APOEL Nicosia
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APOEL (; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") is a major Cypriot
multi-sport club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
based in
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
. APOEL, which was founded in 1926, is the most popular sports club in Cyprus and the most successful, achieving to win 165 official senior titles in several sports. The club is parent to fourteen different competitive departments including
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
,
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
,
futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
, handball, table tennis, bowling, cycling, archery, swimming, water polo and a runners team.


History


The early years

The club was formed as POEL (, ''Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia) on 8 November 1926. The club's formation came about when a group of forty people, with a common vision, met and set the foundations for creating a football club that would represent the
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
residents of the
capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...
and express their deep desire for Cyprus' incorporation (
enosis ''Enosis'' (, , "union") is an irredentist ideology held by various Greek communities living outside Greece that calls for them and the regions that they inhabit to be incorporated into the Greek state. The idea is related to the Megali Idea ...
) into Greece. The meeting took place at a traditional confectionery, owned by Charalambos Hadjioannou, downtown in
Ledra Street Ledra Street ( ''Odos Lidras''; ) is a major shopping thoroughfare in central Nicosia, Cyprus, which links North Nicosia, the part of the city under the control of the ''de facto'' Northern Cyprus, and south Nicosia. It is the site of the forme ...
and the first president of the club was Giorgos Poulias. The first clubhouse was the "Athenians Club" () at the end of Ledra Street. After a journey to the football club in
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
, Egypt in 1927 the General Assembly of 1928 decided the players showed that they were not just good footballers but also excellent track and field athletes. Hence it was decided to create a track and field team in addition to the football team. The name APOEL was adopted to reflect this, with the 'A' standing for 'Athletic'. Soon after more sports departments were established, including
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
, table tennis, rugby football, boxing, cycling, field hockey and
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
(a few years later). Also the club issued a sports newspaper, the "Athlitiki Echo", the first Cypriot sport newspaper.


The foundation of CFA and the club's first ever official title

Cyprus did not have any country-wide league until 1932. Football clubs of the time played friendly matches only. In 1932,
Pezoporikos Larnaca Pezoporikos Club Larnaca (, ''Pezoporikos Omilos Larnakas'') was a Cypriot sports club based in Larnaca with football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1927, the football club joined the Cypriot Championship in 1938, winning it twi ...
organised an unofficial league, the first island-wide league, and it was won by APOEL after defeating
AEL Limassol Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou () is a Cyprus, Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team. AEL Limassol also maintains a AEL Limassol B.C., men's and AEL Limassol B.C. (women), women's basketball teams, a wom ...
in the final by 4–0. In 1934, there was a disagreement between Trust and
Anorthosis Famagusta Anorthosis Famagusta (), commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Famagusta multi-sport club founded in 1911 in Varosha, Famagusta.
on the organisation of the fourth unofficial league. APOEL and
AEL Limassol Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou () is a Cyprus, Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team. AEL Limassol also maintains a AEL Limassol B.C., men's and AEL Limassol B.C. (women), women's basketball teams, a wom ...
organised a meeting for the foundation of a country-wide governing body and an official country-wide league. The meeting took place in APOEL's clubhouse on 23 September and the establishment of the
Cyprus Football Association The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) (, ) is the governing body of football in Cyprus and is based in Nicosia. It organises Cyprus's football championships, whose top league is the Cypriot First Division. It also organises the Cypriot Cup, the ...
was agreed. Two years later the APOEL football team celebrated its first
championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
title of the official Cyprus football league.


The 1948 conflicts

Politics, however, would soon spark conflict within the team. On 23 May 1948 the board of the club send a telegram to the
Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics The Hellenic Athletics Federation (Greek: ; abbreviated SEGAS) is Greece's governing body for amateur sport. SEGAS SEGAS was created in 1897 and has been the principal organiser of many international sporting competitions held in Greece. The as ...
(), with the opportunity of the annual Panhellenic Track and Field Competition, which included wishes that "the rebellion" is finished. Several leftist club members perceived the telegram as a political comment on the
Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...
and they distanced themselves from the club. A few days later, on 4 June 1948, they founded Omonia, which until today is the arch rival of APOEL and there has been a traditional animosity between the fans of the two teams.


