Football
came to Greece in 1866. The first match was played on January 29th of that
year, on the island of Corfu (Kerkyra). The story goes that the officers
of a British warship, which was stationed in the port of Corfu, wanted to
play football with a team formed by the locals. The Greeks were unfamiliar
with the sport, yet they still managed to win that first football match on
Greek soil, attended by over 3,000 spectators.Despite this fact, the new sport was not at first very popular on mainland Greece, but in the thriving Greek cities of Asia Minor, especially Smyrna. It was there that the first clubs were founded (in the late 19th century); among them, some that continue to this day, e.g. Apollon and Panionios. The turning point in the history of football (among other things) in Greece was the Destruction of Asia Minor by the Turks, and the following evacuation of more than 1 million Greeks to the mainland (1922). All these refugees brought with them their customs, their way of living, their love for sports. New football clubs were founded in every city, mostly by the refugees.
The
Greek Football Association (EPO) was founded in 1926 and the first
football championship was organized in 1927.
For any questions on Greek
football, ask our librarian
The
most successful club in the history of Greek football is undoubtedly
Olympiakos Piraeus. They have won 30 Championships, 20 Cups and 10
Doubles. They are followed by their eternal enemies, Panathinakos
FC (18 Championships, 15 Cups, 6 Doubles) and the third of
the Athens-big-3,
AEK Athens (11 Championships, 11 Cups, 2
Doubles). The most popular club in Salonica, PAOK Salonica, have won 2
Championships and 3 Cups, while their city rivals,
Aris, have 3
Championships and 1 Cup. The only club outside Athens or Salonika to have
ever won a Championship is Larissa (also 1 Cup). Other teams to have won a
Greek Cup are
Panionios (twice), Iraklis
Salonica, OFI Crete, Ethnikos and
Kastoria
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