Aiolikos

Full name	Aiolikos Football Club
Nickname(s)	Wind
Founded	17 August 1975; 48 years ago (1975-08-17)
Ground	Mytilene Municipal Stadium
Capacity	3,000
Chairman	Jim Antonakas
Manager	Thomas Grafas
League	Super League Greece 2
2022–23	Gamma Ethniki (Group 4), 1st (promoted)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours

Aiolikos Football Club (Greek: Α.E.Π.Σ. Αιολικός Μυτιλήνης) is a Greek association football club, based in Mytilene. They currently play in the Super League Greece 2.

History[edit]

The club was established in 1975 after a merger of two local teams – Atlantas and Apollon. The name Aiolikos was inspired by the Aeolians, the name by which the Greek inhabitants of Lesbos and nearby Aeolis, Anatolia, have been known since antiquity.

Incidentally, there was also a Greek football club called Aiolikos that was based in Smyrna (İzmir), around 1890, which would often play matches against teams of visiting British sailors. With the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), many of the Greek inhabitants of the region emigrated to Lesbos, taking their sporting traditions and clubs with them.

In 1976, Aiolikos participated for first time in Lesbos Football Clubs Association Championship. Ιn 1978, was promoted in National Amateur Division (today Football League 2) and in 1982, they participated in Beta Ethniki. In 1985, Aiolikos contested the promotion to Alpha Ethniki, but finally did not accomplish.

Until 1991, Aiolikos participated alternately in Gamma and Delta Ethniki. From 1991 to 1999, Aiolikos played unfailingly in Gamma Ethniki championship. Certain problems, mainly economic, led in 2000 the team again to the Lesbos Football Clubs Associations Championship for one season.

In 2001, Aiolikos was promoted in Delta Ethniki. The 2001–02 season was not good for Aiolikos, but they won on 25 May 2002, the Amateur Cup, afterwards the victory against Almopos Aridaia, final score 4–2.

In 2005, Aiolikos promoted again in Gamma Ethniki. They participated in that division until 29 December 2008, when they withdrew from 2008–09 season championship, due to unsolvable economic problems, and relegated to Delta Ethniki.

In 2023, Aiolikos participated in the promotion play-offs of Gamma Ethniki, after winning their respective group, and won promotion to Super League Greece 2.

Stadium[edit]

Mytilene Municipal Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Mytilene, Greece. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Aiolikos. The stadium holds 2,850 people, all-seated.

Stadium's nickname is Tarlas (Greek: Ταρλάς), which is inspired by the old name of the settlement where stadium is built. The word is originated from another Turkish word, which means tract or field.

The stadium has four gates. It has also one big stand and track. The stand is separated in 5 sections, while there are 100 seats for VIP. In 2001 was put projectors and seats have been placed on all the stand. Until then, only a little section of the stand had seats. On the occasion of 2004 Olympic Games, have been more important projects to changing rooms and other rooms below the stand. In 2005, the placement of a shelter was decided, and in 2014, with the renovation of the stadium, it got constructed.

Honours[edit]

• Third Division: 2
  • 1983–84, 2022–23
• Fourth Division: 3
  • 1981–82, 1991–92, 2004–05
• Lesbos FCA Championship: 6
  • 1963–64, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 2000–01, 2013–14
• Amateur Cup: 2
  • 1981–82, 2001–02
• Lesbos FCA Cup: 17
  • 1975–76, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1990–91, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

As of 25 September 2023

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  LVA Vitālijs Maksimenko 3 DF  IND Gurjinder Singh 4 DF  GRE Aristotelis Kollaras 5 DF  GRE Manolis Aliatidis 7 MF  FRA Kévin Yoke 9 FW  SWE Edin Hamidović 10 MF  BIH Goran Zakarić 11 MF  FRA Ulrich N'Nomo 13 GK  GRE Giannis Botsaris 14 MF  ARG Brian Benítez 15 DF  SRB Nikola Ignjatović 19 MF  GRE Nikos Chalkiadakis 20 DF  GRE Nikos Karanikas 21 FW  GRE Giannis Ioannou 22 MF  GRE Georgios Krimitzas 23 MF  GRE Stathis Kagelidis

No. Pos. Nation Player 24 DF  GRE Nikos Kechagias 26 DF  GRE Asterios Mouchalis 27 FW  GRE Giannis Balogiannis 28 MF  GRE Vasilios Triantafyllakos 30 MF  GRE Konstantinos Galeadis 33 MF  GRE Christos Noulas 42 MF  SRB Dragoljub Srnić 44 DF  GRE Konstantinos Kaouras 45 FW  GRE Apostolos Sarantidis 63 DF  GRE Dimitrios Oungialidis 70 DF  BUL Plamen Dimov 80 FW  SRB Viktor Živojinović 88 GK  SRB Ivan Dokić 89 DF  GRE Athanasios Triantafyllou (on loan from Volos) 91 GK  GRE Giannis Bintsis

Former coaches[edit]

See also[edit]