Super League Greece

The Super League Greece (Greek: Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ), or Super League Interwetten 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. 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.

Super League Greece
Founded1927-1959 by HFF (as Panhellenic Championship)
1959–2006 (as Alpha Ethniki)
2006 - Today (as Super League Greece)
CountryGreece
ConfederationUEFA
Number of teams14[1]
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toSuper League Greece 2
Domestic cup(s)Greek Cup
International cup(s)UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
UEFA Europa Conference League
Current championsOlympiacos (45th title)
(2019–20)
Most championshipsOlympiacos (45 titles)
Most appearancesMimis Domazos (536)
Top goalscorerThomas Mavros (260 goals)
TV partnersNova Sports, (live matches)
Websiteslgr.gr
Current: 2020–21 Super League Greece

As of August 2020, Super League Greece is ranked 18th 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,[2] only six clubs have won the title.

The current champions are Olympiacos, based in Piraeus.

History

Origins

Between 1905 and 1912, a Panhellenic Championship was organised by the Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics (SEGAS). This championship was actually a local tournament among clubs from Athens and Piraeus.

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.

Panhellenic Championship

On November 14, 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.[3]

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.

Α΄ National division

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.

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, which became the champion of Greece for the fourth time in his history. He scored at 79 points with AEK Athens and beat 2–1 in the barrage, a match where he needed only a tie result in the neutral Karaiskakis Stadium. In such a case, after the half-hour extension, the competition announcement set the best goal difference. Through barrage 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 3p the win, 2p the draw, 1p the defeat.

The next years

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.

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.

For a single racing season, 2000–01, the championship is renamed "Upper Category".

Rename

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).

Competition format

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 League.

The bottom 8 clubs face each other in play-outs to decide who gets relegated to Super League 2.[4] 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.

The Super League is currently entitled to two entrants into the UEFA Champions League. The Champion currently enters the third qualifying round through the champion path, while the runners-up enter the second round of the League Path. The three Europa League spots go to the teams that finished 3rd to 5th, with no European berth for the Greek Cup winner.

Clubs

2020–21 season

The following 14 clubs will compete in the Super League 1 during the 2020–21 season.

Club Position
in 2019–20
First season in
top division
Seasons
in top
division
Seasons
in
Super League
Top
division
titles
Last top
division title
AEK Athens3rd1930–317213122017–18
AEL9th1973–74311011987–88
Apollon Smyrnis2nd in the Super League 21927–284140
Aris5th1927–28721131945–46
Asteras Tripolis7th2007–0814140
Atromitos8th1927–2822140
Lamia10th2017–18440
OFI6th1955–5644100
Olympiacos1st1929–308415452019–20
Panathinaikos4th1929–307915202009–10
Panetolikos12th1954–551290
PAS Giannina1st in the Super League 21974–7525100
PAOK2nd1930–31761532018–19
Volos11th2019–20220

Champions

Names of the championship through the years

SEGAS and FCA championships

SEGAS championship
1905–06Ethnikos Athens
1906–07Ethnikos Athens
1907–08Goudi Athens
1908–09Piraikos[5]
1909–10Goudi Athens
1910–11Podosferikos Omilos Athinon
1911–12Goudi Athens[6]
1912–13Not held (First Balkan War)
1913–14Not held (Second Balkan War)
1914–15Not held (WW1)
1915–16Not held (WW1)
1916–17Not finished (WW1)
1917–18Not held (WW1)
1918–19Not held (WW1)
1919–20Not held (WW1)
Greece FCA championship
1922–23Piraikos
1923–243 champions
1924–252 champions
1925–263 champions
1926–273 champions

Greek Championship

Source: epo.gr

Performance by club (1927–)

Club Champions Winning years Ref
Olympiacos 45 1931, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1966, 1967, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 [7][8][9]
Panathinaikos 20 1930, 1949, 1953, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2010 [7][10][11]
AEK 12 1939, 1940, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2018 [7][12]
Aris 3 1928, 1932, 1946 [7]
PAOK 3 1976, 1985, 2019 [7]
AEL 1 1988 [7]

Performance by club (1959–)

* Season 1959–60 marked the beginning of the Alpha Ethniki – the precursor of the current Super League – as a national round-robin tournament.

