Apollon Smyrnis
Encyclopedia
Apollon Smyrnis, officially known as GS Apollon Smyrnis (Greek: Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Απόλλων Σμύρνης - Gymnastikos Syllogos Apollon Smyrnis), the Gymnastic Club Apollon of Smyrna, is a Greek
association football
club based in the city of Athens
, Greece
.
The club currently compete in the Football League 2, the 3rd tier of Greek football.
as immigrants due to the Asia Minor Disaster in 1922. The clubs first name (while the founders were still in Smyrna
) was "Orfeas Smyrnis" and it was founded in 1890. Its colors are blue
and white
because Apollon's founders wanted to honor the Flag of Greece
. The club's first badge was a swastika
-like cross but just after World War II
it was changed (due to the notorious use as a Nazi symbol) and the new badge decided to be the Greek ancient god Apollo
's head in blue and white colors.
The clubs first home ground was located in a place near the building of the Greek Parliament called "Stiles Olympiou Dios" (Pillars of Olympian Zeus
). Apollon stayed there for about 25 years, and after the World War II
the clubs house was transferred in an Athens
neighborhood called "Rizoupolis" and built a stadium there, which is called Georgios Kamaras Stadium
, after a club legend called Georgios Kamaras.
The club has four departments: The football department called "Apollon Smyrnis FC", a basketball club called "Apollon BC", a volleyball club and a fighting department. The best known (and probably the most successful) department is Apollon's football club. Apollon FC participated in Alpha Ethniki championship for many years, except seasons 1969/70, 1972/73, 1974/75, 1986/87. The team won the local Athens Championship 4 times: 1924, 1928, 1938, 1948 and 1958
The seasons 1994/95 and 1995/96 are the most successful club's seasons:
In 1994/95 Apollon qualified for the 1995-96 UEFA Cup
(preliminary round) where they played against Olimpija Ljubljana
. Georgios Kamaras Stadium
was not suitable for the game and Apollon played in AEK Athens home ground, Nikos Goumas Stadium
. Apollon won 1-0 in Athens
in front of 10,000 Apollon fans but lost 3-1 in Ljubljana
(Olimpia scored 2 goals in the last 15 minutes) and Apollon was eliminated. In these matches many people noticed a young striker (he was just 21 years old) who almost ten years after this moment would become European football Champion: his name was Demis Nikolaidis
The following season (1995–1996) Apollon FC, under Giannis Pathiakakis coaching and thanks to Demis Nikolaidis
's integral scoring performances, participated after an excellent season in the Greek Cup final, but they lost 7-1 to AEK Athens. After these great seasons, Apollon's glory started to fade and as a result, in 1999/2000 season Apollon was relegated in Beta Ethniki
, in 2005 relegated to Gamma Ethniki
(South Group) and in 2007 relegated to Delta Ethniki (Group 8).
Apollon have gone since the 1930s under the nickname "The Light Brigade" (Greek: Ελαφρά Ταξιαρχία), named after the 1936 Hollywood movie release The Charge of the Light Brigade, after winning the 1938 regional Athens championship.
Apollon have been crowned Football League (former Beta Ethniki) champions in 1970, 1973 and 1975.Promoted as 3rd in 1988. Champions of Delta Ethniki in 2010.
They currently play in the Football League 2 (former Gamma Ethniki), Greek Third division.
Christos Ardizoglou
Kostas Chalkias Filipos Darlas
Giorgos Kamaras Giorgos Karagounis
Theofilos Karasavidis Thanasis Kolitsidakis
Vasilis Kyriakou Antonis Minou
Tasos Mitropoulos
Demis Nikolaidis
Giannis Anagnostou Eleftherios Poupakis
Giannis Dontas Giorgos Athanasiadis Mihalis Vlahos Theofilos Karasavidis Aris Karasavidis Kostas Batsinilas Dimos Kavouras Kostas Mavridis Pantelis Konstantinidis
Takis Ikonomopoulos
Albania Bledar Kola
Arjan Bellaj
Argentina Nestor Errea
Bulgaria Ivan Russev
Cameroon Nicolas Dikoume
Czechoslovakia Frantisek Stambacher
Germany Walter Kelsch
Holland René van de Kerkhof
Iran Alireza Mansourian
Poland Józef Wandzik
Zygmunt Kukla
Serbia Zoran Ćirić
Miloje Petković
Sweden Bjorn Enqvist Goran Trpevski
USA Frank Klopas
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
association football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club based in the city of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
The club currently compete in the Football League 2, the 3rd tier of Greek football.
