Super League Greece
The Super League Greece or Super League 1, 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.
As of September 2019, Super League Greece is ranked 15th 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, 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. 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 and the Macedonia FCA. 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 and Piraeus FCA following a dispute.
In 1927, a national championship was organised in the form of a round-robin tournament between the champions of the three governing bodies. Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and AEK Athens refused to participate and Aris won the first title, finishing ahead of Ethnikos Piraeus and Atromitos. This national championship was set up again in 1929, and over the next years evolved into a tournament in which multiple teams took part. Still, these teams had to qualify for the national championship through their local football competitions.
Foundation
In 1959 the Alpha Ethniki - the precursor of the current Super League - was set up as a national round-robin tournament.The 1959–60 championship was the first to be held in national form after several months of talks. 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 category 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 was obliged to proceed to the abolition of the competitions of the Football Clubs Associations of Greece as qualifying stages for the Pan-Hellenic Championship. The first place was taken by Alpha Ethniki, a single category 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 category program 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 category and not the participation in the final round of the current championship, so their significance was significantly reduced.
On Saturday, October 10, 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 and representatives of the Karamanlis government, became the first national category of Greek football. The 1st game was set for 15 days.
According to the general Assembly of HFF in 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, October 10, 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 first championship
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 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.
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 90's 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. The Association of Football Incorporated Companies, 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 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 and the supreme international football confederations.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. 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 runner-ups 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
2019–20 season
The following 14 clubs will compete in the Super League 1 during the 2019–20 season.| Club | Position in 2018–19 | First season in top division | Seasons in top division | Seasons in Super League | Top division titles | Last top division title |
| AEK Athens | 3rd | 1930–31 | 71 | 12 | 12 | 2017–18 |
| AEL | 10th | 1973–74 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 1987–88 |
| Aris | 5th | 1927–28 | 71 | 10 | 3 | 1945–46 |
| Asteras Tripolis | 11th | 2007–08 | 13 | 13 | 0 | — |
| Atromitos | 4th | 1927–28 | 21 | 13 | 0 | — |
| Lamia | 7th | 2017–18 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| OFI | 13th | 1955–56 | 43 | 9 | 0 | — |
| Olympiacos | 2nd | 1929–30 | 83 | 14 | 45 | 2019–20 |
| Panathinaikos | 8th | 1929–30 | 78 | 14 | 20 | 2009–10 |
| Panetolikos | 9th | 1954–55 | 11 | 8 | 0 | — |
| Panionios | 6th | 1959–60 | 64 | 14 | 0 | — |
| PAOK | 1st | 1930–31 | 75 | 14 | 3 | 2018–19 |
| Volos | 1st in the Football League | 2019–20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Xanthi | 12th | 1989–90 | 31 | 14 | 0 | — |
- Apollon Smyrnis, Levadiakos and PAS Giannina were relegated to the Super League 2 for the 2019–20 season, while Volos, as winners, were promoted from the 2018–19 Football League season.
