Football in Galati had never counted at the first division level, even if teams like Gloria CFR, Siderurgistul and FCM played several seasons in this level.

The history of football in the steel town on the banks of the Danube will be radically changed by Oțelul. Founded in 1964, as a team of the Galati Steelworks, Oțelul would only reach D1 in 1986. In the meantime, it had gone through many takeovers and transfers of places in the county football, which is also typical for Galati teams.

In 1988, Oțelul debuted in the European Cups and managed a fantastic 1-0 win against the famous Italian club Juventus at home in the UEFA Cup.

In 2007 it was one of the winners of the last round of the UEFA Intertoto Cup (now defunct competition).

In 2011 it became the first group from Moldova to win the national title in Romania. In the same year they also win the Romanian Super Cup and participate in the Champions League groups (no points in a group with Benfica, Basel, Manchester United). The coach was Dorinel Munteanu, who is still at the helm of the team.

2013 brings the insolvency of the club, 2015 – relegation from the elite, and 2016 – the dissolution. In the latter year, the supporters establish SC Oțelul. It will recover Oțelul’s record, and in the summer of this year Oțelul promoted to the second league.