History
Apollon Smyrnis is the oldest Greek sports club, established in 1890 by a high priest called Christostomos, Vassilis Samios, 1920 Greek Olympian, and other former members of "Orfeas" who came from Smyrna, Asia MinorAsia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
as immigrants due to the Asia Minor Disaster in 1922. The clubs first name (while the founders were still in Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
) was "Orfeas Smyrnis" and it was founded in 1890. Its colors are blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
and white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
because Apollon's founders wanted to honor the Flag of Greece
Flag of Greece
The flag of Greece , officially recognized by Greece as one of its national symbols, is based on nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white...
. The club's first badge was a swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
-like cross but just after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was changed (due to the notorious use as a Nazi symbol) and the new badge decided to be the Greek ancient god Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
's head in blue and white colors.
The clubs first home ground was located in a place near the building of the Greek Parliament called "Stiles Olympiou Dios" (Pillars of Olympian Zeus
Temple of Olympian Zeus
The Temple of Olympian Zeus , also known as the Olympieion or Columns of the Olympian Zeus, is a colossal ruined temple in the centre of the Greek capital Athens that was dedicated to Zeus, king of the Olympian gods...
). Apollon stayed there for about 25 years, and after the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the clubs house was transferred in an Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
neighborhood called "Rizoupolis" and built a stadium there, which is called Georgios Kamaras Stadium
Georgios Kamaras Stadium
Georgios Kamaras Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Apollon Smyrnis. The stadium holds 14,856 and was built in 1948. It was used by Olympiacos for about 3 years as home ground, due to the construction...
, after a club legend called Georgios Kamaras.
The club has four departments: The football department called "Apollon Smyrnis FC", a basketball club called "Apollon BC", a volleyball club and a fighting department. The best known (and probably the most successful) department is Apollon's football club. Apollon FC participated in Alpha Ethniki championship for many years, except seasons 1969/70, 1972/73, 1974/75, 1986/87. The team won the local Athens Championship 4 times: 1924, 1928, 1938, 1948 and 1958
The seasons 1994/95 and 1995/96 are the most successful club's seasons:
In 1994/95 Apollon qualified for the 1995-96 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup 1995-96
The UEFA Cup 1995-96 was won by Bayern Munich on aggregate over Bordeaux. Girondins de Bordeaux went to the finals all the way from the UEFA Intertoto Cup 1995....
(preliminary round) where they played against Olimpija Ljubljana
NK Olimpija Ljubljana (1911)
NK Olimpija Ljubljana was a Slovenian association football club based in Ljubljana. The club had traced its origin back to 1911 when it was originally founded as SK Ilirija. It had gone through a series of mergers in the first half of the 20th century before adopting the name Olimpija in 1962...
. Georgios Kamaras Stadium
Georgios Kamaras Stadium
Georgios Kamaras Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Apollon Smyrnis. The stadium holds 14,856 and was built in 1948. It was used by Olympiacos for about 3 years as home ground, due to the construction...
was not suitable for the game and Apollon played in AEK Athens home ground, Nikos Goumas Stadium
Nikos Goumas Stadium
Nikos Goumas Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Nea Filadelfeia , a northwestern suburb of Athens, Greece. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home stadium of AEK Athens FC. It was named after a one-time club president, Nicholas Goumas, who contributed to its building and later...
. Apollon won 1-0 in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
in front of 10,000 Apollon fans but lost 3-1 in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
(Olimpia scored 2 goals in the last 15 minutes) and Apollon was eliminated. In these matches many people noticed a young striker (he was just 21 years old) who almost ten years after this moment would become European football Champion: his name was Demis Nikolaidis
Demis Nikolaidis
Themistoklis "Demis" Nikolaidis was the forty second president of AEK Athens F.C., and is considered one of the finest footballers Greece has ever produced. In his early childhood and teenage years he lived in the city of Alexandroupoli, in the north-east part of Greece...
