Proodeftiki F.C.
Proodeftiki Football Club, also known as Proodeftiki Piraeus, simply as Proodeftiki, or with its full name as A.O. Proodeftiki Neolea, is a Greek football club, part of the major multi-sport club A.O. Proodeftiki Neolea, based in Korydallos, Piraeus – Attica.
The club has a longstanding presence in Super League, having participated so far 15 times.
History
Formation and early years
The club exists since 1925. The official year of its foundation is 1927. Founded in Kokkinia, a suburb of Piraeus, which is the older name of Nikaia, a few years later by the "Asia Minor Catastrophe". Kokkinia, the older name of Nikaia, inhabited mainly by Greeks and Armenians refugees who inhabited the coast of Asia Minor. Hellenic Football Federation was founded on 1926. Proodeftiki, one of the older members of Hellenic Football Federation, became its member with Registration Number 31.The founders of Proodeftiki, Korais, Verzopoulos and Metaxas, laid the foundations for an association that is almost approaching a century of invaluable social and sporting action and offer. It is characteristic that the idea of setting up a sports club was associated with the effort to reconstruct and regenerate the place after the Asia Minor catastrophe.
The founders established as the motto of the club's emblem is the mythical long-lived bird, the Phoenix, which is reborn from its ashes in crimson and white, and as the football headquarters was chosen the then Grass Municipal Gym of Nikaia, the historical seat of the association.
Pre-war period and first steps
"Proodeftiki Youth", also referred to as "Proodeftiki", officially participated in the competitions of the National Technical University of Athens. Piraeus from the period 1928-29, whenever it belongs to Gamma Ethniki. Since October 1926, and even before it was active in official competitions, she was initially joined by the Piraeus Association of Football Associations, also giving friendly matches. In November 1926 the Piraeus Association of Football Associations joins with the Piraeus Football Association, where the team is finally included. Also, in November 1926, the Hellenic Football Federation is founded, where Progressive is registered, being the first of its football clubs, under the Hellenic Football Federation Registration Number 31. In February 1927, with the start of the 1926-27 Championship of the National Technical University of Athens, Piraeus, seems to be included in the official events, but without ending it, and even up to the official championships, and more specifically in the 3rd Division between 1928–29, he continued to give friendly matches as an independent team.In the 3rd category of the National Technical University of Athens Piraeus continued to struggle until the period 1933-34, as the next one seems to have not been established, and then continued into the second category. Thus, from the period 1934-35, in the mid-1930s, he took part in the second category, which was the last hierarchical class for that period. In the period 1935-36 he finished in 1st position of the second category, equalizing with Aris Piraeus, but in a match between them, to secure the position and at the same time to climb, he was defeated by 1-0 and remained in the second half, category. Over the next two seasons he continued to claim the rise to the top class of the FCA Piraeus, finishing in 3rd and 2nd place respectively. Eventually, the next one, 1938–39, became the champion and was promoted to the first class of the Piraeus championship for the first time. In her last match for the championship, and while mathematics had already been declared champion, 3-0 won the defense of Red Kokkinia in a match that took place at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.
The home games, both official and non-official, took place in the former Cycling Stadium in Neo Faliro, which the team used until the 1970s. In 1939, at the border with the Korydallos area, New Kokkinia was built at the current Nice Municipal Stadium, which has since started to use it from time to time and since the mid-1970s it has become the permanent seat of.
First important pre-war distinctions
In the 1939-40 season, with the coach of the veteran international player Filippos Kourantis, Proodeftiki finished 3rd in the A' Category, behind Ethnikos Piraeus and Olympiacos, which gave him the right, as a third player Piraeus, to qualify for Panhellenic championship for the first time in its history. Notable were her wins in the Piraeus Championship on Piraeus Thesis with 4-1 and on Argonaut Piraeus 7-2. In the 1939-40 Greek Championship, he finished last in the 8th place of the South Group, behind Athens Stars, while his only victory was the 2-1 win over the Athenian. At the same time, Proodeftiki managed to overtake the qualifying phase of the Piraeus Cup region of Greece for the first time in its history, dominating the Keramikos Kaminis with 4-1 in a repetitive match at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium with over 2000 spectators. Proodeftiki was then eliminated from AEK with 5-1 at Nikos Goumas Stadium.In the first years of World War II and with the outbreak of the Greek-Italian war, the 1940-41 league was interrupted only in its third game, whereas Proodeftiki was in 2nd place after the 2-2 with Ethnikos Piraeus, winning 6-2 on Argonauts and defeating 1-0 from Keramikos Kaminis respectively. It was followed by the Occupation period, throughout which the official championships were not held, but he took part in the unofficial Athens-Piraeus Championship that was held in 1943-1944, during the difficult years of the occupied war, from the forces of the axis, Greece.