Club Champions Winning years Ref
Olympiacos 30 1966, 1967, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 [7][8][9]
Panathinaikos 17 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2010 [7][10][11]
AEK 10 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2018 [7][12]
PAOK 3 1976, 1985, 2019 [7]
AEL 1 1988 [7]

Performance by city (1927–)

The six clubs that have won the championship are from a total of four cities:

City Titles Clubs
Piraeus 45 Olympiacos (45)
Athens 32 Panathinaikos (20), AEK Athens (12)
Thessaloniki 6 PAOK (3), Aris (3)
Larissa 1 AEL (1)

Performance by region (1927–)

The six clubs that have won the championship are from a total of three regions:

Region Titles Clubs
Attica 77 Olympiacos (45), Panathinaikos (20), AEK Athens (12)
Central Macedonia 6 PAOK (3), Aris (3)
Thessaly 1 AEL (1)

Statistics

Top three ranking (1959–present)

Club1st2nd3rdTotal
Olympiacos 30 15 9 54
Panathinaikos 17 19 14 50
AEK Athens 10 16 18 44
PAOK 3 7 9 19
AEL 1 1 2
Aris 1 4 5
OFI 1 2 3
Panionios 1 1 2
Apollon Smyrni 1 1
Asteras Tripoli 1 1
Atromitos 1 1
Iraklis 1 1

Seasons in Alpha Ethniki and Super League Greece

The number of seasons that each team (in alphabetical order) has played in the top division from 1959–60 until 2020–21. A total of 70 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 participate in the 2020–21 Super League.

Seasons Clubs
62 Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, PAOK
60 AEK Athens
59 Panionios
56 Aris
53 Iraklis
43 OFI
41 Apollon Smyrnis
36 Ethnikos Piraeus
31 Xanthi, AEL
26 Panachaiki
25 PAS Giannina
24 Panserraikos
23 Egaleo
21 Doxa Drama
20 Apollon Pontus, Atromitos
19 Kavala
18 Levadiakos
17 Veria
16 Ionikos, Pierikos
15 Proodeftiki
14 Asteras Tripolis
11 Panetolikos
10 Kastoria
9 Athinaikos, Ergotelis, Olympiacos Volos
7 Fostiras, Kalamata, Paniliakos, Trikala
6 Niki Volos, Panegialios, Panthrakikos, Platanias
5 Edessaikos, Korinthos, A.O. Kerkyra
4 Akratitos, Ethnikos Asteras, Kallithea, Rodos, Vyzas Megara, Lamia
3 Diagoras, Olympiakos Nicosia, Panelefsiniakos, AEL Kalloni, A.O.K. Kerkyra
2 Chalkidona, Volos N.F.C.
1 AEL Limassol, AE Nikaia, APOEL*, Atromitos Piraeus, Chalkida, EPA Larnaca,
Makedonikos, Megas Alexandros Katerini, Naoussa, Olympiacos Chalkida,
Omonia Nicosia, Pankorinthiakos, Thermaikos, Thrasyvoulos

Top Division Table (since 1959–60)

This index is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in Alpha Ethniki and Super League championships since 1959–60. The table is correct as of the end of the 2018–19 season. Points are based on 3–1–0 and no deductions are counted.

Pos Team Seasons Points Played Won Drawn Lost G.F. G.A. G.D. 1 2 3 1st App Since/Last App Best
1Olympiacos61406119441292400258391214372475301591959–601959–601
2Panathinaikos613793194411954373123670153121991719141959–601959–601
3AEK Athens593536187610954363443449162718221017191959–602015–161
4PAOK61331319449515014833000189211083791959–601959–601
5Aris552567175669748657321701936234141959–602018–192
6Panionios582464184063648771721772312−135211959–602019–202
7Iraklis5324011686623469594209920118811959–602015–163
8OFI411606131848730652516441735−91121968–692018–192
9Apollon Smyrnis401491129638234556913701708−33811959–602020–213
10Ethnikos Piraeus361394116435632648213051552−2471959–601998–994

Per geographic region

All 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 26 clubs overall, of which 21 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 73 clubs have participated at the first tier so far.