The following season (1995–1996) Apollon FC, under Giannis Pathiakakis coaching and thanks to Demis Nikolaidis
Demis Nikolaidis
Themistoklis "Demis" Nikolaidis was the forty second president of AEK Athens F.C., and is considered one of the finest footballers Greece has ever produced. In his early childhood and teenage years he lived in the city of Alexandroupoli, in the north-east part of Greece...
's integral scoring performances, participated after an excellent season in the Greek Cup final, but they lost 7-1 to AEK Athens. After these great seasons, Apollon's glory started to fade and as a result, in 1999/2000 season Apollon was relegated in Beta Ethniki
Beta Ethniki
Football League, former Beta Ethniki, is the second highest professional football league in Greece.-History:In its first years, the system of conduct was very intriguing. It began in 1954 as regional championship, separated in two groups, North and South. Then, the participating teams were the...
, in 2005 relegated to Gamma Ethniki
Gamma Ethniki
Football League 2, formerly known as Gamma Ethniki, is the third highest professional football league in Greece.-History:It began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 1983 it was changed to professional...
(South Group) and in 2007 relegated to Delta Ethniki (Group 8).
Apollon have gone since the 1930s under the nickname "The Light Brigade" (Greek: Ελαφρά Ταξιαρχία), named after the 1936 Hollywood movie release The Charge of the Light Brigade, after winning the 1938 regional Athens championship.
Titles
They have won the Athens championship a few times (1924, 1938, 1948, 1958) but have yet to win a national title.Apollon have been crowned Football League (former Beta Ethniki) champions in 1970, 1973 and 1975.Promoted as 3rd in 1988. Champions of Delta Ethniki in 2010.
They currently play in the Football League 2 (former Gamma Ethniki), Greek Third division.
Trivia
- Apollon have gone since the 1930s under the nickname "The Light Brigade" (Greek: Ελαφρά Ταξιαρχία), named after the 1938 Hollywood movie release The Charge of the Light Brigade, after winning the 1938 regional Athens championship.
- Since 1910 the team's badge was a swastika-like cross. But after the Nazi invasion in Europe it was changed with ApolloApolloApollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
's head for obvious reasons.
- The last time an Apollon FC player was an active member of the Greek national football team was on May 8, 1996 (Demis NikolaidisDemis NikolaidisThemistoklis "Demis" Nikolaidis was the forty second president of AEK Athens F.C., and is considered one of the finest footballers Greece has ever produced. In his early childhood and teenage years he lived in the city of Alexandroupoli, in the north-east part of Greece...
, Greece - Georgia 2-1). Since then, no Apollon FC player is a national football team member.
- Georgios Kamaras StadiumGeorgios Kamaras StadiumGeorgios Kamaras Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Apollon Smyrnis. The stadium holds 14,856 and was built in 1948. It was used by Olympiacos for about 3 years as home ground, due to the construction...
was in bad shape during the 90's, but it was renovated in 2001 by Olympiakos FC. Olympiakos used this stadium as home ground until Georgios Karaiskakis StadiumKaraiskakis StadiumKaraiskakis Stadium is in the Neo Faliro area of Piraeus, Greece. It is the home ground of Olympiacos F.C. and is named after Georgios Karaiskakis , hero of the Greek War of Independence, who was mortally wounded near the area....
was constructed in 2004.
- Shareholder and team president was from the late 70's until 2005 the businessman Kostas Alamanos. He helped Apollon to participate in the UEFA Cup and in the Greek Cup final and for many years, he was the beloved of Apollon fans. But after these successful seasons, Alamanos became Persona non grataPersona non grataPersona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
for Apollon fans mainly because he sold many of the team's best footballers (Demis NikolaidisDemis NikolaidisThemistoklis "Demis" Nikolaidis was the forty second president of AEK Athens F.C., and is considered one of the finest footballers Greece has ever produced. In his early childhood and teenage years he lived in the city of Alexandroupoli, in the north-east part of Greece...