1945-1959: Postwar period, major distinctions and successes
1945-1955: First post-war years and downward course
After the reunification of the official championships, he continued for 8 consecutive years in the top Piraeus championship category, but did not manage to qualify for the Pan-Hellenic Championship, finishing not more than the 3rd position occupied in the periods 1945-46 and 1947-48. In the period 1952-53 he finished last in the 6th place of the 1st Division of the EPI Piraeus Championship, which led her to claim her stay, through a barrage fight with the champion of the A2 'class and coopitos, Aris Piraeus. In the first match, they scored 1-1 in the Nikea Stadium, before some 5,000 spectators and in the second and repetitive games they were re-scored, but no goals were scored this time. Thus, in the third game, Proodeftiki was defeated by 2-1 and temporarily deferred to the A2 'category.In the A2 'category he played temporarily for two seasons when the latter finished at the top, in front of the Piraeus Glory and won the championship. So, as a champion, she had to claim her return to the first class, through a grading match, with the latter, Panelefsiniakos. In the first match, it won 5-3 away in Elefsina and in the second one they scored with 1-1 home in the Nikaia Stadium and secured her return to the top of the Piraeus championship.
1955-1959: Great course and distinction and rise in the newly established Alpha Ethniki
Then, in the second half of the 1950s, the club began its most important career and was established as the third force of Piraeus. Initially, between 1955-56 he finished third, behind Ethnikos Piraeus and Olympiacos and in front of Atromitos Piraeus. In the following two seasons, 1956–57 and 1957–58, he finished second and highest ever in the Piraeus Championship, behind Olympiacos and in front of the National League, winning as a secondary her participation in the respective championships of the Panhellenic Championship. In the 1956-57 Greek Championship, Proodeftiki finished in the 9th and penultimate positions, ahead of the Panagiersakos beat and behind Panionios and remarkable victories was the prevailing on Panargiakos with 5-1 in and 0-4 away, while Petros Christofides, one of the team's top players, scored 15 goals and was the top scorer of the championship. In the 1957-58 Greek Championship, it made its best, finishing in 6th place in a total of 12 teams, while the victories over Panathinaikos and home wins against PAOK and OFI respectively, and also the away wins against Panionios and Apollon Kalamarias with 1-2 respectively.In the period 1958-59 however, Proodeftiki finished in 4th place in the Piraeus Championship, behind SA. Nice and ahead of the Panelefsiniakos, Piraeus, Atromitos and Argonauts, thus losing to one place the qualification for the barrage participation in the Pan-Hellenic Championship 1958-59. In the following period, 1959–60, Proodeftiki continued its racing obligations in the Piraeus Championship and in the first 5 games, Aris Piraeus prevailed 4-0, 1-1 with Atromitos Piraeus, 1-0 from Panelefsiniakos, he scored 0-0 with the National and finally he was also equalized, this time 1-1 with Argonaut. However, in October 1959, Proodeftiki was decided to establish the permanent 1st National Division to replace the Pan-Hellenic Championship and, as a Piraeus quadrant of the previous period, was entitled to participate.
Proodeftiki participation in the newly-established championship of the permanent Alpha Ethniki, Proodeftiki had to claim through a barrage struggle, where Proodeftiki faced Olympiacos Chalkis, who had in the meantime imposed and displaced OFI. In the first match between them in Chalkida, they scored 2-2, while a draw was the result in the repeat at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. In the third most, after two consecutive draws, played in Nea Philadelphia's neutral stadium, Proodeftiki prevailed 3-0, with two goals scored by Peter Christofides and one by Nikos Mitosis and has secured, before 10,000 spectators, its historical prestige in the first league of the First National Championship.
