Panionios F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Panionios

Full name	Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης Paniónios Gymnastikós Sýllogos Smýrnis (Pan-Ionian Gymnastic Club of Smyrna)
Nickname(s)	Κυανέρυθροι (Red and blue) Ιστορικός (Historic) Πάνθηρες (Panthers)
Founded	14 September 1890; 134 years ago (1890-09-14) (as Orpheus Smyrni)
Ground	Nea Smyrni Stadium
Ground Capacity	11,700
Owner	Kostas Rouptsos
Chairman	Nikitas Vellis
Manager	Antonis Nikopolidis
League	Super League Greece 2
2023–24	Gamma Ethniki (Group 4), 1st (promoted)
Home colours Away colours

Panionios G.S.S. Football Club, often called Panionios F.C. or just Panionios, is a famous Greek football team. Its full name means "Pan-Ionian Gymnastic Club of Smyrna". The club is based in Nea Smyrni, a town near Athens, Greece.

Panionios is the oldest Greek football club, founded way back in 1890. It started in İzmir (Smyrna) in the Ottoman Empire. After a war, the club moved to Athens.

This historic team has won the Greek Football Cup twice, in 1979 and 1998. They also finished second in the Greek Championship in 1951 and 1971. Panionios won the 1971 Balkans Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1998–99.

Today, the team plays in the Super League Greece 2, which is the second-highest football league in Greece. Their home games are played at Nea Smyrni Stadium, which can hold 11,700 fans.

History of Panionios

How it all started

The club began in 1890 in İzmir (Smyrna), a city with many Greek people. It was first called the "Orpheus Music and Sports Club." In 1893, some members who loved sports created a separate group, the "Gymnasion Club." They started holding sports events every year.

In 1898, Orpheus and Gymnasion joined together to form Panionios GSS. Members of Panionios even represented Greece in international track and field games. These games later grew into the modern Olympic Games.

Moving to Athens

After a war in 1922, the club had to move. It first went to Athens and then to a suburb called New Smyrna. Many people from Smyrna settled there.

Panionios has always supported many different sports. In 1925, it was the first Greek club to create a track and field team for women. Panionios also helped introduce basketball and volleyball to Greek sports.

Over time, men's football and basketball became professional sports. So, Panionios FC and Panionios BC became private clubs. They still worked under the main "amateur sports" club, Panionios GSS. Panionios is the only sports club in Greece to receive the Golden Cross award. This award recognizes the club's long and important contributions to Greek sports.

Recent Achievements

Panionios has spent most of its history in the top Greek football league. They have only been out of the top division twice in over 100 years. The team often achieved high rankings. In 1971, they finished second in the league.

Eight years later, on June 9, 1979, Panionios won the Greek Football Cup for the first time. They beat AEK Athens 3–1 in the final.

Alexandros Tziolis

Panionios helped develop many great Greek football players. In the 1980s, three major strikers came from the club: Nikos Anastopoulos, Thomas Mavros, and Dimitris Saravakos. In the 1990s, players like Nikos Tsiantakis and Takis Fyssas also started at Panionios. Fyssas even became a member of the Greece national football team. In the 2000s, five more national team players came from the club. These included Alexandros Tziolis, Evangelos Mantzios, Nikos Spiropoulos, Grigoris Makos, and Giannis Maniatis.

The club faced money problems in the 1990s. This caused their league performance to drop. However, they still managed to win the Greek Football Cup in 1998. The next year, they did well in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, reaching the quarter-finals. In 2001, the club's ownership changed. It was renamed Neos Panionios FC to avoid being moved down to a lower league.

The Tsakiris Era

Álvaro Recoba

In 2004, a shipowner named Constantinos Tsakiris became president of the main Panionios GSS club. Under his leadership, the women's basketball team won the championship in 2006. This was the club's first team sport championship. The women's volleyball team also moved up to the first division.

In 2006, Tsakiris bought most of the Neos Panionios FC shares. He changed the club's name back to the original Panionios GSS FC. He hired German coach Ewald Lienen, who helped the team reach the top 5 in the Greek Super League. This allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup.

Tsakiris also had big plans to build a new, modern sports complex. This complex would include a 12,000-seat football stadium. It would also have facilities for basketball, volleyball, swimming, track & field, and more.

In 2008, the club signed famous players like Álvaro Recoba and Fabián Estoyanoff. The club also built its own training facility near Athens in Koropi. This training ground was fully finished in 2009.

Panionios Stadium

Nea Smyrni Stadium, West Stand

In November 1937, the leaders of Panionios G.S.S. and the city of Nea Smyrni agreed to move the club to Nea Smyrni. This Athens suburb was home to many Greek refugees from İzmir, the club's original city. Building work on the new stadium began in 1938 and finished a year later.

The first football matches were played in the summer of 1940. The money earned from these games helped repair a Greek warship damaged in World War II. In September 1940, Panionios G.S.S. celebrated its 50th birthday and the completion of the new stadium. The stadium has been used by Panionios clubs and sports teams for over 70 years.

Improvements were made in 2001 and 2003. These included adding a cafeteria, a Panionios G.S.S. sports shop, and better facilities for the press, offices, medical staff, and players. A roof was also added over one side of the stadium. In 2009, an electronic ticketing system was installed to make games safer.

Even with these upgrades, many fans and the club's management believe the old stadium is not good enough. It doesn't offer enough services for fans. There are also safety worries because the stadium doesn't have enough entry and exit points for emergencies.

The most people ever at the stadium was in 1974, when 20,950 fans watched a game against Panathinaikos. After seats were added, the stadium's capacity was reduced. Still, many matches have been sold out, especially European games. The most recent sold-out game was against Panathinaikos in 2008.

Besides Panionios G.S.S. and its youth teams, the stadium has been used for track and field events. The Greece National Under-21 football team and Greece National Under-23 football team have also played there many times. Because many stadiums were closed for renovations for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the Nea Smyrni stadium was used by other football clubs. These included AEK Athens and Olympiacos. It also hosted the 2004 Greek Cup final.

The stadium is in a busy area, so it's rarely used for concerts. The most famous concert there was Metallica's first show in Greece on June 27, 1993.

Team Crest and Colours

Club Crest

The first symbol of Panionios in Smyrna was a picture of Nike, the goddess of victory. In the mid-1990s, a new symbol was used. It had blue and red stripes, with the Greek flag and an ancient Greek column design. This showed the club's Greek and Ionian roots.

Later, the classic club symbol was brought back. This is the symbol the club uses now. It's a shield with the team's colors, blue and red. These colors were used by Greeks in the Ottoman Empire for many events.

Team Colours

Panionios' main colours are blue and red. White is also used, often as a trim or an alternative colour.

The team's jerseys used to have a special diagonal stripe. You can still see this stripe on the team's crest today.

1908

1924

1930

2012

2013–14 (A)

2014–15 (A)

2016–17

Panionios also has sponsors:

• Main Shirt Sponsor: Car.gr
• Official Sportswear Maker: Luanvi
• Golden Sponsor: Funky Buddha

Team Support

In 1983, a group of fans called "Panthers" started in Nea Smyrni. They wanted to do something special for Panionios at the stadium. The name "Panthers" was chosen for their fan club. The club officially recognized the Panthers as an organized fan group.

After 2003, the Panthers faced some challenges with the club's management at the time. This led to difficulties for their club. However, after 2006, the Panthers got a space inside the stadium from the new management. This is where their club is located now.

The Panthers Club 1983 has official friendships with fans of the Italian club Genoa and the Holmesdale Fanatics from the English club Crystal Palace. In Greece, they have a strong bond with Niki Volos fans. This is because Niki Volos shares a similar history as a refugee club.

The Panthers also have good relationships with the Basso Rango Ultras of Apollon Smyrnis. There is also a long-standing respect between fans of PAOK and Panionios since 1999. They also have good communication with the Warriors – Gate 6 of Panetolikos.

The Panthers Club 1983 does a lot of good work in the community. They have grown their social activities a lot recently. They also honor Dimitros Dallas, who helped keep the team alive after it moved from Smyrna to Athens.

Current Players

Team Roster

No. Position Player 1 GK Nikos Giannakopoulos 2 MF Konstantinos Christopoulos 3 DF Konstantinos Dionellis 5 DF Anastasios Avlonitis 6 DF Anio Poçi 7 MF Dimitris Kolovos 8 MF Georgios Stoupis 9 FW Felipe Felicio 10 MF Dimitrios Grontis 11 MF León Piergiácomi 12 DF Michalis Bousis 14 FW Giannis Alexandrakis 15 MF Jacques Alberto Ngwem 17 MF Giannis Bourlakis

No. Position Player 18 DF Konstantinos Tsimidopoulos 19 MF Georgios Gemistos 21 FW Vangelis Nikokyrakis 22 MF Damian Gjini 24 DF Theodoros Zoulias 26 MF Denis Cheryshev 29 MF Nicolás Czornomaz 47 DF Jon Prifti 66 GK Dimitrios Skafidas 69 GK Konstantinos Tsogas 77 DF Spyros Vernardos 80 MF Alexandros Lafkas 92 FW Sebá 98 DF Jakub Hrustinec

Club Honours

National Trophies

• First Division
  • Second Place (2): 1950–51, 1970–71
• Second Division
  • Winners (1): 1996–97
• Third Division
  • Winners (1): 2023–24
• Fourth Division
  • Winners (1): 2020–21
• Greek Cup
  • Winners (2): 1978–79, 1997–98
  • Runners-up: 1951–52, 1960–61, 1966–67, 1988–89
• Athens FCA Championship
  • Winners (1): 1950–51

International Trophies

• Balkans Cup
  • Winners (1): 1970–71
  • Runners-up (1): 1985–86
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  • Quarter-finals (1): 1998–99

Panionios Seasons in the 21st Century

Best position in bold.

Key: 3R = Third Round, 4R = Fourth Round, 5R = Fifth Round, GS = Group Stage, QF = Quarter-finals, SF = Semi-finals.

European Matches Played

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away
1964–65	Rapan Cup	Group C1	Malmö FF	1–1	1–5
			Dinamo Zagreb	2–2*
			Toulouse	0–3*
1969–70	Inter-Cities Fairs Cup	1st Round	Hansa Rostock	2–0	0–3
UEFA Competitions
1971–72	UEFA Cup	1st Round	Atlético Madrid	1–0	1–2
		2nd Round	Ferencváros	0–2	0–6
1979–80	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1st Round	Twente	4–0	1–3
		2nd Round	IFK Göteborg	1–0	0–2
1987–88	UEFA Cup	1st Round	Toulouse	0–1	1–5
1998–99	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1st Round	FC Haka	2–0	3–1
		2nd Round	Apollon Limassol	3–2	1–0
		Quarter-finals	Lazio	0–4	0–3
2003–04	UEFA Cup	1st Round	FC Nordsjælland	2–1	1–0
		2nd Round	Barcelona	0–3	0–2
2004–05	UEFA Cup	1st Round	Udinese	3–1	0–1
		Group stage	Newcastle United	0–1		4th
			Sporting CP		1–4
			Dinamo Tbilisi	5–2
			Sochaux		0–1
2007–08	UEFA Cup	1st Round	Sochaux	0–1	2–0
		Group stage	Helsingborgs IF		1–1	4th
			Galatasaray	0–3
			Austria Wien		1–0
			Bordeaux	2–3
2008	UEFA Intertoto Cup	2nd round	OFK Beograd	3–1	0–1
		3rd round	Napoli	0–1	0–1
2017–18	UEFA Europa League	2nd qualifying round	ND Gorica	2–0	3–2
		3rd qualifying round	Maccabi Tel Aviv	0–1	0–1

• In the summer of 1964, Panionios played in the Rapan Cup. They took the place of Olympiacos FC. Panionios had three games: two at home and one away against Malmo. The away game against Toulouse, which Olympiacos refused to play, ended 3–0 for the French team.
• Panionios' journeys in European competitions are very important in their history.

Panionios in European Competitions

See also

In Spanish: Panionios de Atenas para niños

• Panionios G.S.S.
• Panionios B.C.
• Panionios Women's Basketball
• Panionios V.C.
• Panionios Water Polo Club
• Nea Smyrni Stadium