to hold a maximum of 60,000 spectators.