1955–59 period

More conflicts led to further struggles for APOEL. Athletes belonging to the club frequently participated in national clashes. During the 1955–59 national uprising against the British, many of APOEL's athletes and members of the club were active members of
EOKA The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA ; ) was a Greek Cypriot nationalist guerrilla organization that fought a campaign for the end of Cyprus#Cyprus under the British Empire, British rule in Cyprus, and for enosis, eventual union with K ...
(the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters), the most outstanding example being the club's track and field athlete Michalakis Karaolis who was hanged by the British colonial authorities. During this period the football team had their closest brush with relegation as most football players were actively taking part in the national struggle.


The formation of APOEL FC Company

APOEL Football (Public) Ltd was established in May 1997, after the decision of APOEL committee. This had a significant effect on the club because it separated the activities of the
football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...
from those of the sports club. The formation of the company was necessitated by the financial difficulties the team faced at the time. The company began its operations with a capital of CY £600,000. The company's main activity is the management, operation and commercial exploitation of APOEL Football Club. The company owns all the rights for the football department under an agreement with APOEL sports club and pays the club CY£100,000 annually for the privilege. The agreement between the company and the club is renewed every five years. The company has 1745 shareholders and besides the football club, also maintains a team boutique (Orange Shop), the APOELFC () magazine and th
apoelfc.com.cy
website among others.


Colours and badge

APOEL's colours are blue and yellow. Blue symbolizes Greece and yellow symbolizes
Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...
. The logo is a blue and yellow shield with the name of the club written diagonally in blue. The
football club In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...
badge has a small difference on it. The badge has remained the same since the establishment of the club, but after the football team of APOEL won their 20th championship ( 2008–09 season), two stars were added above the football club's logo to symbolize the 20 championship titles (one star for every ten championships won).


Supporters

APOEL fans are right-wing in their majority and there are strong ties for several organised fans and right-wing political parties. The main supporter group is PAN.SY.FI (). PAN.SY.FI was founded in 1979 and has branches in all major cities in Cyprus and also in other countries. The PAN.SY.FI (and most ultras) wear orange jackets (or T-shirts). The first game they sported the orange jackets was during the first round game of the 1992–93 championship against
AEL Limassol Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou () is a Cyprus, Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team. AEL Limassol also maintains a AEL Limassol B.C., men's and AEL Limassol B.C. (women), women's basketball teams, a wom ...
in
Makario Stadium Makario Stadium (), is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus. It was the largest and main sports venue of the capital up to the construction of the GSP stadium in 1999. At present it is mostly used for football matches and is th ...
. APOEL have reserved the shirt number 79 in honour of PAN.SY.FI. (APOEL Ultras), to denote the year the group was founded, 1979.


Stadiums

APOEL football club's home ground since 23 October 1999, is the 22,859 seater
GSP Stadium The GSP Stadium () is a association football, football stadium in Strovolos, Nicosia District, Cyprus. Although small by international standards, it is the largest stadium in Cyprus, with a capacity of 22,859 and was opened in 1999. It serves as ...
. It is the largest stadium in Cyprus and they share it with local rivals Omonia and
Olympiakos Nicosia Olympiakos Nicosia (, ''Olympiakos Lefkosias'') is a Cypriot football club based in Nicosia and competes in the . The club was founded in 1931, and is a founding member of the Cyprus Football Association. The club colors are black and green. ...
. Before moving to
GSP Stadium The GSP Stadium () is a association football, football stadium in Strovolos, Nicosia District, Cyprus. Although small by international standards, it is the largest stadium in Cyprus, with a capacity of 22,859 and was opened in 1999. It serves as ...
, APOEL used as home grounds the
Makario Stadium Makario Stadium (), is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus. It was the largest and main sports venue of the capital up to the construction of the GSP stadium in 1999. At present it is mostly used for football matches and is th ...
(from 1978 until 1999) and the old GSP Stadium (prior to 1978). The club's
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
,
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
and
futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
teams host their matches in the 2,100 seater Lefkotheo Indoor Arena which was built in 1980. For many years the
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
team used as home venue the 6,000 capacity Eleftheria Indoor Hall.