Champions
Names of the championship through the years
- 1905–06 to 1926–27: SEGAS Championship and Greece FCA Championship
- 1927–28 to 1958–59: HFF Panhellenic Championship
- 1959–60 to 2005–06: Alpha Ethniki
- 2006–07 to present: Super League Greece
SEGAS and FCA championships
Greek Championship
Panhellenic Championship- 1927–28 Aris
- 1928–29 Not held
- 1929–30 Panathinaikos
- 1930–31 Olympiacos
- 1931–32 Aris
- 1932–33 Olympiacos
- 1933–34 Olympiacos
- 1934–35 Not finished
- 1935–36 Olympiacos
- 1936–37 Olympiacos
- 1937–38 Olympiacos
- 1938–39 AEK
- 1939–40 AEK
- 1940–41 Not finished
- 1941–42 Not held
- 1942–43 Not finished
- 1943–44 Not held
- 1944–45 Not held
- 1945–46 Aris
- 1946–47 Olympiacos
- 1947–48 Olympiacos
- 1948–49 Panathinaikos
- 1949–50 Not Held
- 1950–51 Olympiacos
- 1951–52 Not Held
- 1952–53 Panathinaikos
- 1953–54 Olympiacos
- 1954–55 Olympiacos
- 1955–56 Olympiacos
- 1956–57 Olympiacos
- 1957–58 Olympiacos
- 1958–59 Olympiacos
- 1959–60 Panathinaikos
- 1960–61 Panathinaikos
- 1961–62 Panathinaikos
- 1962–63 AEK
- 1963–64 Panathinaikos
- 1964–65 Panathinaikos
- 1965–66 Olympiacos
- 1966–67 Olympiacos
- 1967–68 AEK
- 1968–69 Panathinaikos
- 1969–70 Panathinaikos
- 1970–71 AEK
- 1971–72 Panathinaikos
- 1972–73 Olympiacos
- 1973–74 Olympiacos
- 1974–75 Olympiacos
- 1975–76 PAOK
- 1976–77 Panathinaikos
- 1977–78 AEK
- 1978–79 AEK
- 1979–80 Olympiacos
- 1980–81 Olympiacos
- 1981–82 Olympiacos
- 1982–83 Olympiacos
- 1983–84 Panathinaikos
- 1984–85 PAOK
- 1985–86 Panathinaikos
- 1986–87 Olympiacos
- 1987–88 AEL
- 1988–89 AEK
- 1989–90 Panathinaikos
- 1990–91 Panathinaikos
- 1991–92 AEK
- 1992–93 AEK
- 1993–94 AEK
- 1994–95 Panathinaikos
- 1995–96 Panathinaikos
- 1996–97 Olympiacos
- 1997–98 Olympiacos
- 1998–99 Olympiacos
- 1999–00 Olympiacos
- 2000–01 Olympiacos
- 2001–02 Olympiacos
- 2002–03 Olympiacos
- 2003–04 Panathinaikos
- 2004–05 Olympiacos
- 2005–06 Olympiacos
- 2006–07 Olympiacos
- 2007–08 Olympiacos
- 2008–09 Olympiacos
- 2009–10 Panathinaikos
- 2010–11 Olympiacos
- 2011–12 Olympiacos
- 2012–13 Olympiacos
- 2013–14 Olympiacos
- 2014–15 Olympiacos
- 2015–16 Olympiacos
- 2016–17 Olympiacos
- 2017–18 AEK
- 2018–19 PAOK
- 2019–20 Olympiacos
Performance by club (1927–)
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 | |
| 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 | |
| Panathinaikos | 17 | 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2010 | |
| AEK | 10 | 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2018 | |
| PAOK | 3 | 1976, 1985, 2019 | |
| AEL | 1 | 1988 |
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 |
| Athens | 32 | Panathinaikos, AEK Athens |
| Thessaloniki | 6 | PAOK, Aris |
| Larissa | 1 | AEL |
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, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens |
| Central Macedonia | 6 | PAOK, Aris |
| Thessaly | 1 | AEL |
Statistics
Top three ranking (1959–)
Seasons in Alpha Ethniki and Super League Greece
The number of seasons that each team has played in the top division from 1959–60 until 2019–20. 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 |
| 61 | Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, PAOK |
| 59 | AEK Athens, Panionios |
| 55 | Aris |
| 53 | Iraklis |
| 42 | OFI |
| 40 | Apollon Smyrnis |
| 36 | Ethnikos Piraeus |
| 31 | Xanthi |
| 30 | AEL |
| 26 | Panachaiki |
| 24 | Panserraikos, PAS Giannina |
| 23 | Egaleo |
| 21 | Doxa Drama |
| 20 | Apollon Pontus |
| 19 | Kavala, Atromitos |
| 18 | Levadiakos |
| 17 | Veria |
| 16 | Ionikos, Pierikos |
| 15 | Proodeftiki |
| 13 | Asteras Tripolis |
| 10 | Kastoria, Panetolikos |
| 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 |
| 3 | Diagoras, Olympiakos Nicosia, Panelefsiniakos, AEL Kalloni, A.O.K. Kerkyra, Lamia |
| 2 | Chalkidona |
| 1 | AEL Limassol, AE Nikaia, APOEL*, Atromitos Piraeus, Chalkida, EPA Larnaca, Makedonikos, Megas Alexandros Katerini, Naoussa, Olympiacos Chalkida, Omonia Nicosia, Pankorinthiakos, Thermaikos, Thrasyvoulos, Volos |
- 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.
