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Athens Kallithea F.C.

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Kallithea
Full nameAthens Kallithea Football Club
Nickname(s)Πεντάστερη (Five Stars)
Ίνγκλαντ (England)
Founded18 August 1966
GroundLeoforos Alexandras Stadium (temporary)
Capacity16,300
OwnerAndrew Barroway
ChairmanTed Philipakos
Head coachStelios Malezas
LeagueSuper League Greece
2023–24Super League Greece 2, 1st (promoted)
Websitehttp://www.akfc66.gr/
Current season

Athens Kallithea Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Kallithea, a city and a suburb in Athens. The club currently competes in the Super League, the top tier of the Greek football league system.

The club has finished as high as ninth in the Greek top flight (2004–05) and has reached as far as the quarterfinal stage of the Greek Cup on five occasions (1969–70, 1978–79, 1986–87, 2001–02, 2009–10).[1]

History

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Founding and early history

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The club was founded on 18 August 1966 from the merger of five local clubs: Esperos, Iraklis, AE Kallitheas, Kallithaikos, and Pyrsos.[2]

In 1970, Kallithea's Grigoris Lambrakis Stadium, named after the Greek liberal politician and peace activist Grigoris Lambrakis, was opened to the public.

Promotion to the second division

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Under co-managers Kostas Nestoridis and Takis Papoulidis, Kallithea clinched their first promotion to Greece's second division with a 1-0 play-off win over AO Koropi on a goal by Giannis Maxouris in extra time on 21 June 1969.[3][4]

Kallithea’s victory over Koropi had political significance in dictatorial Greece. During the rule of the Greek junta, the Secretary General of Sport Costas Aslanidis had planned a reform of the football map that would eliminate clubs opposed to the regime — including Kallithea. When Kallithea defeated regime-favored Koropi, there were mass celebrations in the streets, which had been banned by the regime, with BBC Radio calling it “the first defeat of the junta.”[5][6]

Promotion to the first division

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On 28 April 2002, Kallithea clinched their first promotion to Greece's top division with a 0-1 win over Chalkidona FC at Neapoli Stadium on a goal by Theofanis Gekas.[7]

The club's first win in the competition was a 3–2 upset of PAOK at Toumba Stadium, thanks to two goals from Gekas, on 14 September 2002.

After four seasons in the top flight, Kallithea were relegated in the 2005-06 season.

Recent history (2021 to present)

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In August 2021, New York-born Greek-American Ted Philipakos, a former Chief Executive Officer and Chief Brand Officer at Venezia FC,[8] led the takeover of Kallithea FC[9] with his brother and former professional footballer Peter Philipakos and investor Andrew Barroway.

In the 2021-22 season, Kallithea finished second in Super League 2, seven points back of league winners Levadiakos for promotion to Super League 1, which was the club's most successful season since it last appeared in the top division in 2005–06.

In September 2022, the club rebranded as Athens Kallithea FC.[10] The presentation of the club's rebranding was met with widespread acclaim in Greece[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] and abroad,[18][19][20][21][22][23] with London-based Versus calling it "one of the cleanest football rebrands ever."

In the 2022-23 season, AKFC missed out on promotion to Super League 1 by one point, finishing second in Super League 2 for the second consecutive season.[24]

After two consecutive second-place finishes, AKFC were crowned 2023-24 Super League 2 South Group champions and earned promotion to the Super League, returning to the top flight for the first time in 18 years. The promotion was clinched in a 1-1 draw with second-place Chania at Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium in the penultimate round of the season on 9 May 2024, after Argentinian defender Nicolás Marotta headed in from Javier Matilla's free-kick to level the match.[25] Giannis Loukinas was the team's leading scorer in the promotion-winning campaign, scoring nine goals during the regular season and nine goals in eight promotion playoff matches.[26]

Stadium

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Historical

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Athens Kallithea FC historically play at Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium in the district of Kallithea, located 2 km south of the Acropolis and 1 km west of Syggrou Avenue.

Built in 1970, Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium is a public stadium, which has been named after the Greek politician and peace activist Grigoris Lamprakis.

The stadium is commonly referred to by its nickname “El Paso,” a reference to Sergio Leone’s 1965 Spaghetti Western film For a Few Dollars More (which had the title Duel in El Paso in Greece) starring Clint Eastwood, the second installment of the Dollars Trilogy, because of the tall rock that overlooks the north side of the pitch, considered reminiscent of the film's depiction of El Paso, Texas.[27]

Temporary

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For the 2024-25 Super League season, Athens Kallithea FC are temporarily playing at Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, as Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium did not yet meet Super League regulations.[28]

Crest and colors

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The first crest of Kallithea consisted of four circles representing the four groups of the merger of 1966, then becoming five circles with the addition of Pyrsos in 1967, which caused an issue with the Hellenic Olympic Committee. As a result, the club introduced a new crest with five stars in a diagonal line. The club's colors were blue and white, which were the colors of the two main groups of the merger, Esperos Kallitheas and Iraklis Kallitheas.