1959-1971: In Alpha Ethniki, distinctions and relegations in Beta Ethniki
Proodeftiki fought in 10 of the first 12 championships of the newly established Alpha Ethniki and more specifically from 1959-60 until 1970-71, with the exception of the 1963–64 and 1968-69 years that he played in Beta Ethniki. In the period 1959-60 he was one of the four piratical teams that formed the 16th overall, the first championship of the First National. At the premiere of the Championship and at the same time in the first game of its history in Alpha Ethniki Championship, Apollon Kalamarias prevailed 1-0 at the G. Karaiskakis Stadium, with the only goal of Nikos Mitosis, which was the first and the first goal chronologically, which occurred in the history of Alpha Ethniki. At the end of the championship he found Progressive in 9th place, ranking with Iraklis of Thessaloniki, leading to a classification match, to formally secure the score, defeating 2-0 and eventually taking the 10th place, leaving behind them Apollon Kalamaria, National, Panayalioio, Pankorinthos, Megas Alexandros Katerinis and AE Nikaias. The home team suffered a total of just 2 defeats, from Olympiacos and Doxa Dramas respectively, among other things notable were the home win against Panagiiletos, Pankorinthos, Aris Thessaloniki and Panionios with 2-1 respectively and the away games against Doxa Dramas and AE Nikaias with 0-4. At the same time, excluding Panaginthiakos in the quarter-finals, he qualified for the semifinals of the Greek Cup for the first time in his history, where he met Panathinaikos and after two draws was excluded from the currency twist.In the following period, 1960–61, after a tie, again with a team from Thessaloniki, participated for the second consecutive time in a classification match to secure a ranking position in Alpha Ethniki. This time with Mars, with which he ranked in 11th place and in the classification match between them, Proodeftiki 2-0 prevailed, formally securing 11th place, behind PAOK and ahead in turn from the 12th, Mars and the Apollon Kalamarias, Panegialios, Thermaikos and Atromitos Piraeus. Among other things, remarkable was the home win against AEK and homeless victories on National and PAOK respectively. In the 1961-62 season he finished in 10th place on the scoreboard, behind Fostas and ahead in a row by Niki Volos, Apollon Kalamarias, Aris Thessaloniki, Egaleo, Panelefsiniakos and Doxa Dramas, while the home win was remarkable Niki Volos and the victory over Egaleo away. In the following period, 1962–63, he finished two places down on the scoreboard, in 12th place, where he equalized with Aris Thessalonikis, Apollon Kalamarias and Panayalioio, led to ranking games to secure the privileged positions of the stay. In the first match, 3-1 was defeated by Aris Thessaloniki, the second one was scored 1-1 with Apollon and the third was defeated 1-0 by Panayalio and eventually ranked 15th and deferred to Beta Ethniki for the first time.
Then, for the first time in 1963-64, he was second in Beta Ethniki, where he was a champion in the second group with 22 wins, 9 draws and only 1 defeat, while at the same time he succeeded 82 goals and it was only 20. Its only defeat, throughout the championship, was the away defeat in Crete with 3-1 from Herodotus, while on the contrary it crushed almost all other opponents, distinguishing among others the home wins on Atromitos Piraeus and Aiada Salamina instead respectively, on OFI, RFO and Irodotos respectively, and on the Olympiacos Loutraki 7-0. The leading person was Giannis Frantzis, who scored 40 of the 82 teams in total and was the top scorer of all four teams. At the same time, she proved her potential in the Greek Cup, where she eliminated in the 16th stage Panionios away from home in Nea Smyrni with 1-2 and qualified in the quarter-finals, from which he was hardly blocked by AEK at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. She had to win through a special championship, among the champions of the other three clubs, from which the first two were promoted to the 1st National. Initially, he was home to AOT, where he scored 1-1 in the Nikaia Stadium before 6,000 spectators and then defeated Philippos Kavalas, AOT and Panachaiki, with 2-4 at home in Kavala, defeated 2-1 in Trikala and was 1-1 in a draw in Patras. He then faced Filipe Kavalas at home in stage G. Karaiskakis, where he was 2-1 in the last and most crucial match, while Proposedetika was in the second privileged position with 11 points, at home in Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Panachaiki, who was in 3rd place, with a difference of one point and with 3-0, with two goals from Frantzis and one from Panagiotis Skoufou, secured 2nd place and its return in Alpha Ethniki, before 22,000 spectators who had attended to par monitoring the decisive match.
In the 1964-65 season, having just returned to Alpha Ethniki, he made his most successful presence so far with a total of 11 wins, 12 draws and 7 defeats in the 4th place, behind Olympiacos, AEK and Panathinaikos, which is the highest position to date in the championship. It remained unbeaten by the PAOK teams of Thessaloniki and Mars, while in the league, only 2 times, AEK and Panionios were defeated by 0-2, respectively. Meanwhile, during the same period, excluding Panagialeio and the quarter-finals of Egaleo respectively, he reached the semi-final stage of the Greek Cup for the second time in his history, new from Panathinaikos with difficulty, after defeating 0-1 in stage Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.
In the following three years, he played a race course without any stability. Initially, in the 1965-66 period, he finished in 13th place, tied with Panserraikos and Panayalioyos, with whom he was led to ranking matches for the stay. In the first match he was defeated by 0-1 from Panayalio in New Philadelphia and in the second match was imposed with 2-1 of Panserraikos in the Trikala Stadium with the goals of Panagiotis Skoufos and Giorgos Grypaiou. However, after equalizing and in the league matches, the goal scorer of the regular season of the championship, where Progressive had a great lead, having achieved a total of 42 goals, while Panserraikos and Panayihelos from 29 and 27 respectively secured the stay in Alpha Ethniki. At the same time, excluding Atromitos Piraeus from the 16th round, he reached the quarter-finals of the Greek Cup where he was eliminated from Kavala away from home. In the following period, 1966–67, he finished in 8th place in the scoreboard, in front of Hercules and behind the National Piraeus, being the second highest ranked in the first league, 1967–68, finished in 16th place in a total of 18 teams and departed in Second National for a second time in its history, after 4 consecutive years and 8 in total, in the top class.
In the meantime, with the advent of the 1967 dictatorship in the country's political leadership and throughout its seven-year period until 1974, Proodeftiki, because it was composed of human progressive beliefs, something that was not liked by members of the dictatorial regime, it became a target and there was a great deal of controversy between them and specific players and managers of Proodeftiki. More specifically, members of the regime "forced" in 1967 to leave one of the most important football players of the group, Charalampos Vergidis. Also, upon request of the regime, the Federation of Supporters closed.
Defeated in the 2nd National for the second time in its history, 1968-69 finished in the second privileged position of the South Group, 54 behind Panachai and in front of Fosta, with 19 wins, 9 draws and 6 defeats. Inside it suffered just 1 defeat from Ethnikos Asteras 0-2, while on the contrary it remained unbeaten by the champion Panachaiki, with which they managed to score 1-1 home and home away from Proodeftiki with 1-2. As a secondary student, she claimed her return to the top category, through a special match with the 14th grade of the 1st National Championship, Apollo Athinon. In the first decisive match at the G. Karaiskakis stadium, it prevailed with 1-0, with the same result defeated in the second match at the Georgios Kamaras Stadium and the teams then the tie between them, with a result of 1-1, were led in third match to the neutral the stadium of Avenue , where again 1-1 draws. Finally, then the tie between them, with a total score of 2-2, was the solution given in the paradoxical way of turning the coin, which used to be in those years, finding Proodeftiki lucky, where Proodeftiki won her return to the top class.
In the period 1969-70, the Portuguese coach Severiano Correia took over the club, under the guidance of which the team performed relatively well. With 9 wins, 13 draws and 12 defeats, Proodeftiki finished 12th in front of OFI. Of the total of 12 defeats, home defeated only 2 times, AEK and Panathinaikos with 0-2, respectively. Characteristic of the season was mainly the home win against Cyprus champion of the previous year, Olympiakos Nicosia with 9-0, as it was the biggest victory in the history of the National League at that time and at the same time the biggest home Proodeftiki victory in the top class to date.
In the following period, 1970–71, Proodeftiki did not appear to be competitive at all, with just 5 wins, 14 draws and 15 defeats in 16th place in a total of 18 teams, ahead of OFI and EPA Larnaca and redeployed to B National. Inside it suffered 5 defeats, while from 5 of its total victories in the league, the 3 were home, where Aris Thessaloniki, Pierikos and EPA Larnaca respectively prevailed, while outside home of Olympiacos and Fostiras with 1-2 respectively.