Panachaiki F.C.

Panachaiki F.C.

Full name	ΠΑΕ Παναχαϊκή Γυμναστική Ένωση (Panachaean Gymnastic Union)
Nickname(s)	Μεγάλη Κυρία της Πελοποννήσου (Old Lady of the Peloponnese)
Founded	14 June 1891 (122 years ago) as Panachaikos Gymnastikos Syllogos
Ground	Kostas Davourlis Stadium Patras, Greece
Capacity	11,321
Owner	Panachaiki Alliance
Technical Director	Kostas Katsouranis
Head coach	Sokratis Ofrydopoulos
League	Gamma Ethniki
2015–16	Football League, 16th (Relegated)
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Panachaiki F.C. (Greek: ΠΑΕ Παναχαϊκή) is a football club based in Patras, Greece. Founded in 1891, they play the 2015–16 season in the Greek second division. They have reached the Greek Cup semi-finals twice (1979, 1997) as well as the quarter-finals on ten occasions. Moreover, they were the first Greek club outside Athens (including Piraeus) and Thessaloniki) to represent Greece in a European competition, the 1973–74 UEFA Cup.

Panachaiki F.C. is the football department of Panachaiki Gymnastiki Enosi (P.G.E.), a multi-sport club. In 1979, the department became professional and independent. They have played their home games in various grounds since their first official game in 1899, mainly the Kostas Davourlis Stadium, their traditional home ground, and the Pampeloponnisiako Stadium.

History

The history of Panachaiki began in 1891, when Panachaikos Gymnastikos Syllogos (Pan-Achaean Gymnastic Club) was founded. In 1894, a rival sports club, Gymnastiki Eteria Patron (Gymnastic Company of Patras), was founded in Patras by former Panachaikos' members.^[1] It was only in 1923 that both clubs came to an agreement and decided to merge, forming Panachaiki Gymnastiki Enosi.

The football department was founded in 1899 by the Brit Arthur Morphy and the same year the football team of Panachaiki played its first friendly game against a team of British sailors, winning 4–2. During the next years, the first players of the football team were athletes from the Club's other departments, members of the British community of Patras and Italian emigrates.

Panachaiki lived its greatest football glory in the early and mid 1970s, when a team led by Kostas Davourlis impressed Greece and took part in the 1973–74 UEFA Cup, eliminating Austrians Grazer AK before losing to Dutch team Twente.^[2] Former Manchester United manager Wilf McGuinness took over as head coach for the 1974–75 season before he returned to England 18 months later.

Stadium

The team's privately owned arena is the Kostas Davourlis Stadium, holding a capacity of 11,321 speactators.^[3] Panachaiki has also been using the municipality-operated Pampeloponnisiako Stadium, which has a capacity of 23,588.^[4]

Panachaiki used stadiums
Pampeloponisiako Stadium is also used for track and field events.  Kostas Davourlis Stadium in a sold-out match; Panachaiki vs Rodos for the 2008–09 Gamma Ethniki season.

Honours

Shirt of the team

National competitions

• Football League
  • Championships (6): 1964, 1969, 1971, 1982, 1984, 1987
• Gamma Ethniki (Third Division, current name Football League 2)
  • Championship (1): 2011
• Greek Cup
  • Semi-finals (2): 1979, 1997

European competitions

• UEFA Cup
  • Second round (1): 1973–74
• UEFA Intertoto Cup
  • Group stage (1): 1997–98

European matches

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1973–74	UEFA Cup	First round	Grazer AK	2–1	1-0	3–1
		Second round	Twente	1–1	0–7	1–8
1997–98	UEFA Intertoto Cup	Group 5	Stabæk	1–1		4th
			Dynamo Moscow		1–2
			B36 Tórshavn	4–2
			Racing Genk		2–4