In September 2022, the club rebranded as Athens Kallithea FC and presented a new visual identity, including a new crest — an "AK" monogram, with five points that reference the five stars of the previous crest. The club's traditional blue and white were maintained as primary colors, with an update to the tone of blue, while gold was introduced as a complementary color. The work was executed in collaboration with German design studio Bureau Borsche, which also handled the rebrandings of Inter Milan and Venezia FC.[29]

Players

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Current squad

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As of 8 February 2025[30]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Greece GRE Thanasis Pantos
2 DF Venezuela VEN Josua Mejías
3 DF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Nemanja Nikolić
5 DF New Zealand NZL James McGarry (on loan from Aberdeen)
7 MF Greece GRE Andreas Vasilogiannis
8 MF Spain ESP Javier Matilla
9 FW France FRA Migouel Alfarela (on loan from Legia Warsaw)
10 MF Brazil BRA Demethryus
11 DF Greece GRE Nikos Kenourgios
13 GK Spain ESP Bernabé Barragán
14 DF Greece GRE Georgios Manthatis
17 MF Senegal SEN Mor Ndiaye
18 FW Italy ITA Elia Giani (on loan from Pisa)
20 MF Greece GRE Giannis Sardelis
21 MF Greece GRE Dimitrios Metaxas
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 MF Cameroon CMR François Mughe (on loan from Marseille)
23 DF Finland FIN Pyry Soiri
24 GK Greece GRE Ioannis Gelios
25 FW Greece GRE Giannis Loukinas (captain)
26 MF Italy ITA Alessandro Mercati
27 MF Greece GRE Georgios Vrakas (on loan from Atromitos)
28 MF France FRA Mathieu Valbuena
29 MF Argentina ARG Miguel Mellado
37 DF Greece GRE Giannis Tsivelekidis
58 DF Greece GRE Triantafyllos Pasalidis
77 DF France FRA Nicolas Isimat-Mirin
85 GK Finland FIN Niki Mäenpää
95 FW Collectivity of Saint Martin SMN Keelan Lebon
99 GK Greece GRE Andreas Sakelliadis

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
6 DF Moldova MDA Andrei Motoc (at Virtus Entella until 30 June 2025)
12 MF United States USA Constantine Edlund (at KTP until 31 December 2025)
No. Pos. Nation Player
55 DF Poland POL Wiktor Matyjewicz (at Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza until 30 June 2025)
— FW Greece GRE Giannis Toulgeroglou (at Asteras Varis until 30 June 2025)

Coaching staff

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As of 24 December 2024[31]
Position Name
Head coach Greece Stelios Malezas
Assistant head coach Greece Georgios Ketikidis
Goalkeeper coach Greece Georgios Soulogianis
Fitness coach Greece Konstantinos Stateroudis
Fitness coach Greece Filimon Vasilarakis

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ "Greece – Cup data (from Quarterfinals on)". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Greece – Mergers and name changes". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  3. ^ Skroumpelos, Thanasis (November 2022). Το µπαράζ - Καλλιθέα, αγάπη µου (The playoff - Kallithea, my love). Athens: Topos Books. ISBN 978-960-499-435-9.
  4. ^ "Athens Kallithea FC Instagram post". Athens Kallithea FC. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  5. ^ Skroumpelos, Thanasis (November 2022). Το µπαράζ - Καλλιθέα, αγάπη µου (The playoff - Kallithea, my love). Athens: Topos Books. ISBN 978-960-499-435-9.
  6. ^ "Athens Kallithea FC Instagram post". Athens Kallithea FC. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  7. ^ "Athens Kallithea FC Instagram post". Athens Kallithea FC. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Venezia FC Lose Chief Brand Officer & Media Director". Soccerbible. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Από την Venezia στην Καλλιθέα". Kathimerini. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Athens Kallithea FC present new visual identity and 22/23 home and away shirts". Athens Kallithea FC.[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ "Η Athens Kallithea FC έχει μια αποστολή για το ελληνικό ποδόσφαιρο". Kathimerini. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Athens Kallithea FC: Οι νέες ποδοσφαιρικές εμφανίσεις συνάντησαν τη μόδα και είναι εντυπωσιακά stylish". Lifo. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Η Καλλιθέα ξανασυστήνεται με μοντέλο και παρουσίαση φανέλας αλά Βενέτσια!". Gazzetta.gr. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Καλλιθέα: Στη νέα εποχή με φανέλες αλά Βενέτσια, νέο όνομα και έμβλημα". Sport24. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Με άρωμα... Βενέτσια οι νέες φανέλες της Καλλιθέας!". Spor FM. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Athens Kallithea FC: Η πιο μοδάτη ελληνική ομάδα". Sportday. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Οι φανέλες της Καλλιθέας είναι ό,τι πιο ωραίο έχουμε δει στο ελληνικό ποδόσφαιρο φέτος". Oneman.gr. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Introducing Athens Kallithea: Your new second team". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  19. ^ "Athens Kallithea Follow Venezia FC's Path With New Home & Away Shirts". Soccerbible. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  20. ^ "Athens Kallithea FC and Kappa Team up for one of the Cleanest Football Rebrands Ever". Versus. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Il restyling più bello dell'anno è quello dell'Athens Kallithea FC, in Grecia". Rivista Undici. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Il vostro prossimo club preferito si trova in Grecia e si chiama Athens Kallithea FC". NSS. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  23. ^ "Nace el hermano pequeño del Venezia: Athens Kallithea". 25 Gramos. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Standings 2022/23". Athens Kallithea FC. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  25. ^ "Athens Kallithea FC promoted to Super League 1". Athens Kallithea FC. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Athens Kallithea FC Instagram post". Athens Kallithea FC. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  27. ^ "Stadium". Athens Kallithea FC. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  28. ^ "Stadium". Athens Kallithea FC. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Athens Kallithea FC present new visual identity and 22/23 home and away shirts". Athens Kallithea FC. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  30. ^ "Roster". Athens Kallithea FC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  31. ^ "Staff". Athens Kallithea FC. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
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