Without going into too much detail, I am going to cover what football, or “soccer” team you watch and root for based off where you live in Greece. Sometimes there is more than one team for your area, but I will dive in further detail on that subject. In fact, I will guide you as to which team to root for or choose from if that is a conflict you are having. For starters, some may choose to root for a team that is from their area of origin, for example, a man from Thessaloniki rooting for a team from Athens where he grew up. Instances such as these are determined by the individual as to why and who they root for. As for the rest of you reading this unfamiliar with Super league, or properly titled The Super League of Greece, I will show you what football here is all about.
Compromised of 14 teams from all throughout Greece, Super league is Greece’s domestic football league. Similar too many professional athletic leagues, there are those teams that are at the top, and those at the bottom. Specifically there are 6 names that you should know if you are going to talk football with any Greek or local here. The following teams listed are Olympiacos, Aris, PAOK, AEK Athens, Panathinaikos, Asteras Tripolis. Not to discount the rest, but these teams consistently perform the best and grab the most viewership. With a championship game held in July, the league runs year around (exception of March 2020 – Covid19 Suspension) the league consistently keeps their fan base entertained. Bottom line, to repeat, if you choose to speak football, just know the six names mentioned, but more specifically, Olympiacos, PAOK, AEK Athens, and maybe Aris. Keep it simple.
To dive into the details, which team do which people support. Just like many fanbases, it is by region. As you may have guessed, AEK Athens is a team that has a strong Athens fanbase. Remaining teams such as PAOK are practically worship here in Thessaloniki. While other teams exist in Thessaloniki, such as Aris, PAOK is the most popular. You will see some PAOK clothing in Thessaloniki year around just by walking through the streets. Teams such as Olympiacos are also based in Athens, specifically Piraeus. When a team like Olympiacos is close to a team like AEK Athens, usually the fans go with whichever team plays closer (physically) to them, or they can choose based off of personal preferences. Other regions such as Crete (Heraklion), Volos, Xanthi and many more have teams, and have strong local followings, who obide by the same “rules”. Because football has such a strong international following, and people in Greece take great pride in their teams, try to talk or wear apparel from your local team (to play it safe) if you elect to wear football attire or talk football. Please obey my comment as sometimes people will say something to you that may not be the kindest comment (happens in every country). Sometimes football can even trigger a conflict, primarily physical, so best to avoid that as well. One can google or go on Super League’s website to see which teams correlate to their region. Of course many, if not all, Greeks know which team corresponds to which area, so this is a tip for all outsiders.
Although not universally true, the higher performing the team the higher capacity of the stadium. Thus, this links to better attendance by fans, a larger media presence, and thus a “better” team. Well, the team PAOK has a medium sized stadium (roughly a 30.000 seater), did not win the Super League in 2020, and is located in Thessaloniki, Greece’s 2nd largest city. Research done by Greek Media Analysts discovered that PAOK was the Country’s most popular team in terms of engagement through viewership, social media interaction, and numbers of fans (done through a survey). I understand PAOK is in a highly populated area, finished 2nd in the league, amongst many other facts, but compared to Athens which has a much larger population and more teams to select from (5 Teams in Athens) that is quite impressive. Especially impressive when the league’s champion and Greece’s most successful team (in terms of winning percentage) could not capture the top spot.
Moving on, age may or may not be a factor when following Super League teams. I have known families who live in certain regions with less popular teams who somewhat “force” their children to grow up watching and following their local team (for instance Panetolikos). Primarily this is done because it keeps a fanbase continuing, and the children get to spend time with their family watching a mutual athletic event. There is no division within the household as a result of this. Secondly, I have met those who are younger and do not care to watch a match of football, or do not have a preference and watch whoever is on. Not quite common, but those types of viewers and people do exist. As for lineage and following of teams not in your geographic region, that is as a result of moving from one part of Greece to the other, mainly moving when you are an adult. Watching the team you grew up supporting as a child is the team you take with you. For example, a man from Crete would root for OFI if living on the mainland or other islands. People who are foreigners and new to the Greek football scene can be found tuning into the international matches, primarily those teams from the UK. It is quite obvious they are not from Greece and are not watching Super League football given their physical appearance and *insert internationally recognized football club here* appearing on the screen. At the end, football is a very popular sport here in Greece that holds a strong fanbase, and it very exciting to watch.
If you have managed to get to the end of this article without me loosing you to boredom, let me know by giving me a like. Getting back to a more serious tone, football here in Greece is excellent. Next time on youtube google Super League Greece and watch the many clips of talented football players Greece produces. Despite being a few names here and there or non-Greek players on the league, it is almost all Greek. Take note of the energy and passion (and of course skill) that these players posses, and share it with your friends. Keep your eyes on watch for my next article coming our soon.
SKG.7 