Founded |
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Country | Greece |
Confederation | UEFA |
Number of teams | 14 [1] |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Relegation to | Super League Greece 2 |
Domestic cup(s) | Greek Cup |
International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Europa Conference League |
Current champions | PAOK (4th title) (2023–24) |
Most championships | Olympiacos (47 titles) |
Most appearances | Mimis Domazos (535) |
Top goalscorer | Thomas Mavros (260 goals) |
TV partners | Nova Sports, Cosmote Sport |
Website | slgr.gr |
Current: 2023–24 Super League Greece |
The Super League Greece 1 (Greek : Σούπερ Λιγκ Ελλάδας 1), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The members of the cooperative are the Football Limited Companies (P.A.E.) that have the right to participate in the Super League 1 championship. [2]
It consists of 14 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 26 games each followed by a 10-game play-off to decide the champions.
As of May 2024, Super League Greece is ranked 15th [3] [4] in the UEFA ranking of leagues, based on performances in European competitions over the last five years.
Since the foundation of the first official Panhellenic Championship in 1927, [5] only six clubs have won the title. With 47 conquests, Olympiacos has the most titles in the history of the competition.
The current champions are PAOK.
Football first appeared in Greece in 1894 and began to spread after the 1896 Olympiad, which was included in the games program. Many clubs started to establish football divisions while the first purely football clubs were also founded. The first years, until 1912, championship was organised by the Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics (SEGAS). This championship was actually a local tournament among clubs from Athens and Piraeus. [6]
After the Balkan Wars and World War I, two football associations were formed, one organising a football league in Athens and Piraeus, and one doing the same in Thessaloniki. These were the Athens-Piraeus FCA (EPSAP) and the Macedonia FCA (EPSM). In 1923, a Panhellenic Champion was determined by a play-off game between the Athens-Piraeus and the Thessaloniki champions. Peiraikos Syndesmos won 3–1 against Aris. This panhellenic final was not repeated the following year as the EPSAP was split into the Athens FCA (EPSA) and Piraeus FCA (EPSP) following a dispute. [7] [8]
On 14 November 1926, the Hellenic Football Federation is founded and organizes the first Panhellenic Championship in the period 1927-28, in which, however, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens did not participate due to conflicts with the EPO. [9]
The initial events were held with teams from Athens, Piraeus and Thessaloniki, excluding the provincial ones. Previously, the local championships of the cities were held and in the final phase, sometimes only the first ones qualified, sometimes the first two or the first three teams. In the championship of 1938-39, which was held in two groups, teams outside Athens-Thessaloniki (Doxa Drama, AEK Kavala and Filippi Kavala) participated for the first time. The maiden presence of provincial teams in a single group of the Panhellenic Championship took place in 1953-54 with the participation of Panachaiki from Southern Greece and Niki Volou from Central and Northern Greece. [10]
In 1959 the Alpha Ethniki – the precursor of the current Super League – was set up as a national round-robin tournament. After several months of talks, the 1959–60 championship was the first nationwide league competition. It started on Sunday 25 October 1959 with the participation of 16 teams. The creation of a championship in the form of a single permanent national division rather than the way they have been held until then with the participation of the teams selected by the local competitions was a requirement of both the State and UEFA. The first wished to establish a fixed number of matches every Sunday in Greece to stimulate interest in PRO-PO while UEFA wished to nominate national champions with strict criteria and through joint events for all states. The Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) was obliged to proceed to the abolition of the competitions of the Football Clubs Associations (EPS) of Greece as qualifying stages for the Pan-Hellenic Championship. The first place was taken by Alpha Ethniki, a single division with clubs from all over the Greek territory and a stable participation, with the exception of those who would be relegated at the end of the season. The initial design provided for a number of teams well above the 10th of the 1958–59 Pan-Hellenic Championship and in particular 18 which, as the expanded division calendar would cover almost all the available dates of the year, would no longer participate in its local competitions their EPSs. Those would be the qualifier for the upcoming national division and not the participation in the final round of the current championship, so their significance was significantly reduced. On Saturday, 10 October 1959 at the General Assembly of the HFF, ie with the participation of