Top Division Table (since 1959–60)
| 1 | Olympiacos | 60 | 3970 | 1908 | 1264 | 387 | 257 | 3838 | 1421 | 2417 | 29 | 15 | 9 | 1959–60 | 1959–60 | 1 |
| 2 | AEK Athens | 58 | 3735 | 1919 | 1180 | 402 | 337 | 3501 | 1674 | 1827 | 10 | 17 | 19 | 1959–60 | 2015–16 | 1 |
| 3 | Panathinaikos | 60 | 3647 | 1908 | 1075 | 529 | 304 | 3427 | 1599 | 1628 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 1959–60 | 1959–60 | 1 |
| 4 | PAOK | 60 | 3240 | 1908 | 930 | 500 | 478 | 2942 | 1863 | 1079 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 1959–60 | 1959–60 | 1 |
| 5 | Aris | 54 | 2525 | 1720 | 687 | 474 | 559 | 2122 | 1875 | 224 | – | 1 | 4 | 1959–60 | 2018–19 | 2 |
| 6 | Panionios | 58 | 2464 | 1840 | 636 | 487 | 717 | 2177 | 2312 | –135 | – | 2 | 1 | 1959–60 | 2019–20 | 2 |
| 7 | Iraklis | 53 | 2401 | 1686 | 623 | 469 | 594 | 2099 | 2011 | 88 | – | – | 1 | 1959–60 | 2015–16 | 3 |
| 8 | OFI | 41 | 1606 | 1318 | 487 | 306 | 525 | 1644 | 1735 | –91 | – | 1 | 2 | 1968–69 | 2015–16 | 2 |
| 9 | Apollon Smyrnis | 40 | 1491 | 1296 | 382 | 345 | 569 | 1370 | 1708 | –338 | – | – | 1 | 1959–60 | 2018–19 | 3 |
| 10 | Ethnikos Piraeus | 36 | 1394 | 1164 | 356 | 326 | 482 | 1305 | 1552 | –247 | – | – | – | 1959–60 | 1998–99 | 4 |
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 |
| Crete | 3 | OFI, Ergotelis, Platanias |
| Aegean Islands | 3 | Rodos, Diagoras, AEL Kalloni |
| Thrace | 2 | Xanthi, Panthrakikos |
| Epirus | 1 | PAS Giannina |
| Ionian Islands | 1 | Kerkyra |
Top scorers and appearances
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:
- Olympiacos received in 2012–13
- Panathinaikos received in 2009–10
- AEK Athens received in 1992–93
Greek football clubs in European competitions
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
| Club | Champions | Finalist | Semifinalist | Quarterfinalist |
| Panathinaikos | — | 1971 | 1985, 1996 | 1992, 2002 |
| AEK Athens | — | — | — | 1969 |
| Olympiacos | — | — | — | 1999 |
UEFA Cup / Europa League
| Club | Champions | Finalist | Semifinalist | Quarterfinalist |
| AEK Athens | — | — | 1977 | — |
| Panathinaikos | — | — | — | 1988, 2003 |
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
| Club | Champions | Finalist | Semifinalist | 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 Liga | 85.640 |
| 2 |  Premier League | 74.176 |
| 3 |  Bundesliga | 58.355 |
| 4 |  Serie A | 58.010 |
| 5 |  Ligue 1 | 49.582 |
| 6 |  Russian Premier League | 42.216 |
| 7 |  Portuguese Liga | 39.949 |
| 8 |  Belgian First Division | 31.100 |
| 9 |  Ukrainian Premier League | 29.700 |
| 10 |  Süper Lig | 29.400 |
| 11 |  Austrian Bundesliga | 27.925 |
| 12 |  Eredivisie | 26.350 |
| 13 |  Czech First League | 24.800 |
| 14 |  Danish Superliga | 24.375 |
| 15 |  Cypriot First Division | 22.625 |
| 16 |  Super League Greece | 21.400 |
| 17 |  Prva HNL | 20.750 |
| 18 |  Serbian SuperLiga | 20.500 |
| 19 |  Swiss Super League | 20.000 |
| 20 |  Scottish Premiership | 19.875 |
Club rankings
| Rank | Club | Points |
| 35 | Olympiacos | 37.000 |
| 66 | PAOK | 21.000 |
| 84 | AEK Athens | 16.500 |
| 203 | Panathinaikos | 5.020 |
| 203 | Atromitos | 5.020 |
| 203 | Asteras Tripolis | 5.020 |
| 203 | Aris | 5.020 |
| 203 | Panionios | 5.020 |
| 203 | PAS Giannina | 5.020 |
Broadcasting rights
have taken the broadcasting rights for the home games of nine teams of the Super League. The teams are AEK Athens, AEL, Aris, Asteras Tripolis, OFI, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Panionios and Volos.On August 9, 2018, a two-year contract with the management of the Super League is signed by ERT. The contract provides for the coverage of 105 matches in the first season, with provision for coverage of the 2019–20 season, alongside the restructuring of professional football categories of Greece.
The contract covers the broadcasting of the home games of Atromitos, Lamia, Panetolikos and Xanthi. The PAOK's home matches are broadcasting by online pay-per-view channel PAOK TV.
Eurosport has pan-European broadcasting rights for the Super League.
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, including stickers and trading cards.
| Period | Sponsor | Name |
| 2007–2017 | OPAP | Super League OPAP |
| 2017–2019 | Souroti | Super League Souroti |