APOEL FC facts for kids
.svg) |
||||
| Full name | Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias (Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Τhrylos (The Legend) | |||
| Short name | APOEL | |||
| Founded | 8 November 1926 | |||
| Ground | GSP Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 22,859 | |||
| Owner | APOEL Football Limited | |||
| Chairman | Prodromos Petrides | |||
| Manager | Ricardo Sá Pinto | |||
| League | First Division | |||
| 2021–22 | First Division, 3rd | |||
|
||||
APOEL FC is a professional football club from Nicosia, Cyprus. Its full name, Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias, means "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia". APOEL is the most successful football team in Cyprus. They have won 28 national championships, 21 cups, and 13 super cups!
One of APOEL's biggest achievements in European football was in the 2011–12 season. They made it out of their group in the UEFA Champions League, beating big teams like FC Porto. Then, they defeated Olympique Lyonnais to become the first Cypriot team to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
APOEL has also played in the group stages of the Champions League in 2009–10 and 2014–15. They've also been in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League several times. In the 2016–17 season, they reached the last 16 of the Europa League for the first time. APOEL is the only club from Cyprus to reach the group stages and knockout stages of both major UEFA competitions.
APOEL FC is part of a larger sports club that started in 1926. This club has teams for many sports, including basketball, volleyball, and futsal. APOEL was one of the first clubs to help create the Cyprus Football Association.
Contents
History of APOEL FC
How it All Started: 1926–1929
The club began as POEL on November 8, 1926. A group of forty people wanted to create a football club for the Greek people living in Nicosia. They hoped it would show their wish for Cyprus to join Greece. The first president of the club was Giorgos Poulias.
In 1928, after a trip to Egypt, the club decided to add a track and field team. This is when they changed their name to APOEL, with the 'A' standing for 'Athletic'. Soon after, they also started volleyball and table tennis teams.
Winning Titles in the 1930s
Before 1932, there wasn't a country-wide football league in Cyprus. Teams only played friendly matches. In 1932, APOEL won the first unofficial league.
In 1934, APOEL helped create the Cyprus Football Association. This led to an official country-wide league. Two years later, APOEL won its first official championship title! They were very successful, winning five championships in a row from 1936 to 1940.
Changes in 1948
In 1948, some disagreements happened within the club. The club's board sent a message about a conflict happening in Greece. Some members who had different political ideas felt this was wrong. They decided to leave and start a new club, AC Omonia. This new club became APOEL's biggest rival, and their matches are still very exciting today!
Tough Times and European Debut: 1955–1964
From 1955 to 1959, many APOEL athletes and members were involved in the fight for Cyprus's independence from the British. This made it hard for the football team, and they almost got relegated.
But the team quickly became strong again. In 1963, APOEL became the first Cypriot team to play in a European competition. They won their first two matches against a Norwegian team, SK Gjøvik-Lyn. This was a great start! However, they then faced Sporting Clube de Portugal and had a very tough loss, which ended their first European journey.
Success in the 1970s and a Ban in the 1980s
In 1973, APOEL won both the league and the cup in Cyprus. The next year, they were the only Cypriot team to avoid being relegated from the Greek Championship.
The 1980s were not as successful for APOEL. They won only two championships and one cup. In 1986, APOEL was supposed to play a Turkish team, Beşiktaş J.K., in a European competition. But the Cypriot government did not allow APOEL to play. Because of this, UEFA (the European football governing body) banned APOEL from playing in European competitions for a year.
The Unbeaten "Double" in the 1990s
The 1990s were much better for APOEL! They won three championships, five cups, and four super cups. The 1995–96 season was amazing because they won both the league and the cup without losing a single league game! This was a fantastic way to celebrate the club's 70th anniversary.
APOEL FC Becomes a Company
In 1997, APOEL Football (Public) Ltd was created. This meant the football team's activities were managed separately from the rest of the sports club. This change helped the team with its finances. The company manages the football club and also runs the team's shop and website.
Dominance in the 2000s and 2010s
APOEL has been the most successful football team in Cyprus since the year 2000. In just seventeen years, they won twelve championships, four cups, and seven super cups! In the 2013–14 season, they won all three Cypriot trophies: the league, the cup, and the super cup. The next season, they won both the league and the cup again. In the 2016–17 season, APOEL won their fifth league title in a row, matching a club record from 77 years before!
Recent Years: 2020s
The 2020–21 season was a bit tougher for APOEL. They didn't make it to the championship playoffs for the first time ever. In the following season, they finished third, just missing out on qualifying for the Champions League. They ended up playing in the Europa Conference League instead. In the 2022–23 season, they finished second in the championship.
European Adventures
APOEL's journey in European competitions truly began in 2002. They almost made it to the UEFA Champions League group stage and then reached the second round of the UEFA Cup.
Since then, APOEL has qualified for the Champions League group stages four times: in 2009–10, 2011–12, 2014–15, and 2017–18. Their best performance was reaching the quarter-finals in 2011–12.
