Super League Greece

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:

• The top four of the Athens FCA Championship: Panathinaikos, Panionios, AEK Athens and Apollon Smyrnis.
• The top four of the Piraeus FCA Championship: Olympiacos, Ethnikos Piraeus, AE Nikaia and Proodeftiki.
• The top four of the Macedonia FCA (Thessaloniki) Championship: Aris, PAOK, Apollon Kalamarias and Iraklis.
• The top two of the North Group of the Regional Championship: Doxa Drama and Megas Alexandros Katerini.
• The first of the two Sub-Groups of the South Regional Championship: Pankorinthiakos and Panegialios.

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 4 clubs face each other in a 6-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.

The bottom 6 clubs face each other in play-outs to decide who gets relegatedtoSuper 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 for the 2024-25 season, is entitled to one entrant into the UEFA Champions League. The reigning champions currently enter the second qualifying round through the champions path. The second-placed team enters the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round. Olympiacos as the 2023-24 UEFA Europa Conference League winner, enters directly the league phase of the UEFA Europa League. Panathinaikos as the 2023-24 Greek Cup winner, enters the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.

The following 14 clubs will compete in the Super League in the 2024–25 season.

Note: Table includes the 2024–25 season.

• 1905–06to1911–12: SEGAS Championship
• 1921–22to1926–27: Greece FCA Championship and in between 1922–23: EPSE Championship

Panhellenic Championship

• Period: From 1927–28to1958–59
• Format: Regional Leagues followed by final stage playoffs between the winners/top ranked teams

National League

• Period: From 1959–60to1978–79
• Format: A national round-robin league tournament with amateur or semi-professional players
• Name: Alpha Ethniki Katigoria (A' National Division)

Professional League

• Period: From 1979–80 to present
• Format: A national round-robin league tournament followed occasionally by playoffs/playouts with professional players
• Name(s): i) From 1979–80to2005–06, Alpha Ethniki Katigoria (A' National Division) ii) From 2006–07to2018–19, Super League Greece iii) From 2019–20 to present, Super League 1 (The use of VAR is established)^[12]

Source: epo.gr, rsssf.org

Source: rsssf.org

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

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

The number of seasons that each team (in alphabetical order) has played in the national top division from 1959–60 until 2024–25. A total of 70 teams had competed at least once in the national league. Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and PAOK are the only teams that have never been relegated and participated in every season since the league's inception in its modern form. The teams in bold will participate in the 2024–25 Super League.

• APOEL avoided relegation in the 1973–74 season, but were forced to play in the Cypriot A Division the following season due to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Hence they are the only team to have played a single season in the Greek league and not been relegated.

The number of seasons that each team (in alphabetical order) has played in the final stage of the Panhellenic Championship (1927–59) and also in the National League (1959–present). A total of 82 teams had competed at least one time. The teams in bold will participate in the 2024–25 Super League.

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.

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 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.

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:^{[citation needed]}

•         Olympiacos received in 2012–13
•     Panathinaikos received in 2009–10
•   AEK received in 1992–93

As of 30 May 2024, the Greek Super League ranks 15th in the UEFA coefficient database, with 31.525 points.

As of 30 May 2024

Nova 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.

From 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.

• Greek football league system
• Greek football champions
• List of Greek football championship top scorers
• Greek Superleague Best Greek Player
• List of foreign football players in Super League Greece
• List of sports attendance figures — the Super League in a global context

• Official website (in English and Greek)
• Super League at Curlie (based on DMOZ)