1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...
- APOEL's official magazine

''1926'' is the official magazine of the multi-sports club APOEL. A Cyprus monthly
sports magazine A sports magazine is usually a weekly, biweekly or monthly, magazine featuring articles or segments on sports. Some may be published a specific number of times per year. A wide range of sports are covered by these magazines which include general ...
published in
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
, it was founded in 2013 with its first edition appearing on 7 March 2013. The magazine is named after the founding year of the club and covers all of APOEL's teams (
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
,
futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
,
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
, water polo), as well as individual sports (archery, bowling, cycling, running, swimming, table tennis), with feature stories, interviews, retro, and presentations. The main focus is on football, since that sport is the most popular in Cyprus.


Presidential history

APOEL has had numerous presidents over the course of their history. Since the establishment of APOEL Football Ltd, the presidents of the board of directors of the company (chairmen) have assumed all presidential duties for the football club. Here are complete lists of both: Presidents: * 1926–1958 – Georgios Poulias * 1958–1967 – Εfthyvoulos Αnthoullis * 1967–1968 – Michalakis Triantafyllides * 1968–1969 – Takis Skarparis * 1969–1971 – Constantinos Loukos * 1971–1974 – Michalakis Zivanaris * 1974–1975 – Kikis Lazarides * 1975–1983 – Iakovos Filippou * 1983–1988 – Michalakis Zivanaris * 1988–1991 – Andreas Papaellinas * 1991–1992 – Kykkos Fotiades * 1992–1994 – Mike Ioannides * 1994–1996 – Christos Triantafyllides * 1996–1999 – Ouranios Ioannides * 1999–2000 – Dinos Palmas * 2002–2004 – Dinos Fisentzides * 2004–2007 – Yiannos Ioannou * 2007–2008 – Costas Schizas * 2008–2009 – Christodoulos Ellinas * 2009–2011 – Prodromos Petrides * 2011–2012 – Aris Vasilopoulos * 2012–2014 – Christoforos Potamitis * 2014–2016 – Marios Charalambous * 2016–present – Christoforos Potamitis Chairmen: * 1997–1998 – Mike Ioannides * 1998–2000 – Christos Triantafyllides * 2000–2001 – Harris Papanastasiou * 2001–2006 – Prodromos Petrides * 2006–2008 – Kyriakos Zivanaris * 2008–2013 – Phivos Erotokritou * 2013–present – Prodromos Petrides


APOEL Football

APOEL Football Club is a professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
, Cyprus. They are one of the founding members of the
Cyprus Football Association The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) (, ) is the governing body of football in Cyprus and is based in Nicosia. It organises Cyprus's football championships, whose top league is the Cypriot First Division. It also organises the Cypriot Cup, the ...
. APOEL are the most successful football team in Cyprus with an overall tally of 26 championships, 21
cups CUPS (formerly an acronym for Common UNIX Printing System) is a modular printing system for Unix-like computer operating systems which allows a computer to act as a print server. A computer running CUPS is a host that can accept print jobs ...
and 13 super cups. APOEL's greatest moment in the European competitions occurred in the season 2011–12, when the club participated in the group stages of the
2011–12 UEFA Champions League The 2011–12 UEFA Champions League was the 57th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 20th season in its current Champions League format. As part of a trial that started in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa Lea ...
(along with
FC Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, Order of Prince Henry, MHIH, Order of Merit (Portugal), OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional association footbal ...
,
Shakhtar Donetsk Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk () is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club that was based in the city of Donetsk until 2014 when, due to the War in Donbas (2014–2022), War in Donbas, the club was forced to move to Lvi ...
and Zenit St. Petersburg) and achieved qualification for the
quarter-finals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
of the competition by topping the group and eliminating
Olympique Lyonnais Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a French professional association football, football club based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. With origins dating back to 1899, they were founded in 1950 and p ...
in the last 16, becoming the only Cypriot club to reach the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
quarter-finals. APOEL's European competitions highlights include also appearances in the group stages of the 2009–10 & 2014–15
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
and the group stages of the 2013–14 & 2015–16
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
. They marked their most successful
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
campaign during the 2016–17 season, when they managed to top their group (along with
Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
, Young Boys and
Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...
) and eliminated
Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...
in the
round of 32 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
, to reach the last 16 of the competition for the first time in their history. APOEL is the only Cypriot club who have reached the group stages (and the knockout stages) of both major
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
competitions (
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
&
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
). APOEL FC is also an ordinary member of the
European Club Association The European Club Association (ECA) is an organization that is officially recognised by both UEFA and FIFA as the sole, independent body for football clubs within Europe. History Formed on the merge of the G-14 group with the European Club Fo ...
, an organization that replaced the previous
G-14 The G-14 was an organisation of European football clubs that existed between 1998 and 2008. It consisted of 14 European top class teams initially, later expanded to 18. It was disbanded in 2008 and was replaced by the European Club Association ...
which consists of major football clubs in Europe.