all the members of the Association of Football Associations and in the presence of the General Secretariat of Sports (GGA) and representatives of the Karamanlis government, became the first national division of Greek football. The 1st game was set for 15 days. According to the general Assembly of HFF on 29 August 1959, it was decided that the newly created Alpha Ethniki would consist of 18 teams, with their determination being made in accordance with the positions in the local EPS competitions in the period 1958–59. The HFF, at its decisive General Assembly on Saturday, 10 October, decided to reduce the number of teams to 16 so that the racing program will not be extended in the summer. After the end of the first event in the summer of 1960, the teams did not increase despite HFF's initial intention, with the number 16 being considered the ideal for a championship in Greece and only 18 in 1967.[ citation needed ]
The teams that participated in the first championship of the Alpha Ethniki were the following:
On 25 October 1959, the Alpha Ethniki was launched. Panathinaikos won the first Alpha Ethniki's Championship and became the Greek champions for the fourth time in his history. The club tied with AEK by 79 points and defeated them by 2–1 in the play-off, a match where Panathinaikos needed only a draw at the neutral Karaiskakis Stadium. In such a case, after the half-hour extension, the competition announcement set the best goal difference. Through the playoffs and with the same score was also the third place for the demotion, with the winner Panegialios to overtake Pankorinthiakos again in the event of a draw. The scoring system was 3 points for the win, 2 points for the draw, 1 point for the defeat.[ citation needed ]
Time has been relentless for some teams that have participated in the first league of the Alpha Ethniki. The historic Ethnikos Piraeus, cup winner of Greece in 1933, participates in the Gamma Ethniki, as well as Proodeftiki while AE Nikaia participates in the local championship of Piraeus. Apollon Kalamaria, Doxa Drama and Iraklis are fighting in the Beta Ethniki, while Pankorinthiakos, a few years after joining Alpha Ethniki, merged with Aris Korinthos and created PAS Korinthos, which reached the Alpha Ethniki at the 1990s and is now participating in the Gamma Ethniki. Megas Alexandros Katerini is the ancestor of Pierikos. In 1961, they merged with Olympos Katerini and created Pierikos who plays in the Gamma Ethniki.[ citation needed ]
On 19 January 1979 a bill was passed in the Hellenic Parliament under which football clubs became Football Incorporated Companies (PAE or ΠΑΕ in Greek). The Association of Football Incorporated Companies (EPAE, ΕΠΑΕ in Greek), under the supervision of the HFF, has since held the responsibility to hold the championship, with Makis Ithakisios being elected its first president. Initially the shares were owned by the sports union to which the football club belonged. Yet soon after, prominent Greek businessmen (shipowners, oil magnates, bankers etc.) began acquiring the newly formed PAEs by buying the majority of their shares, and then increasing their share capital, thus turning Greek football into a fully commercialised and highly profitable business for the decades to come.[ citation needed ]
For a single racing season, 2000–01, the championship is renamed "Upper Category".[ citation needed ]
On 16 July 2006, was founded the copartnership Super League. Members of the copartnership are the PAE's that have the right to participate in the professional football championship of the First Division. The main activity of the copartnership is the organization and conduct of the First Division's Championship according to the regulations and decisions of the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) and the supreme international football confederations (UEFA, FIFA).[ citation needed ]
At present, 14 clubs compete in the Super League, playing each other in a 26-game home and away series. At the end of the season, the top 6 clubs face each other in a 10-game championship round to decide the Super League champions but also the teams to enter the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa Conference League.[ citation needed ]
The bottom 8 clubs face each other in play-outs to decide who gets relegated to Super League 2. [11] In their place, the top two teams from Super League 2 are promoted. The number of teams to be relegated may change, depending on a licensing procedure that takes place at the end of the regular season.[ citation needed ]
The Super League is currently entitled to two entrants into the UEFA Champions League. The reigning champions currently enters the third qualifying round through the champion path, while the runners up enter the competition via the second qualifying round through the league route. The third-placed team enters the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds. The three UEFA Europa Conference League spots go to the teams that finished 4th and 5th, with a European berth for the Greek Cup winner.[ citation needed ]
The following 14 clubs will compete in the Super League in the 2024–25 season.
Club | Position in 2023–24 | First season in top division | Seasons in top division | Seasons in Super League | Top division titles | Last top division title |
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AEK Athens | 2nd | 1930–31 | 76 | 17 | 13 | 2022–23 |
Aris | 5th | 1927–28 | 76 | 15 | 3 | 1945–46 |
Asteras Tripolis | 8th | 2007–08 | 18 | 18 | 0 | — |
Athens Kallithea | 1st in 2023–24 Super League 2 | 2023–24 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — |
Atromitos | 11th | 1927–28 | 26 | 18 | 0 | — |
Lamia | 6th | 2017–18 | 8 | 8 | 0 | — |
Levadiakos | 1st in 2023–24 Super League 2 | 1987–88 | 20 | 13 | 0 | — |
OFI | 10th | 1957–58 | 48 | 14 | 0 | — |
Olympiacos | 3rd | 1929–30 | 88 | 19 | 47 | 2021–22 |
Panathinaikos | 4th | 1929–30 | 83 | 19 | 20 | 2009–10 |
Panetolikos | 9th | 1954–55 | 16 | 13 | 0 | — |
Panserraikos | 7th | 1965–66 | 26 | 4 | 0 | — |
PAOK | 1st | 1930–31 | 80 | 19 | 4 | 2023–24 |
Volos | 12th | 2019–20 | 6 | 6 | 0 | — |
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Greek ChampionshipSource: epo.gr Performance by club (1927–)
Performance by city (1927–)The six clubs that have won the championship are from a total of four cities:
Performance by region (1927–)The six clubs that have won the championship are from a total of three regions:
StatisticsTop three ranking (1959–present)
Seasons in Panhellenic Championship, Alpha Ethniki and Super League GreeceThe number of seasons that each team (in alphabetical order) has played in the top division from 1927–28 until 2024–25. A total of 82 teams had competed in at least one season at the top division. Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and PAOK are the only teams to have played in the top division in every season since the league's inception in its modern form. The teams in bold will participate in the 2024–25 Super League.
Top Division Table (since 1959–60)This index is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of the best ten teams that has played in Alpha Ethniki and Super League championships since 1959–60. The table is correct as of the end of the 2022–23 season. Points are based on 3–1–0 and no deductions are counted.
Per geographic regionAll the geographic regions of Greece have been represented by at least one club in the first national division. Central Greece has had the strongest presence with 27 clubs overall, of which 22 come from Attica alone. Central Greece, Macedonia and the Peloponnese together contain almost three-quarters of the clubs that participated in the top flight. Between 1967 and 1974, the Cypriot champion also participated in the Greek top competition, and five different Cypriot clubs participated during those years. The Greek islands of Rhodes, Lesbos and Corfu have also been represented. A total of 74 clubs have participated at the first tier so far. Top scorers and appearances
Golden StarBased on an idea of Umberto Agnelli, the honor of Golden Star for Sports Excellence was introduced to recognize sides that have won multiple championships or other honours by the display of gold stars on their team badges and jerseys. The current officially sanctioned Super League stars are:[ citation needed ]
Greek football clubs in European competitionsUEFA rankingCountry rankingsAs of 30 May 2024, the Greek Super League ranks 15th in the UEFA coefficient database, with 31.525 points.
Club rankings
Broadcasting rightsNova Sports (premium channel) have taken the broadcasting rights for the home games of six teams of the Super League. The teams are Aris, Asteras Tripolis, Atromitos, Levadiakos, PAOK and PAS Giannina. Cosmote Sport (also a premium channel) have taken the broadcasting rights for the home games of eight teams of the Super League. The teams are AEK Athens, Ionikos, Lamia, OFI, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Panetolikos and Volos. Eurosport has pan-European broadcasting rights for the Super League (except Greece and Portugal). South Korean OTT Coupang Play has taken the broadcasting rights for Olympiacos' matches. SponsorshipFrom 2007 to 2017, the Super League had title sponsorship rights sold to one company, which were OPAP. From 2017 until 2019, the Super League has title sponsorship rights sold to the company Souroti. OPAP' deal with the Super League expired at the end of the 2016–17 season. The Super League announced on 20 July 2017 that the new title sponsorship deal for the Super League was with the Souroti company. As well as sponsorship for the league itself, the Super League has a number of official partners and suppliers. The official ball supplier for the league is Nike. Also, Panini has held the licence to produce collectables for the Super League since 2008, including stickers (for their sticker album) and trading cards. On 28 January 2023 Stoiximan became the official sponsor of the league.