Regions Τotal Teams
Central Greece 26 Attica: Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens, Panionios, Apollon Smyrnis, Ethnikos Piraeus, Egaleo, Ionikos, Atromitos, Proodeftiki, Athinaikos, Fostiras, Akratitos, Ethnikos Asteras, Kallithea, Vyzas Megara, Panelefsiniakos, Chalkidona, AE Nikaia, Atromitos Piraeus, Thrasyvoulos
Euboea: Chalkida, Olympiacos Chalkida
Boeotia: Levadiakos
Aetolia-Acarnania: Panetolikos
Phthiotis: Lamia
Macedonia 15 Central Macedonia: PAOK, Aris, Iraklis, Panserraikos, Apollon Pontus, Pierikos, Veria, Edessaikos, Makedonikos, Megas Alexandros Katerini, Naoussa, Thermaikos
East Macedonia: Doxa Drama, Kavala
West Macedonia: Kastoria
Peloponnese 7 Panachaiki, Asteras Tripolis, Kalamata, Paniliakos, Panegialios, Korinthos, Pankorinthiakos
Cyprus 5 Olympiakos Nicosia, AEL Limassol, APOEL, EPA Larnaca, Omonia Nicosia
Thessaly 5 AEL, Olympiacos Volos, Trikala, Niki Volos, Volos N.F.C.
Crete 3 OFI, Ergotelis, Platanias
Aegean Islands 3 Rodos, Diagoras, AEL Kalloni
Thrace 2 Xanthi, Panthrakikos
Ionian Islands 2 A.O. Kerkyra, PAE Kerkyra
Epirus 1 PAS Giannina

Top scorers and appearances

Most appearances
RankNameAppearancesTeams
1Mimis Domazos536Panathinaikos, AEK Athens
2Nikos Nioplias509OFI, Panathinaikos, Chalkidona
3Giorgos Koudas504PAOK
4Thomas Mavros501Panionios, AEK Athens
5Savvas Kofidis493Iraklis, Olympiacos, Aris
6Mimis Papaioannou480AEK Athens
Stathis Chaitas480Panionios, AEL
8Giorgos Skartados478Rodos, PAOK, Iraklis, Olympiacos
9Georgios Georgiadis476Doxa Drama, Panathinaikos, PAOK, Olympiacos, Iraklis
10Dinos Kouis473Aris
11Tasos Mitropoulos458Ethnikos Piraeus, Olympiacos, AEK Athens, Apollon Smyrnis, Iraklis, Veria
12Elias Yfantis457Olympiacos
13Takis Nikoloudis453Iraklis, AEK Athens, Olympiacos, Apollon Pontus
14Angelos Kremmydas448Ethnikos Piraeus, Panachaiki
15Stelios Manolas447AEK Athens
16Dimitris Saravakos443Panionios, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens
17Theodoros Pahatouridis434Doxa Drama, Olympiacos, Ionikos
18Giorgos Dedes429Panionios, AEK Athens
19Giannis Gounaris426PAOK, Olympiacos
20Michalis Kritikopoulos422Panegialios, Ethnikos Piraeus, Olympiacos, Apollon Smyrnis
Foreign players
1Krzysztof Warzycha390Panathinaikos
2Predrag Đorđević375Paniliakos, Olympiacos
3Toni Savevski357AEK Athens
4Daniel Batista316Ethnikos Piraeus, Olympiacos, AEK Athens, Aris
5Noni Lima291Panionios
Most goals
RankNameGoalsTeams
1Thomas Mavros260AEK Athens, Panionios
2Krzysztof Warzycha245Panathinaikos
3Mimis Papaioannou234AEK Athens
4Giorgos Sideris224Olympiacos
5Antonis Antoniadis187Panathinaikos, Olympiacos
6Alexandros Alexandris186Veria, AEK Athens, Olympiacos, AEL, Kallithea
7Dimitris Saravakos186Panionios, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens
8Giorgos Dedes181Panionios, AEK Athens
9Nikos Anastopoulos179Panionios, Olympiacos, Ionikos
10Michalis Kritikopoulos175Panegialios, Ethnikos Piraeus, Olympiacos
11Nikos Lyberopoulos167Kalamata, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens
12Demis Nikolaidis163Apollon Smyrnis, AEK Athens
13Dinos Kouis142Aris
14Kostas Nestoridis140AEK Athens
15Mimis Domazos139Panathinaikos, AEK Athens
16Georgios Georgiadis137Doxa Drama, Panathinaikos, PAOK, Olympiacos, Iraklis
17Stavros Sarafis136PAOK
Dimitris Salpingidis136PAOK, Panathinaikos
19Giorgos Koudas134PAOK

