Niki Volou Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Νίκη Βόλου) is a Greek professional football club based in the city of Volos, in the region of Magnesia, Greece. The club currently competes in the Super League 2, the second tier of Greek football.
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| Full name | Niki Volou Football Club | ||
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| Founded | August 19, 1924 (as Gymnastic Club of Volos' Refugees) | ||
| Ground | Panthessaliko Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 22,189 | ||
| Owner | Alexis Papakonstantinou | ||
| Chairman | Nikos Papakonstantinou | ||
| Manager | Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos | ||
| League | Super League Greece 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Super League Greece 2, 3rd | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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History edit
Niki Volou was founded on 19 August 1924 as Gymnastic Club of Volos' Refugees or Refugee Gymnastic Association, by Greek refugees who came from Asia Minor.
Niki participated for the first time in the championship of the first category before the establishment of the First National, as in 1953–54 she was the winner of the Northern Group and this gave her the ticket for the final phase of the National Division Championship 1953–54, Six teams (Athens (2) – Piraeus – Thessaloniki – North – South) took the 5th place with 16 points, ahead of Panahaiki, who finished the championship with 13.
Niki won for the first time in the 1961 Greek FCA Winners' Championship, where she had 5 appearances in the big league. In 1966 she was relegated to the Beta Ethniki and since then has been trying to regain her rise to the big category, which eventually succeeded 48 years later, in 2014–15. In 1976 she won the Amateur Cup.
In recent years she has been competing in the Beta Ethniki Championship, but in the 2006–07 season finished last and was relegated to the Gamma Ethniki. In the 2012–13 season she was back in the Beta Ethniki, and in the following year (2013–14) after the play-offs, won the first place that led to the Super League after 48 years of absence. Unfortunately, on 10 December 2014, the club of Thessaly left the championship due to the inability of the administration to cover the financial obligations that had been created, leaving all the players that belonged to its staff to be released as free and the following year started again from the amateur Gamma Ethniki. From the period 2021-2022 it was promoted again to the second division, where she currently competes. Niki has a long-standing rivalry with Olympiakos Volos, the crosstown derby.
Crest and colours edit
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Niki Volos crest displays the goddess Nike as depicted in the statue Winged Victory of Samothrace. The image of the goddess was the original emblem of the Smyrna-based athletic club Panionios, one of the most popular Greek athletic clubs of Ionia, before it was uprooted and re-established in Athens after the Greco-Turkish War. The founding members of Niki Volou FC, many of them refugees from Smyrna (now İzmir) and the surrounding region, decided to restore the emblem as part of their new club.
Titles and honours edit
Domestic edit
- Second Division
- Third Division
- Fourth Division
- Winners (2): 1992–93, 2001–02
- Greek FCA Winners' Championship
- Winners (1): 1975–76
- Greek Football Amateur Cup
- Winner (1): 1975–76
Regional edit
- Thessaly FCA Championship
- Winners (15): 1932–33, 1937–38, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1948–59, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1975–76
- Thessaly FCA Cup
- Winners (5): 1975–76, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2015–16, 2017–18
- Volos Cup
- Winners (3): 1933, 1939, 1958
Achievements edit
Leagues edit
- Panhellenic Championship
- Fifth place (1): 1954
Cups edit
Seasons in the 21st century edit
| Season | Category | Position | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | Delta Ethniki (4th division) | 3rd | — |
| 2001–02 | Delta Ethniki (4th division) | 1st | — |
| 2002–03 | Gamma Ethniki (3rd division) | 4th | 1R |
| 2003–04 | Beta Ethniki (2nd division) | 6th | 1R |
| 2004–05 | Beta Ethniki (2nd division) | 4th | 2R |
| 2005–06 | Beta Ethniki (2nd division) | 10th | QF |
| 2006–07 | Beta Ethniki (2nd division) | 18th | 5R |
| 2007–08 | Gamma Ethniki (3rd division) | 10th | 2R |
| 2008–09 | Gamma Ethniki (3rd division) | 7th | 2R |
| 2009–10 | Gamma Ethniki (3rd division) | 11th | 1R |
| 2010–11 | Football League 2 (3rd division) | 11th | 1R |
| 2011–12 | Football League 2 (3rd division) | 2nd | 2R |
| 2012–13 | Football League (2nd Division) | 5th | 3R |
| 2013–14 | Football League (2nd division) | 1st | 3R |
| 2014–15 | Super League (1st division) | 17th | GS |
| 2015–16 | Gamma Ethniki (3rd division) | 3rd | — |
| 2016–17 | Gamma Ethniki (3rd division) | 6th | — |
| 2017–18 | Gamma Ethniki (3rd division) | 2nd | — |
| 2018–19 | Gamma Ethniki (3rd division) | 2nd | GS |
| 2019–20 | Football League (3rd Division) | 5th | 3R |
| 2020–21 | Football League (3rd Division) | 8th | Cancelled |
| 2021–22 | Super League 2 (2nd Division) | 4th | R16 |
| 2022–23 | Super League 2 (2nd Division) | 3rd | 4R |
| 2023–24 | Super League 2 (2nd Division) | QF |
Key: 1R = First Round, 2R = Second Round, 3R = Third Round, 4R = Fourth Round, 5R = Fifth Round, GS = Group Stage, R16 = Round of 16, QF = Quarter-finals, SF = Semi-finals.
Notable wins edit
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Supporters edit
The club's most famous supporters group is the one consisting of members from "Blue Club", fan club established in 1985, the so-called Indians. The fan club is also recognized as "Blue Club Panagiotis Ntokouzis", named after one of the founding members of the fan club who died in a motorcycle accident. Another club, particularly famous among the majority of Greek ultras, is the "Blue Angels club 1994" established in 1994.
Friendships edit
Players edit
Current squad edit
- As of 9 February 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Personnel edit
Ownership and current board edit
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Owner |  Alexis Papakonstantinou
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| President & CEO | Nikos Papakonstantinou
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| Vice-President | Vasilis Venetis
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| Communications Director | Giorgos Apostolakopoulos
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| Marketing Director | Andreas Kikilias
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| Press Office | Panagiotis Dalatariof
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| Board member | Alexis Papakonstantinou
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| Board member | Stergios Fatsis
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| Board member | Giannis Kazepidis
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Coaching staff edit
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos
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| Assistant manager | Stelios Venetidis
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| Fitness coach | Angelos Papanikolaou
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| Fitness coach | Christos Karydopoulos
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| Goalkeeping coach | Manos Apostolidis
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| Physiotherapist | Stefanos Kougoulos
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| Physiotherapist | Nontas Voutselas
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Notable supporters edit
- Angelos Argyris, footballer, former Niki Volos player [1]
- Dimitris Balafas, footballer and coach, former Niki Volos captain [2]
- Lavrentis Machairitsas, singer [3]
- Dimitrios Kokkinakis, footballer, former Niki Volos player, lifelong fan [4]
- Giannis Paflias, footballer and coach, former Niki Volos captain [5]
References edit
External links edit
- Official website (in Greek)