Honours

* Cypriot Championship : Winners (28) (record): 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1964–65, 1972–73, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1995–96, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 *
Cypriot Cup The Cypriot Cup, formally known as the Cypriot Coca-Cola Cup of First and Second Division () for sponsorship purposes, is a Cypriot knockout football club competition, hosted annually by the Cyprus Football Association. First held in 1934, it i ...
: Winners (21) (record): 1936–37, 1940–41, 1946–47, 1950–51, 1962–63, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2013–14, 2014–15 *
Cypriot Super Cup The Cypriot Super Cup is a Cypriot football trophy, contested in an annual match between the previous season's Cypriot First Division champions, and the Cypriot Cup winners. The match is contested at the beginning of the football season, and is ...
: Winners (13): 1963, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013


APOEL FC Football Academies

* Cypriot U21 Championships: * Cyprus U21 Cup: * Cypriot U19 Championships: * Cypriot U17 Championships: * Cypriot U16 Championships: * Cypriot U15 Championships: * Cypriot U13 Championships:


APOEL Basketball

APOEL Basketball Club is a professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
team based in the city of
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
, Cyprus. APOEL's basketball team was formed in 1947 and is one of the most successful
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
clubs in Cyprus by winning 11 Championships, 12
Cups CUPS (formerly an acronym for Common UNIX Printing System) is a modular printing system for Unix-like computer operating systems which allows a computer to act as a print server. A computer running CUPS is a host that can accept print jobs ...
and 11 Super Cups. The team's first ever basketball title was the
Cypriot Super Cup The Cypriot Super Cup is a Cypriot football trophy, contested in an annual match between the previous season's Cypriot First Division champions, and the Cypriot Cup winners. The match is contested at the beginning of the football season, and is ...
that won in 1972. At the end of the same season (1972–73), APOEL won their second title, the
Cypriot Cup The Cypriot Cup, formally known as the Cypriot Coca-Cola Cup of First and Second Division () for sponsorship purposes, is a Cypriot knockout football club competition, hosted annually by the Cyprus Football Association. First held in 1934, it i ...
. The team achieved to win their first ever
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
title three years later, in season 1975–76. The 90's decade was the most successful for APOEL. The team won 4 Championships, 5
Cups CUPS (formerly an acronym for Common UNIX Printing System) is a modular printing system for Unix-like computer operating systems which allows a computer to act as a print server. A computer running CUPS is a host that can accept print jobs ...
and 4 Super Cups during that period, including one double on the 1995–96 season. After winning the double in 2001–02 season, APOEL managed to win again the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
in 2008–09 season, after 6 years without winning any title. The next season (2009–10), the team won their second consecutive
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
title and reached the quarterfinals of the
FIBA EuroChallenge FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run by FIBA Europe. It is not to be confus ...
, marking their most successful campaign in the European competitions. After four years without winning any title, APOEL managed to win again the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
in 2013–14 season, which was their 11th league title in their history. During 2015–16 season, APOEL managed to win their 12th
Cypriot Cup The Cypriot Cup, formally known as the Cypriot Coca-Cola Cup of First and Second Division () for sponsorship purposes, is a Cypriot knockout football club competition, hosted annually by the Cyprus Football Association. First held in 1934, it i ...
trophy, thirteen years after they won their last Cypriot Cup title. The next season (2016–17), APOEL returned in the European competitions after a five years break and managed to reach the second round (Last 24) of the
FIBA Europe Cup The FIBA Europe Cup (FEC) is an annual professional club basketball competition organised by FIBA for eligible European clubs. It is FIBA Europe's second level competition. Clubs mainly qualify based on their performance in national leagues an ...
, marking one of their most successful seasons in the European competitions.