The team has also played in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League in 2013–14, 2015–16, and 2016–17. In the 2016–17 season, they made it to the last 16 of that competition.
Youth Academy
APOEL has a special youth academy that trains young players for football, basketball, and volleyball. This academy is separate from the main football club. Many talented Cypriot players have come from APOEL's academy. Some famous players who started there include Marinos Satsias, Constantinos Charalambides, and Nektarios Alexandrou. These players have also played for the Cyprus national football team.
Playing in the UEFA Youth League
APOEL's Under-19 team first played in the UEFA Youth League group stage in the 2014–15 season. They played against strong teams like Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. They managed to get one draw against Ajax.
They also played in the UEFA Youth League in the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons. They faced teams from Hungary and Italy, but were eliminated in the early rounds.
Team Colours and Badge
APOEL's team colours are blue and yellow. Blue represents Greece, and yellow represents the Byzantium. The club's logo is a blue and yellow shield with the club's name written across it.
After winning their 20th championship in the 2008–09 season, two stars were added above the logo. Each star represents ten championship titles. The badge itself has stayed the same since the club was founded.
Home Stadium
.jpg)
Since 1999, APOEL's home ground has been the GSP Stadium. It can hold 22,859 fans and is the biggest stadium in Cyprus. APOEL shares this stadium with other local teams, Omonia and Olympiakos Nicosia.
Before the GSP Stadium, APOEL played at the Makario Stadium (from 1978 to 1999) and the old GSP Stadium (before 1978).
Amazing Supporters
APOEL is one of the most popular football teams in Cyprus. Most APOEL fans have right-wing political views, but the main fan groups try to stay away from politics now.
The main supporter group is called PAN.SY.FI. It was started in 1979 and has groups in many cities in Cyprus and other countries. PAN.SY.FI members often wear orange jackets. The club even has the number 79 on one of its shirts to honour PAN.SY.FI, because that's the year the group was founded.
APOEL fans have set some impressive records!
- In the 2010–11 season, they sold 141,268 tickets for home league games.
- The highest average attendance for league games was 9,582 in the 2012–13 season.
- In the 2014–15 season, over 8,000 season tickets were sold.
- The highest home attendance for a Cypriot First Division game was 23,043, for a match against Omonia in 2002.
- For a European game, 22,701 fans watched APOEL play Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League in 2012.
APOEL fans also travel a lot to support their team!
- In 2009, over 6,000 fans went to London to watch APOEL play Chelsea F.C. in the Champions League. This was the biggest number of Cypriot fans to travel away from Cyprus for a game.
- In 2012, over 5,000 fans went to France to support APOEL against Olympique Lyonnais.
- About 4,000 fans traveled to Madrid to see APOEL play Real Madrid C.F. in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2012.
In the 2009–10 season, APOEL sold a total of 244,977 tickets for all their home matches. This is the most tickets ever sold by a Cypriot club in one season!
Rivalries
The Nicosia Derby
The Nicosia derby is a very famous football match played between APOEL and Omonia. It's the biggest rivalry in Cypriot football because both teams are very successful and popular.
This rivalry started in 1948 due to a disagreement within APOEL. Some players and members left to form Omonia. The first derby match was played on December 12, 1953, and it ended in a draw.
Current Squad
APOEL FC has a team of talented players from Cyprus and around the world. They work hard to win games and bring trophies to the club.
Honours
APOEL has won many titles, making them the most successful club in Cyprus!
- Cypriot Championship
- Winners (28) (record): 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1964–65, 1972–73, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1995–96, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
- Cypriot Cup
- Winners (21) (record): 1936–37, 1940–41, 1946–47, 1950–51, 1962–63, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2013–14, 2014–15
- Cypriot Super Cup
- Winners (14): 1963, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2019
Club Records
Here are some of APOEL's impressive records:
- Record League win: 17–1 vs Aris Limassol (1967)
- Record League defeat: 6–1 vs Nea Salamina (1998)
- Record European competition win: 6–0 vs SK Gjøvik-Lyn (1963) and 6–0 vs HB Tórshavn (1997)
- Record European competition defeat: 16–1 vs Sporting CP (1963)
- Most consecutive League games unbeaten: 34 (from 1946 to 1949)
- Most consecutive League games won: 16 (from 2008 to 2009)
- Most League points in a season: 83 (2015–16)
- Most League goals in a season: 91 (2015–16)
- Record average League home attendance: 9,582 (2012–13)
- Record League home attendance: 23,043 vs Omonia (2002)
- Record European competition home attendance: 22,701 vs Olympique Lyonnais (2012)
- Most League appearances for club: 371 by Yiannos Ioannou
- Most League goals for club: 191 by Yiannos Ioannou
- Most European competitions appearances for club: 91 by Nuno Morais
- Most European competitions goals for club: 9 by Aílton José Almeida
Images for kids
-
APOEL FC logo
See also
In Spanish: APOEL de Nicosia para niños