Golden Star

Based 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:

Greek football clubs in European competitions

European Cup / UEFA Champions League

Club Champions Finalist Semi-finalist Quarterfinalist
Panathinaikos 1971 1985, 1996 1992, 2002
AEK Athens 1969
Olympiacos 1999

UEFA Cup / Europa League

Club Champions Finalist Semi-finalist Quarterfinalist
AEK Athens 1977
Panathinaikos 1988, 2003

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Club Champions Finalist Semi-finalist Quarterfinalist
AEK Athens 1997, 1998
PAOK 1974
AEL 1985
Olympiacos 1993
Panionios 1999

UEFA ranking

Country rankings

As of 18 July 2019, the Greek Super League ranks 16th in the UEFA coefficient database, with 21.400 points.

Rank Competition Points
1 La Liga85.640
2 Premier League74.176
3 Bundesliga58.355
4 Serie A58.010
5 Ligue 149.582
6 Russian Premier League42.216
7 Portuguese Liga39.949
8 Belgian First Division31.100
9 Ukrainian Premier League29.700
10 Süper Lig29.400
11 Austrian Bundesliga27.925
12 Eredivisie26.350
13 Czech First League24.800
14 Danish Superliga24.375
15 Cypriot First Division22.625
16 Super League Greece21.400
17 Prva HNL20.750
18 Serbian SuperLiga20.500
19 Swiss Super League20.000
20 Scottish Premiership19.875

Club rankings

As of 30 August 2019
Rank Club Points
35Olympiacos37.000
66PAOK21.000
84AEK Athens16.500
203Panathinaikos5.020
203Atromitos5.020
203Asteras Tripolis5.020
203Aris5.020
203Panionios5.020
203PAS Giannina5.020

Broadcasting rights

Nova Sports (premium channel) have taken the broadcasting rights for the all teams of the Super League.

Eurosport has pan-European broadcasting rights for the Super League (except Greece and Portugal).

Sponsorship

From 2007 to 2017, the Super League had title sponsorship rights sold to one company, which were OPAP. From 2017 until today, 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 Molten who have had the contract since the 2019–20 season when they took over from Adidas. Also, Panini has held the licence to produce collectables for the Super League since 2008 (except 2018–19 season), including stickers (for their sticker album) and trading cards.

Period Sponsor Name
2007–2017OPAPSuper League OPAP
2017–2019SourotiSuper League Souroti
2020–InterwettenSuper League Interwetten

See also

References

  1. https://www.sport24.gr/football/ellada/SuperLeague/h-voylh-yperpshfise-thn-anadiarthrwsh-twn-epaggelmatikwn-kathgoriwn.5511592.html
  2. "List of Greek champions" (in Greek). Hellenic Football Federation. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  3. https://www.epo.gr/Default.aspx?a_id=25295
  4. "Football League". Epae.org. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  5. Astrachan, Αναρτήθηκε από. "Greeksporhistory: Η ιστορια του Ελληνικου ποδοσφαιρου".
  6. http://www.rsssf.com/tablesg/grkprehist.html
  7. Kárpáti, Tamás; Schöggl, Hans. "List of Greece championships". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  8. "Olympiacos F.C. history". olympiacos.org. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  9. "Olympiacos profile". FIFA.com. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  10. "Panathinaikos F.C. trophies". pao.gr. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  11. "Panathinaikos FC profile". uefa.com. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  12. "AEK honours". aekfc.gr. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
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