Honours

* Cypriot Championship : Winners (11): 1975–76, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2013–14 *
Cypriot Cup The Cypriot Cup, formally known as the Cypriot Coca-Cola Cup of First and Second Division () for sponsorship purposes, is a Cypriot knockout football club competition, hosted annually by the Cyprus Football Association. First held in 1934, it i ...
: Winners (12) (record): 1972–73, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2015–16 *
Cypriot Super Cup The Cypriot Super Cup is a Cypriot football trophy, contested in an annual match between the previous season's Cypriot First Division champions, and the Cypriot Cup winners. The match is contested at the beginning of the football season, and is ...
: Winners (11) (record): 1972, 1976, 1986, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2014


APOEL Women's basketball team

APOEL also maintains a women's team which is competing in the Women's Cypriot First Division. In their most successful seasons, APOEL Women's team reached the Championship finals twice (2003–04 & 2004–05) and qualified two times for the semi-finals of the Cup (2004–05 & 2006–07).


APOEL Volleyball

APOEL Volleyball Club is a professional
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
team based in the city of
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
, Cyprus. APOEL's volleyball team was formed in 1928 and won 10 championships (4 held by the Cypriot Local Committee for Sports and 6 held by the Cyprus Volleyball Federation) and 5 Cups. The 1980s was the most successful decade for the team, winning 6 Championships and 5 Cups between 1979 and 1985. Also, the decade of the 1990s was amazing for the youth teams of APOEL (U15, U17, U21) by winning 16 trophies in just 7 years. Since then, the team had some good seasons with participations in 2003–04 CEV Top Teams Cup and 2004–05
CEV Cup The CEV Cup is the second tier official competition for men's Volleyball clubs of Europe. The competition takes place every year. Until 2000, it was the CEV Cup Winners' Cup. In 2000 it was renamed to CEV Top Teams Cup and in 2007 to CEV Cup. T ...
, but without any title outcome. In the 2008–09 season APOEL relegated to the Second Division and suspended its activities due to financial difficulties. That was the first and only time which a team from APOEL multisport club was relegated. In season 2012–13, the volleyball club of APOEL was reactivated and participated in the Cypriot Second Division. They became champions by winning all their league matches (15 wins out of 15 matches) and promoted to the
Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...
for the 2013–14 season.


Honours

* Cypriot Championship : Winners (10): 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85 * Cypriot Cup : Winners (5): 1978–79, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85 *Cypriot Second Division : Winners (1): 2012–13


APOEL Women's volleyball team

APOEL women's volleyball team was formed in 1974. The women's team won their only title in 1977, when they managed to win
AEL Limassol Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou () is a Cyprus, Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team. AEL Limassol also maintains a AEL Limassol B.C., men's and AEL Limassol B.C. (women), women's basketball teams, a wom ...
3–2 in the season's Cup final. The team suspended its operation in 1990, due to financial problems.


Honours

* Women's Cup : Winners (1): 1976–77


APOEL Futsal

APOEL Futsal is a professional
futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
team based in the city of
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
, Cyprus. APOEL is one of the most successful
futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
clubs in Cyprus with an overall tally of 3 Championships, 3 Cups and 1
Super Cup A super cup is a competition, in association football, basketball, handball, volleyball and rugby union which often forms the 'curtain raiser' to a season, and typically involves only two teams who have qualified through success in other competi ...
. APOEL's futsal team was formed in 2012 as APOEL City Futsal F.S.C., after APOEL board came to an agreement with City Futsal F.S.C. to take their place in the
Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...
for the 2012–13 season. The team had a successful first season, finishing fourth in the league and reaching the semi-finals of the cup. One year after its establishment, the club was renamed to APOEL. In the 2013–14 season, the team achieved their first domestic
double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...
, winning both the season's
Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...
and the Cypriot Cup, their first two major trophies after only two years of existence as a futsal club. The next season (2014–15), APOEL became double winners for second year in a row, after winning again the
Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...
and the Cypriot Cup. During the 2015–16 season, APOEL achieved a historical domestic treble by winning all the Cypriot competitions trophies, the league, the cup and the
super cup A super cup is a competition, in association football, basketball, handball, volleyball and rugby union which often forms the 'curtain raiser' to a season, and typically involves only two teams who have qualified through success in other competi ...
.


European campaigns

After winning the
double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...
in the 2013–14 season, APOEL qualified for the first time for the European competitions, participating in the 2014–15 UEFA Futsal Cup. They entered the
preliminary round A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
of the competition and they hosted all the Group D matches in
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
's Tasos Papadopoulos - Eleftheria Indoor Hall. APOEL managed to qualify for the main round by winning all their matches, beating FC Anzhi Tallinn 5–3, KF Flamurtari Vlorë 9–1 and NAFI Stuttgart 10–1. APOEL were eventually eliminated at the main round of the UEFA Futsal Cup, finishing in the third place of Group 6 with 4 points, after losing 1–5 against
Slov-Matic Bratislava Slov-Matic FOFO Bratislava is a futsal club based in Bratislava, Slovakia. Current squad Official staff * Head coach: Jan Janik * Assistant of the coach: Matej Vlašič * Medical doctor: Igor Blaško * Physiotherapist: Daniel ...
, beating MVFC Berettjóújfalu 3–2 and drawing 3–3 with Vegakameratene. In the 2016–17 season, APOEL participated for the third consecutive time in the UEFA Futsal Cup. They entered the
preliminary round A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
of the competition and they managed to qualify for the main round by winning AFM Maniacs 9–7, JB Gentofte 4–3 and drawing 7–7 with the hosts ASUE Yerevan. APOEL were eventually eliminated at the main round of the UEFA Futsal Cup, finishing in the third place of Group 6 with 4 points, after drawing 3–3 with City'US Târgu Mureș, losing 0–7 against Era-Pack Chrudim and beating 6–5 ŠK Pinerola Bratislava.


Honours

* Cypriot Championship : Winners (3): 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 * Cypriot Cup : Winners (3): 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 *
Cypriot Super Cup The Cypriot Super Cup is a Cypriot football trophy, contested in an annual match between the previous season's Cypriot First Division champions, and the Cypriot Cup winners. The match is contested at the beginning of the football season, and is ...
: Winners (1): 2015


APOEL Table tennis

APOEL's table tennis team was formed in 1927 and in 1936 they organized tournaments with the participation of athletes from other clubs. Since 1950, they organized Open Championships since no formal federation existed. On 1 July 1963, at the initiative of APOEL and the founding members of the Pancyprian Gymnasium, the English School of Nicosia and the club officials of Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, they founded the Cypriot Federation (POEPA), which organized the first tournaments in which APOEL dominated. In 1970, APOEL's women's department was founded, which was the first women's table tennis team in Cyprus. Great APOEL's table tennis athletes were Michalakis Zambas who won 6 consecutive titles and Stavros Louras.


Honours

* Cypriot Championship : Winners (10): 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990 * Cypriot Cup : Winners (9): 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 2010


APOEL Racing (Cycling)

APOEL's cycling department was founded in 1970. The early years, the club's athletes participated in domestic games, as Cypriot federation – in which APOEL was one of the founding members – was established much later in 1978. APOEL's athletes participated for the first time in an international match in 1979, taking part in the international round of Israel. The next year, they participated in the ascent of Parnitha, where Spyros Agrotis finished first in adolescents and 4th in the overall score, achieving the first international victory for APOEL. The same athlete won the silver medal at the
Games of the Small States of Europe The Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) is a biennial multi-sport event, launched by the Republic of San Marino, organized by and featuring the National Olympic Committees of nine European small state, small states since 1985. The Games a ...
in
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
. APOEL had great athletes in cycling, but the greatest was Spyros Agrotis who won the Cypriot championship six times (1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1990) and also won one bronze (in
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
) and two silver medals (in
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
) in the
Games of the Small States of Europe The Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE) is a biennial multi-sport event, launched by the Republic of San Marino, organized by and featuring the National Olympic Committees of nine European small state, small states since 1985. The Games a ...
. Other great APOEL's cycling athletes were Andreas Agrotis (champion in 1985, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997), Giorgos Chatzimarkou (champion in 1986). Also Pancyprian titles have been won by Nicos Demetriou, Michalis Chadjioannou, Alexis Charalambous, Sotiris Stavrou, Giorgos Kallidis and Eftychios Kasapis.


Honours

* Cypriot Men's Championship : Winners (20): 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2014 * Cypriot Cup : Winners (4): 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999


APOEL Bowling

APOEL's
Bowling Bowling is a Throwing sports#Target sports, target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a bowling ball, ball toward Bowling pin, pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). Most references to ''bowling'' are ...
team first official trophy came in the 2015–16 season, when the team managed to win the Cypriot Bowling Cup. The next season the team repeated their achievement by winning their second consecutive bowling Cup title.


Honours

* Cypriot Cup : Winners (2): 2015–16, 2016–17


APOEL Water polo

APOEL
Water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
team was founded in 2014. The team competes in the Cypriot Water polo Championship and in the Cypriot Cup. In 2019 APOEL became the first club to represent
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
in a continental competition (the 2019–20 LEN Euro Cup). Honours Cypriot Championship Winners (2): 2019, 2020 Cypriot Cup Winners (4): 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021


APOEL Archery

APOEL
archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...
team was founded in 2013 and maintains men's, women's and youth academies archery departments.


APOEL Handball

APOEL
handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...
team was founded in 2017 after they merged with SPE Strovolos, and competes in the Cyprus 1st Division Handball league under the name "APOEL/SPES".


Track and field department

APOEL cultivated athletics since 1926, immediately after the founding of the club. The first track and field athletes were the footballers of the club, as four players of APOEL had taken part at the Panhellenic games in Limassol. The Cyprus Open Championships where established in 1945 and until 1968, APOEL won all the competitions except one. The Open Championships were abolished in 1968 and they were replaced by Diagoreia, in the memory of the old agent and founding member of APOEL Diagoras Nicolaides. In 1976, all Cypriot clubs suspended the operations of their athletics sections since all athletes joined the provincial associations.


Boxing department

One of APOEL's first departments was boxing. Great athletes of APOEL's boxing were Kovis Ioannides and Petrakis Loizides.


Rugby team

APOEL's rugby team was in the first departments of the club in 1926. The team's operation lasted a few weeks because the current years the dry pitches did not favor the development of sport in Cyprus.


Field hockey team

APOEL's field hockey team was founded before the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and participated in all three Cypriot leagues, which were organized with their greatest rival AYMA. The team was dissolved in 1949. Players of APOEL's field hockey team in 1930 were P. Savvides, N. Kyriakidis, Chr. Savvides, Chr. Symeonidis, N. Petrides, G. Xenophontos, P. Michaelides, I. Ioannides, K. Tsimmilis, E. Yannakakis and M. Constantinides.


References


External links


APOEL Athletic Football Club – Official website

APOEL FC – Official website
* {{APOEL Futsal 1926 establishments in Cyprus Multi-sport clubs in Cyprus Sport in Nicosia