Season to season

Season	Division	Pos.	Season	Division	Pos.	Season	Division	Pos.	Season	Division	Pos.	Season	Division	Pos.	Season	Division	Pos.
1960–61	Div 2	2nd	1970–71	Div 2	1st	1980–81	Alpha Ethniki	17th	1990–91	Alpha Ethniki	13th	2000-01	Alpha Ethniki	11th	2010–11	Div 3	1st
1961–62	Div 2	4th	1971–72	Alpha Ethniki	6th	1981–82	Div 2	1st	1991–92	Alpha Ethniki	15th	2001–02	Alpha Ethniki	13th	2011–12	Div 2	4th
1962–63	Div 2	5th	1972–73	Alpha Ethniki	4th	1982–83	Alpha Ethniki	16th	1992–93	Alpha Ethniki	11th	2002–03	Alpha Ethniki	15th	2012–13	Div 2	15th
1963–64	Div 2	1st	1973–74	Alpha Ethniki	6th	1983–84	Div 2	1st	1993–94	Alpha Ethniki	16th	2003–04	Div 2	16th	2013–14	Div 2	6th
1964–65	Div 2	4th	1974–75	Alpha Ethniki	7th	1984–85	Alpha Ethniki	14th	1994–95	Div 2	2nd	2004–05	Div 2	12th
1965–66	Div 2	8th	1975–76	Alpha Ethniki	10th	1985–86	Alpha Ethniki	16th	1995–96	Alpha Ethniki	15th	2005–06	Div 2	15th
1966–67	Div 2	2nd	1976–77	Alpha Ethniki	15th	1986–87	Div 2	1st	1996–97	Alpha Ethniki	15th	2006–07	Div 3	10th
1967–68	Div 2	6th	1977–78	Alpha Ethniki	10th	1987–88	Alpha Ethniki	16th	1997–98	Alpha Ethniki	16th	2007–08	Div 3	5th
1968–69	Div 2	1st	1978–79	Alpha Ethniki	15th	1988–89	Div 2	16th	1998–99	Div 2	2nd	2008–09	Div 3	3rd
1969–70	Alpha Ethniki	18th	1979–80	Alpha Ethniki	13th	1989–90	Div 2	2nd	1999–00	Alpha Ethniki	14th	2009–10	Div 3	3rd

Current squad

As of 21 August 2016

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

No. Position Player GK Kostas Chalkias GK Spyros Vrontaras DF Aggelos Dimitriou DF Dionysios Makrydimitris DF Iosif Labropoulos MF Andrea Hysa MF Antonis Vasiliou MF Antonios Pittaras

No. Position Player MF Nikolaos Loumpardeas MF Georgios Fotakis MF Pavlos Katharios MF Konstantinos Konstantinidis FW Vasileios Athanasopoulos FW Panagiotis Moraitis FW Dimitris Sialmas

Notable players

Greece Kostas Andriopoulos Christos Apostolidis Kostas Davourlis Paris Georgakopoulos Grigoris Georgatos Takis Ikonomopoulos Kostas Katsouranis Petros Leventakos Andreas Michalopoulos Manolis Pappas Themis Rigas Dimitris Spentzopoulos Vassilis Stravopodis America Fabián Caballero Luciano de Souza

Africa Nicolas Dikoume Joël Epalle Raymond Kalla Olivier Makor Amaechi Ottiji Europe Demetris Kizas Walter Wagner Nenad Vukčević Krzysztof Nowak Mihail Majearu Boško Mihajlović Björn Enqvist

Sponsorships

• Great Shirt Sponsor: Joker
• Official Sport Clothing Manufacturer:

Notes

1. Patras' sports history Politis, N.G. (1994). Sports in Patras, Tome A, The first decade 1891-1900. Patras: Achaikes Ekdoseis. ISBN 960-7164-91-1.
2. The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
3. "Γήπεδο Παναχαϊκής "Κώστας Δαβουρλής"" (in Greek). stadia.gr. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
4. "Παμπελοποννησιακό Στάδιο". stadia.gr. Retrieved 11 May 2015.

References

• Papageorgiou, V.G., Patraikon Imerologion, 1906
• Politis, N.G. (1994). Sports in Patras, Tome A, The fist decade 1891-1900. Patras: Achaikes Ekdoseis. ISBN 960-7164-91-1.
• Ιkonomopoulos, V., Patras Sports Panorama, 1994
• Politis, N.G. (1997). Sports in Patras, Tome B, From the Tofalos period to the foundation of Panachaiki. Patras: Achaikes Ekdoseis. ISBN 960-7164-92-X.
• Kokkovikas, K., The sports past of Achaia, 2004
• Patras Municipality, 100 years of football in Patras, 2006

External links

• The Introduction Page of the RSSSF - The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation