Baseball in Greece is regulated by the
Hellenic Amateur Baseball Federation
Hellenic is a synonym for Greek. It means either:
*of or pertaining to the Hellenic Republic (modern Greece) or Greek people (Hellenes, el, Έλληνες) and culture
*of or pertaining to ancient Greece, ancient Greek people, culture and civiliz ...
(HABF), which was founded in 1997. HABF overseas represented one league known as the
Greek Baseball league
Greek Baseball league is the top amateur baseball league in Greece. The inaugural season was held in 2000 and the first champions were Marousi 2004. The season begins every March and concludes every November with the finals, a best-of-five serie ...
. Greece is represented in international play by the
Greek National Baseball Team. 56-game regular season.
History
HABF was founded in 1997 preparation for the hosting of the
2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The goal was "creating and eventually fielding a Greek Olympic Baseball Team for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games." The leagues' inaugural season was in 2000, with
Marousi 2004
Marousi 2004 is a baseball team based in Marousi , Athens.They have won 5 Greek Baseball League
Greek Baseball league is the top amateur baseball league in Greece. The inaugural season was held in 2000 and the first champions were Marousi 200 ...
from
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
winning the
Greek Baseball league
Greek Baseball league is the top amateur baseball league in Greece. The inaugural season was held in 2000 and the first champions were Marousi 2004. The season begins every March and concludes every November with the finals, a best-of-five serie ...
title that year. The inaugural Greek Cup was also held in 2000 and was won by another Athenian team,
Spartakos Glyfadas
{{Infobox baseball team
, Name=Spartakos Glyfadas
, Logo=,
, Founded=1979
, Location=Glyfada, Athens Greece
, Stadium= Hellinikon Baseball park
, League=Greek Baseball league
, LeagueChamps=2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
, Colo ...
. HABF currently has about 20 men's amateur teams playing in two stadiums and a number of practice fields. U.S. and Greek players compete in the league.
Peter Angelos
Peter G. Angelos (born July 4, 1929) is an American trial lawyer and baseball executive from Baltimore, Maryland. Angelos is the majority owner of the Baltimore Orioles, a team in the American League of Major League Baseball.
Early life and educ ...
, the
Greek-American
Greek Americans ( el, Ελληνοαμερικανοί ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. The lowest estimate is that 1.2 million Americans are of Greek descent while the highest es ...
owner of the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
, helped finance a Greek national team for the 2004 Olympics.
By 2008, HABF realized there would be no more government funding for baseball. The Federation was able to continue but with fewer teams. Through the work of the HABF and personal funds from its President, they sent a team to the 2008 European Qualifier's Championship in Portugal. They won all their games.
Greece Hellenic Amateur Baseball Federation
/ref>
International Competitions
*2002 – 1st place in the European B’ Pool Championship
*2003 – 2nd place in the European Senior's Championship
*2004 – 7th place in the Athens Olympic Games
*2005 – 9th place in the European Senior's Championship
*2005 – (Although the team had qualified for the World Cup, no government funding forced the team to withdraw)
*2007 – (Although the team had qualified for the European Senior's Championship, Greece was forced to withdraw)
*2008 – 1st place in the European B’ Pool Qualification Tournament
*2010 – 4th place in the European Senior's Championship
*2011 – 15th place in the World Cup
*2012 – 7th place in the European Senior's Championship
*2014 – 10th place in the European Senior's Championship
Current 2018 roster
Current league structure
*A DIVISION - ACTIVE TEAMS
** Aris Baseball Club
Aris Thessaloniki Baseball Club is a baseball club based in Thessaloniki, Greece; it is owned by one of the biggest sports clubs in Greece, Aris Thessaloniki. The club was established in 2002 and is the only major baseball club in Macedonia and o ...
(Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
)
** Milonas Neas Smyrnis (Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
)
** Eyriali Glyfadas (Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
)
** Dias Patron (Patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
)
** Olympiada Peristeriou (Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
)
** Panathinaikos A.O. (Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
)
** Marousi 2004
Marousi 2004 is a baseball team based in Marousi , Athens.They have won 5 Greek Baseball League
Greek Baseball league is the top amateur baseball league in Greece. The inaugural season was held in 2000 and the first champions were Marousi 200 ...
( Marousi)
** Leaders Vouliagmenis(Vouliagmeni
Vouliagmeni ( el, Βουλιαγμένη, meaning "sunken") is a seaside suburb and former municipality 20 km south of Athens city centre. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, of which ...
)
** AEL Baseball
( Larissa)
*NON RECENT ACTIVITY TEAMS
**Zeus Kalamarias (Thessaloniki)
**A.O. Seirios Paralias ( Patras)
**Thiseas Patron ( Patras)
**Galini ( Patras)
**Filathlitiki Lesxi Aigiou (Aigio
Aigio, also written as ''Aeghion, Aegion, Aegio, Egio'' ( el, Αίγιο, Aígio, ; la, Aegium), is a town and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, on the Peloponnese. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipal ...
)
**A.O. Leontes Peiraios (Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
)
**Titanes Olympismou (Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
)
**Pelopas Patron ( Patras)
**Ainos Kefalonias ( Kefalonia)
** Olympiada Peristeriou (Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
)
**Spartakos Glyfadas
{{Infobox baseball team
, Name=Spartakos Glyfadas
, Logo=,
, Founded=1979
, Location=Glyfada, Athens Greece
, Stadium= Hellinikon Baseball park
, League=Greek Baseball league
, LeagueChamps=2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
, Colo ...
(Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
)
**Panthers Patras
Panthers Patras is a sports club based in Patras, Greece. It develops the following sports:
1. Men Baseball
2. Women Fastpitch softball
Panthers is the only non Athenian team that ever won a baseball championship in Greece and this is a wonder si ...
( Patras)
** A.O.N.S Milon (Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
)
See also
* Baseball awards#Greece
* Baseball awards#Europe
References
External links
Baseball in Greece
(in Greek)
InternationalBaseball.org
{{Europe-baseball-stub