, Blendar Kola and Theofilos Karasavidis) and released most of the remaining team as free agents. The team was unable to recover from these losses, and in 2000 were relegated. That's why Apollon fans are calling Alamanos "The Unmentionable". - Still today Apollon is the 8th team with 37/53 appearances in Superleague Greece.
Current squad
Notable former players
Greece Kostas AntoniouKostas Antoniou
Kostas Antoniou is a former Greek international footballer, playing as a midfielder. He was born in Athens and started his career at Panathinaikos FC during the late 1970s. He was recognized for his offensive talent as well. While playing for Panathinaikos he won four Championships and three Cups...
Christos Ardizoglou
Christos Ardizoglou
Christos Ardizoglou is a former Greek football player. He started his career with Apollon Smyrnis and won several titles in Greece with AEK Athens, for whom he played 291 matches and scored 63 goals in all competitions. His greatest moment was reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1977...
Kostas Chalkias Filipos Darlas
Filipos Darlas
Filippos Darlas is a Greek footballer who most recently played for Atromitos in the Greek Superleague.-Superleague Greece:Darlas began his professional career 1999 in Panetolikos...
Giorgos Kamaras Giorgos Karagounis
Giorgos Karagounis
Giorgos Karagounis is a Greek footballer who currently plays for Panathinaikos . He is best remembered for scoring the first goal of UEFA Euro 2004, a very long range effort that helped his team to win the opening game of the tournament, in which the Greeks surprisingly emerged as champions.His...
Theofilos Karasavidis Thanasis Kolitsidakis
Thanasis Kolitsidakis
Athanasios "Thanasis" Kolitsidakis is a former Greek football defender.Kolitsidakis played most of his career for Apollon Smyrnis, Panathinaikos FC and OFI Crete....
Vasilis Kyriakou Antonis Minou
Antonis Minou
Antonis Minou is a former Greek football player. He played for Almopos, Kastoria, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens and Apollon Smyrnis, as well as for the national team...
Tasos Mitropoulos
Tasos Mitropoulos
Anastassios "Tasos" Mitropoulos is a Greek politician and retired football midfielder.Mitropoulos was born in Volos, and started his football career at local team Aris Petroupoli. In 1976 he joined Ethnikos Piraeus, where he played five seasons...
Demis Nikolaidis
Demis Nikolaidis
Themistoklis "Demis" Nikolaidis was the forty second president of AEK Athens F.C., and is considered one of the finest footballers Greece has ever produced. In his early childhood and teenage years he lived in the city of Alexandroupoli, in the north-east part of Greece...
Giannis Anagnostou Eleftherios Poupakis
Eleftherios Poupakis
Eleftherios Poupakis is a retired Greek footballer.During his career he played for Egaleo F.C., Olympiacos F.C., Panathinaikos FC and Apollon Smyrnis F.C. He earned 6 caps for the Greece national football team, and participated in UEFA Euro 1980.-References:...
Giannis Dontas Giorgos Athanasiadis Mihalis Vlahos Theofilos Karasavidis Aris Karasavidis Kostas Batsinilas Dimos Kavouras Kostas Mavridis Pantelis Konstantinidis
Pantelis Konstantinidis
Pantelis Konstantinidis is a Greek former footballer. He was born in Florina, Greece. Konstantinidis played as a defender or left winger for most of his career, earning the nickname Σβούρας for his quick dribbling in his youth...
Takis Ikonomopoulos
Albania Bledar Kola
Bledar Kola
Bledar Kola is a former Albanian football player.-Early life:Kola originates from Mirdita, Albania, but later moved to Greece where his playing career took off.-Club career:...
Arjan Bellaj
Arjan Bellaj
Arjan Bellaj is a retired Albanian footballer . He spent most of his career in Greece and he gained the Greek nationality....
