Athinaikos, officially known as Athinaikos AS FC (Greek: Αθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος - Athinaikos Athlitikos Syllogos), the Athenian Athletic Association, is a Greek

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 is also referred to, unofficially, as Athinaikos Vyronas

Vyronas

Vyronas is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. The city is named after George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, the famous English poet and writer, who is a national hero of Greece...

after the Athens suburb in which the team is based.

History

The club was formed in 1917 and was a foundation member of the Hellenic Football Federation.

At the start of the 1950s, the team was relocated to the suburbs of Vyronas

Vyronas

Vyronas is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. The city is named after George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, the famous English poet and writer, who is a national hero of Greece...

 and merged with Nea Elvetia (Greek: Αθλητική Ένωση Νέας Ελβετίας), the local club, which was formed in 1935. The club was named Athinaikos Neas Elvetias AS (Greek: Αθηναϊκός Νέας Ελβετίας Αθλητικός Σύλλογος), but it was commonly referred to as Athinaikos or AthNE (Greek: AΘ.Ν.Ε.).

The team plays in the municipal stadium of Vyrona, which has a capacity of 4,340 http://www.stadia.gr/vyronas/vyronas-gr.html. The team's nickname is Lords of Byron, a reference to George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron

George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron

George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...

, commonly known as Lord Byron, who fought and died for Greek independence. The area of Vyronas

Vyronas

Vyronas is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. The city is named after George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, the famous English poet and writer, who is a national hero of Greece...

 was named after him as a tribute.

Athinaikos established two more departments of Handball

Team handball

Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...

 and Basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

.

The most historical moment of the club was in season 1991-92 when they played against Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

 in the first round of the Cup Winners' Cup. They drew the first leg 0-0 at home and took the English giants into extra-time at Old Trafford

Old Trafford

Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...

 before losing 2-0.

European matches

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away
1991-92	Cup Winners' Cup	1st Round	Manchester United F.C. Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...	0–0	0–2 (aet)