The Football League ( el, Φούτμπολ Λιγκ) was the second highest professional football league in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
since its inception in 1962 as ''Beta Ethniki'' and until 2019. It then served as a third tier after the creation of the
Super League 2
Stones Bitter Super League II was the official name for the year 1997's Super League championship season, the 103rd season of top-level professional rugby league football in Britain, and the second to be played in summer.
Teams
Twelve teams were ...
as the new second tier and it was eventually abolished in 2021 when the
2021–22 Super League 2 went from a 12 team to a 36 team league, absorbing most of the clubs from the Football League.
History
As the Second National Division (1962–2019)
As the second tier of the
Greek football league system, the Beta Ethniki was formally established in the fall of 1962, replacing the informal
Greek FCA Winners' Championship
The FCA Winners' Championship ( el, Πρωτάθλημα Πρωταθλητριών Ε.Π.Σ.) was a Greek football league competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all local Football Clubs' Associations championships in Greece. ...
, which at the time had tried various experimental formats towards establishing a second national football Division. All participating clubs had to disengage from their
local football clubs associations' championships as a prerequisite for eligibility.
In its early years, the competition format was frequently altered each season. The competition was originally held in four groups of 14 clubs each until 1968–69, when the competition was reformatted to contain two groups. The following six years (1969–70 up to 1974–75), the competition was held with three Groups, whereas from 1975 to 1976 up to 1982–83 the league was again contested in two Groups, ''North'' and ''South''. In the autumn of 1983, a single, pan-Hellenic League Table was established, a format that has been applied continuously until the 2012–13 season.
When football in Greece became professional, the
Hellenic Football Federation
The Hellenic Football Federation (HFF), also known as the Greek Football Federation ( el, Ελληνική Ποδοσφαιρική Ομοσπονδία; ΕΠΟ, translit=Ellinikí Podosferikí Omospondía; EPO) is the governing body of football ...
handed over the responsibility for the competition's organization to the Greek Professional Football Clubs Association ( el, ΕΠΑΕ). In 2006, the Professional Football Association of the Second and Third National Divisions ( el, ΕΕΠ Β΄ & Γ΄ Εθνικής) was set up, which replaced the Greek Professional Football Clubs Association as the governing authority of the Second and Third National Divisions.
In August 2010, the division's governing body decided to change its own, as well as the competition's distinctive title to Football League.
The competition was contested as the Second National Division until 2019, when the
Greek football league system was restructured and the
Super League 2
Stones Bitter Super League II was the official name for the year 1997's Super League championship season, the 103rd season of top-level professional rugby league football in Britain, and the second to be played in summer.
Teams
Twelve teams were ...
was established as the new feeder league to the
Super League.
As the Third National Division (2019–2021)
As of 2019, the Football League Greece replaced the
Gamma Ethniki
The Gamma Ethniki ( el, Γ΄ Εθνική Ερασιτεχνική Κατηγορία, C National Amateur Division) is the third highest football league in Greece.
History
The Gamma Ethniki began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 198 ...
as the third tier of the
Greek football league system. It was finally abolished in 2021 with most clubs being absorbed into the second tier
Super League 2
Stones Bitter Super League II was the official name for the year 1997's Super League championship season, the 103rd season of top-level professional rugby league football in Britain, and the second to be played in summer.
Teams
Twelve teams were ...
.
Structure of the league
There were 20 clubs that competed in the Football League until 2021, playing each other in a home and away series. At the end of the season, the bottom four teams were relegated to the
Gamma Ethniki
The Gamma Ethniki ( el, Γ΄ Εθνική Ερασιτεχνική Κατηγορία, C National Amateur Division) is the third highest football league in Greece.
History
The Gamma Ethniki began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 198 ...
. The top two teams gained automatic promotion. Unlike the
Super League, clubs in the Football League did not get relegated if the club failed to obtain a license. All teams in the Football League took part in the
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most ...
.
Seasons in second division (1959-60 — present)
This is the complete list of the clubs that have taken part in the second division played from the 1959–60 season until the 2021–22 season of Super League 2. The teams in bold compete in
Super League 2
Stones Bitter Super League II was the official name for the year 1997's Super League championship season, the 103rd season of top-level professional rugby league football in Britain, and the second to be played in summer.
Teams
Twelve teams were ...
in the
2022–23
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
season.
Results
Second Division champions
From 1962 to 1983
From 1983 to 2019
Third Division champions
From 2019 to 2021
See also
*
Football records and statistics in Greece
This article concerns football records in Greece and it includes the top flight and lower divisions as well.
Players
All-time goalscorers
*Thomas Mavros is the all-time top goalscorer in the first tier with 260 goals scored for Panionios and AEK ...
*
Greek football league system
*
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second most ...
References
External links
Football Leagueat Soccerway
Football Leagueat footballleaguenews.gr
{{UEFA third leagues
Football leagues in Greece
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
Defunct football competitions in Greece