Irodotos Football Club, short for ''Podosferikós Athlitikós Sýllogos Alikarnassoú Iródotos'' ( el, Ποδοσφαιρικός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Αλικαρνασσού Ηρόδοτος, meaning ''Irodotos Football Sports Club of

Halicarnassus Halicarnassus (; grc, Ἁλικαρνᾱσσός ''Halikarnāssós'' or ''Alikarnāssós''; tr, Halikarnas; Carian: 𐊠𐊣𐊫𐊰 𐊴𐊠𐊥𐊵𐊫𐊰 ''alos k̂arnos'') was an ancient Greek city in Caria, in Anatolia. It was located i ...

'') and also simply known as Irodotos, is a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece 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 ...

football club, based in Nea Alikarnassos,

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...

. The club is named after the ancient historian

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society ...

, descended from

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, whose

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...

is also used as the club logo. Irodotos was established in 1932 by refugees from

(and specifically the site of modern

Bodrum Bodrum () is a port city in Muğla Province, southwestern Turkey, at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Its population was 35,795 at the 2012 census, with a total of 136,317 inhabitants residing within the district's borders. Known in ancient ...

, then still called

), who were displaced following the Greco-Turkish War in 1922. By acclamation, Irodotos is considered the third most successful club in

in terms of achievements, due to its consistent presence in the Second and Third national divisions, but has maintained a considerable fan base, and a longstanding rivalry with local Superleague side OFI, despite the fact the two haven't met in national competitions for almost 30 years. The club currently competes in the Football League, the second tier of the Greek football league system, while also administering amateur men's football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

departments. In the past it also had departments for

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...

, women's football and

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

. Its colours are blue and white.

History

Early years and legacy

Several years after the public housing development of Nea Alikarnassos was founded (in 1925), former

residents and refugees established a sports club in order to strengthen the collective consciousness ties between the inhabitants of the settlement. The club was named after

( el, Ηρόδοτος), thus commemorating the ancient historian native to

. The club was officially established as ''Podosferikos Athlitikos Syllogos Alikarnassou Irodotos'' (or P.A.S.A. Irodotos) by then community president, Michalis Eleftheriadis and other prominent figures of the refugee community. In its early years, and until the end of the German occupation of Crete, Irodotos' sporting activities were primarily mild, before reverting to full activity in 1948. Irodotos joined the Third Division of the regional

Heraklion Football Clubs Association The Heraklion Football Clubs Association ( el, Ένωση Ποδοσφαιρικών Σωματείων Ηρακλείου or Ε.Π.Σ.Η.) is an association responsible for administering football in the region of Heraklion. It is based in the ci ...

, managing consecutive promotions to reach the First Division and compete against historical clubs such as OFI and Ergotelis. Irodotos promoted to national competitions (e.g. the Beta Ethniki, second tier of the Greek football league system) in 1960, and played in the competition until 1965, when the club was relegated to the newly established

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 ...

(third level in the league pyramid). In total, Irodotos has played 12 seasons in the Second National Division (relegated for the last time in 1982) and 16 times in the

, thus making it the club with the third most appearances in professional competitions based in

, behind ex-

Greek Superleague The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

local rivals OFI and Ergotelis. Furthermore, Irodotos has reached the

Greek Football 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 imp ...

Quarter-finals once in 1987–88 (losing to competition finalists Panathinaikos) and the Round of 16 twice, the first time during the 1981−82 season (eliminated by eventual competition winners AEK) and for a second time during 1988−89, when they were eliminated by club rival OFI.

Recent years

In recent years, Irodotos have played primarily in the

, from which they were last relegated in the end of the 2014–15 season after being deducted fifteen points by 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 ...

in response to the murder of visiting fan Kostas Katsoulis by Irodotos hooligans in the municipal Nea Alikarnassos Stadium during a Football League 2 home match vs. Ethnikos Piraeus. After the tragic incidents that took place in 2015, Irodotos made a triumphant return to the

winning four trophies in a single season during 2016−17. More specifically, Irodotos was crowned champion of the Heraklion FCA Championship, while also managing to win the Heraklion FCA Cup, along with the

Greek Football Amateur Cup Greek Amateur Cup (Greek: Κύπελλο Ερασιτεχνικών Ομάδων Ελλάδος) is one of the most known competitions for amateur teams in Greece. Amateur Cup Finals See also *Amateurs' Super Cup Greece The Amateurs' Super Cup ...

and eventually the Greek Amateurs' Super Cup. Their next season in the

saw them win the Group 8 title and qualify to the Football League promotion play-offs, where they eventually celebrated their return to the 2nd tier of the Greek football league system after a 36-year absence.

Players

Current squad

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

* Third Division **Winners (1): 1975–76 *Fourth Division **Winners (3): 1991–92, 2003–04, 2020–21

Cups

** Winners (1): 2016–17 *

Amateurs' Super Cup Greece The Amateurs' Super Cup Greece introduced from the 2013–14 season and is a single final played on a neutral ground, which sets the Hellenic Football Federation. In Amateurs' Super Cup Greece compete the winning team of Gamma Ethniki Cup with the ...

** Winners (1): 2016–17

Regional

Leagues

* Heraklion FCA Championship **Winners (7): 1964−65, 1968−69, 1971−72, 1975−76, 2000−01, 2001−02, 2016−17

Cups

* Heraklion FCA Cup **Winners (8): 1975−76, 1994−95, 2001−02, 2005−06, 2007−08, 2012−13, 2015−16, 2016−17

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irodotos Football clubs in Heraklion Football clubs in Crete Association football clubs established in 1932 1932 establishments in Greece Super League Greece 2 clubs