See alsoRelated Research ArticlesPanathinaikos Football Club, known as Panathinaikos, or by its full name, and the name of its parent sports club, Panathinaikos A.O. or PAO, is a Greek professional football club based in Athens, Greece. Proodeftiki Football Club, also known as Proodeftiki Piraeus, simply as Proodeftiki, or with its full name as A.O. Proodeftiki Neolea, is a Greek football club, part of the major multi-sport club A.O. Proodeftiki Neolea, based in Korydallos, Piraeus – Attica. P.O.K. was a coalition, a kind of athletic trust, of the three main football teams of the Attica which lasted until the mid 60's. The term dates to in 1927, when Olympiacos F.C., Panathinaikos F.C. and AEK Athens F.C. withdrew from the Greek Championship after disagreements with the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF), mainly over the championship's financial status. The HFF determined that league's revenues would be equally divided between all teams that participated. Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and AEK did not agree with this, and formed a group called P.O.K. During that season, they played friendly matches with each other. Iraklis F.C. is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. As of 2021, the club competes in the Super League Greece 2. They play their home matches at Kaftanzoglio Stadium. Olympiacos Volos Football Club is a Greek football club based in the city of Volos. Atromitos Football Club, also simply known as Atromitoslit. 'Fearless'), is a Greek professional football club based in Peristeri, a suburban city in the Athens agglomeration, that competes in the Super League. Founded in 1923, club's home ground is Peristeri Stadium. Ethnikos Piraeus F.C. is a Greek football club based in Piraeus and its parent sports club is Ethnikos OFPF. The club was officially formed on 21 November 1923 as KeravnosPiraeus, but existed unofficially since 1922. One year later the club was renamed to Young Boys Titan, after some players' secession that formed Peiraikos Podosfairikos Omilos. The club was renamed to Ethnikos on 23 December 1924, after it merged with Peiraikos Podosfairikos Omilos. Football is the most popular sport in Greece, followed by basketball. The 1959–60 Alpha Ethniki was the 24th season of the highest football league of Greece and the first season of the nationwide league after the league replaced the Panhellenic Championship. The season began on 25 October 1959 and ended on 31 July 1960 with the play-off matches. Panathinaikos won their fourth Greek title and their first in seven years. The Greece Football Clubs Association (FCA), founded in 1919 as the Athens-Piraeus FCA, was the first governing body of football in Greece, before the Hellenic Football Federation. Prior to the FCA's founding, football competitions had been organised by the Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association, the Committee of the Olympic Games, or local clubs. Aris FC, commonly known as Aris Thessaloniki or simply Aris, is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. It is one of the largest clubs in Greece. The club competes in the Super League Greece for a sixth consecutive year having been promoted from Super League 2 in the 2017-18 season. The 1927–28 Panhellenic Championship was the first season of the highest football league of Greece. It was held with the participation of 3 teams, the champions of the founding Associations of the HFF, Athens, Piraeus and Macedonia, in which Atromitos, Ethnikos Piraeus and Aris respectively finished first. At the beginning of the season, the HFF punished Olympiacos and forbade them from taking part in the Piraeus' championship and consequently in the Panhellenic championship. He also forced the other clubs not to play with them even in friendly matches. However, the strong teams of Athens, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens and Apollon Athens, expected financial income from the various tournaments they organized with the participation of Olympiacos. On October 31, 1927, the HFF expelled the illegal clubs and banned them from participating in the championship. As a result, the 3 biggest clubs created a partnership called POK, from the initials of the words: Podosferikós Ómilos Kéntrou or from the initials of the names of the three clubs: "Panathinaikos"-"Olympiacos"-"Konstantinoupόleos". In February 1928, Apollon Athens joined the alliance, with the press calling it "POKA". The non-participation of these clubs weakened the championship, as the fans preferred the international friendlies of the strong clubs and the tournaments that have been established since then during the holidays. The devaluation of the leagues forced the HFF the following July 1928 to revoke their dismissals and from the next season the clubs returned to the leagues normally. Aris eventually won the championship. The point system was: Win: 2 points - Draw: 1 point - Loss: 0 points. The 1938–39 Panhellenic Championship was the tenth season of the highest football league of Greece. 14 teams participated, for the first time so many and for the first time from the province. It was held in two groups, South Group with 8 and North Group with 6 teams, which qualified from the championships of the local associations. The 1945–46 Panhellenic Championship was the 12th season of the highest football league of Greece and the first after the WW2. The clubs that participated were the champions from the three founding football associations of the HFF: Athens, Piraeus and Macedonia. Panachaiki F.C. is a Greek professional football club based in Patras, Greece and they play in Super League Greece 2, the second tier of Greek football. Founded in 1891, they have reached the Greek Cup semi-finals twice, as well as the quarter-finals on ten occasions. They were the first Greek club outside both the Athens and Thessaloniki metropolitan areas to represent Greece in a European competition, the 1973–74 UEFA Cup. This article concerns football records in Greece and it includes the top flight and lower divisions as well. The 1959–60 season was the 36th season in the existence of AEK Athens F.C. and the first season in the top flight of Greek football. They competed in the Alpha Ethniki and the Greek Cup. The season began on 23 September 1959 and finished on 31 July 1960. References
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