Argentina Nestor Errea
Bulgaria Ivan Russev
Cameroon Nicolas Dikoume
Nicolas Dikoume
Nicolas Dikoumé is a former professional Cameroonian footballer, who last playing for Canon Yaoundé.-Career:In 2005 after two seasons in Cyprus and seven seasons in Greece, he came he back to his home club Canon Yaoundé....
Czechoslovakia Frantisek Stambacher
Germany Walter Kelsch
Walter Kelsch
Walter Kelsch is a former German footballer.The forward starts his career with TSV Busnau. Then he played for Stuttgarter Kickers and later on for VfB Stuttgart...
Holland René van de Kerkhof
René van de Kerkhof
Reinier "René" Lambertus van de Kerkhof is a former Dutch football player, who played for FC Twente and PSV Eindhoven....
Iran Alireza Mansourian
Alireza Mansourian
Ali Reza Mansourian is an Iranian football coach and retired player. He is current Head Coach of Iran national under-23 football team.-Club career:...
Poland Józef Wandzik
Józef Wandzik
Józef Wandzik is a former Polish association football player, in the goalkeeper position. He was born in Tarnowskie Góry....
Zygmunt Kukla
Zygmunt Kukla
Zygmunt Kukla is a retired Polish footballer. During his club career he played for Stal Mielec and Apollon Athens. He played for the Poland national football team and participated in the 1978 FIFA World Cup.-References:...
Serbia Zoran Ćirić
Zoran Ciric
Zoran Ćirić is a writer from Niš, Serbia. He writes poetry and prose. Nickname is Ćira MagičniĆirić received the NIN award in 2001 for his novel Hobo.- Novels :* Prisluškivanje...
Miloje Petković
Miloje Petković
Miloje Petković is a retired serbian footballer, who played as a midfielder.-Club career:Petković played football with FK Vojvodina in the Yugoslav First League....
Sweden Bjorn Enqvist Goran Trpevski
USA Frank Klopas
Frank Klopas
Fotios "Frank" Klopas is a retired Greek-American soccer forward and midfielder. Klopas is currently the Head Coach for the Chicago Fire...
League statistics
Positioning in Greek league| 1959–60 | 4th | 1969–70 | 1st 2div. | 1979–80 | 17th | 1989–90 | 15th | 1999-00 | 17th rel | 2009–10 | 1st 4div. | |
| 1960–61 | 5th | 1970–71 | 7th | 1980–81 | 12th | 1990–91 | 11th | 2000–01 | 6th 2div. | 2010–11 | 6th 3div. | |
| 1961–62 | 3rd | 1971–72 | 17th rel | 1981–82 | 15th | 1991–92 | 5th | 2001–02 | 12th 2div. | |||
| 1962–63 | 8th | 1972–73 | 1st 2div. | 1982–83 | 12th | 1992–93 | 12th | 2002–03 | 8th 2div. | |||
| 1963–64 | 5th | 1973–74 | 17th rel | 1983–84 | 10th | 1993–94 | 13th | 2003–04 | 10th 2div. | |||
| 1964–65 | 6th | 1974–75 | 1st 2div. | 1984–85 | 11th | 1994–95 | 4th | 2004–05 | 14th rel | |||
| 1965–66 | 10th | 1975–76 | 14th | 1985–86 | 12th | 1995–96 | 11th | 2005–06 | 14th 3div. | |||
| 1966–67 | 12th | 1976–77 | 15th | 1986–87 | 15th rel | 1996–97 | 9th | 2006–07 | 14th rel | |||
| 1967–68 | 12th | 1977–78 | 12th | 1987–88 | 3rd 2div. | 1997–98 | 12th | 2007–08 | 8th 4div. | |||
| 1968–69 | 14th rel | 1978–79 | 10th | 1988–89 | 13th | 1998–99 | 14th | 2008–09 | 2nd 4div. |
European matches
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | UEFA Cup UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... |
1st Round |  Olimpija LjubljanaOlimpija Ljubljana , commonly referred to as NK Olimpija or simply Olimpija, is a Slovenian football club, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Founded on 2 March 2005, under the name of NK Bežigrad, the club regard themselves as the spiritual continuation of the four times Slovenian champions NK Olimpija, who went... |
1–0 | 1-3 |