Kerkyra FC, also known as AO Kerkyra ( el, Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κέρκυρα - Athlitikos Omilos Kerkyra), the ''Athletic Club Kerkyra'', 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 ...

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based on the island of

Kerkyra Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

(

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

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 with ...

History

It was formed in 1967 as "Kerkyraikos F.C." following a merge of three Corfu clubs ("Aris Kerkyras" est 1924, " Helespontos" est 1923 and "Asteras Kerkyras" est 1926). These three teams alongside "Olympos Kerkyras" were dominating Corfu Local Championship before the creation of Greek National Leagues in 1967. In order to represent Corfu in the National B' Class League the three teams decided to merge in 1967. Due to some players' dispute with "Olympos Kerkiras" in 1968 the team had to change its name to "A.O. Kerkyra".

Colors, emblem and ground

The club's colors are

Maroon Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown". According to multiple dictionaries, there are var ...

and

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

, depicting the colors of the island and its emblem is the ancient Corfiot's ("

Faiakes Faiakes ( el, Φαίακες) is a former municipality on the island of Corfu, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is part of the municipality Central Corfu and Diapontia Islands, of which it is a municipal unit. It ...

") trireme, which is the island's emblem. The National stadium of the town of Corfu, "E.A.K.K.", (built in 1955) hosts A.O. Kerkyra since its foundation.

Golden age

After 36 years in lower divisions A.O. Kerkyra managed to reach top-level "

Alpha Ethniki 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 ...

" in 2004. The long effort to success was inspired by chairman Spyros Kalogiannis who took control in 1999 and managed to climb three divisions in 4 years. Though the long-awaited "

" didn't end up as expected as the club was relegated, taking the last place in the final table. After a successful year in B' Ethniki, 2005–06 season ended with Kerkyra celebrating another chance in

. 2006-2007 was another failure in

Super League Greece 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 ...

, with Kerkyra fighting bravely against relegation, but ending up relegated after a 2–2 tie on the last match against

Panathinaikos FC Panathinaikos Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός Α.Ο. ), known as Panathinaikos, or by its full name, and the name of its parent sports club, Panathinaikos A.O. or PAO (; ''Panathinaïkós Athlitikós Ómilos'', "All-Athenian ...

. In the 2009–2010 season in

Beta Ethniki The Football League ( el, Φούτμπολ Λιγκ) was the second highest professional football league in Greece since its inception in 1962 as ''Beta Ethniki'' and until 2019. It then served as a third tier after the creation of the Super Lea ...

they secured promotion to the super league on 2 May 2010 with a 0–0 draw against

Panetolikos Panetolikos Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Παναιτωλικός), or with its full name Panetolikós Yimnastikós Filekpedeftikós Síllogos ( el, Παναιτωλικός Γυμναστικός Φιλεκπαιδευτικός Σύλλογος'' ...

. The next years were the best for the Corfiot team managing to remain at

for three consecutive years.

Seven years of inactivity

In 2012–2013 season A.O. Kerkyra was relegated (16th place) to

.
At the same time another team from the island of Corfu, A.O. Kassiopi was promoted from third tier to

and proposals for a merge were made. The, so called, merge, amidst protests from fans and veteran players deemed necessary that A.O. Kerkyra would cease to exist and that A.O. Kassiopi would be renamed to "Kerkyra". Efforts to revive the club even at Amateur level never fruited and the club's administration was controlled by the shareholders of A.O. Kassiopi.

Revival

In 2020 after 7 years of courtroom efforts A.O.Kerkyra was revived with a probate appointed administration, consisted of veteran players and fans. The team now participates in the A League of local amateur championship of EPS Kerkyras.

Fans

Their nickname is ''Vourligans'', a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordscorfiot Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek islands, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of G ...

dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...

) and

Hooligans Hooliganism is disruptive or unlawful behavior such as rioting, bullying and vandalism, usually in connection with crowds at sporting events. Etymology There are several theories regarding the origin of the word ''hooliganism,'' which is a ...

Club Rivalries

A.O. Kerkyra's longest rivalry is with local club Olympos Kerkiras, though due to A.O. Kerkyra's high division presence, the two teams don't play often against each other. Kerkyra also have long rivalries with nearby

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...

clubs as

PAS Giannina PAS Giannina Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ ΠΑΣ Γιάννινα 1966), or with its full name Panepirotikos Athlitikos Syllogos Giannina ( el, Πανηπειρωτικός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Γιάννινα, ''Panepirotic Athleti ...

Anagennisi Artas Anagennisi Arta Football Club ( el, Π.Α.Ε. Γ.Α.Σ. Αναγέννηση Άρτας) is a Greek football club, based in Arta, in the North-West part of Greece. The emblem of the team depicts the historical bridge of Arta. The club was establi ...

and Tilikratis of

Lefkada Lefkada ( el, Λευκάδα, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas (Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Gr ...

. The reason for the rivalry is that historically these clubs competed against each other in order to advance to higher leagues. PAS Giannina and Anagennisi Artas, especially, are from nearby Epirus and there is a historical and cultural, (usually friendly), rivalry between the islanders and their mainland neighbours that also extends to their respective football clubs and fans.

is another mainland team from nearby

Aetolia-Acarnania Aetolia-Acarnania ( el, Αιτωλοακαρνανία, ''Aitoloakarnanía'', ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the geographic region of Central Greece and the administrative region of West Greece. A combination of the histor ...

and the same rivalry logic applies as with the Epirus teams.

Kerkyra National Stadium

*Built in 1961 *Capacity of 2,685 (all seated) *Biggest Attendance 5,000 (AO Kerkyra v PAS Giannina 1974) The stadium has two stands, the main one has a roof and is where the players and officials emerge from. The second stand is situated directly opposite and is a famous and very hostile terrace during big games. This is also where a lot of the Vourligans will watch from. This stand was constructed in 1973.

Current squad

Technical team

* Manager:

Giannis Xondrogiannis Yannis, Yiannis, or Giannis (Γιάννης) is a common Greek given name, a variant of ''John'' (Hebrew) meaning "God is gracious." In formal Greek (e.g. all government documents and birth certificates) the name exists only as Ioannis (Ιωάνν� ...

Managers

Nikos Pantelis Nikos Pantelis ( el, Νίκος Παντέλης; born 6 October 1959) is a Greek professional football manager and former player. Career Born in Athens, Pantelis began playing football as a defender for Panionios F.C., making 36 Alpha Ethniki ...

(1996) *

Babis Tennes Babis Tennes ( gr, Μπάμπης Τεννές; born 17 November 1953) is a Greek professional football manager. Managerial career Tennes began his professional coaching career with Kallithea in 1993 in Gamma Ethniki. After that he built up h ...

(2003) *

Nikos Anastopoulos Nikos Anastopoulos ( el, Νίκος Αναστόπουλος; born 22 January 1958) is a Greek former footballer who was one the most prolific strikers in the Greek league during the 1980s and widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the ...

(July 1, 2003 – Jan 11, 2005) *

Giorgos Foiros Georgios Firos ( el, Γεώργιος Φοιρός; born 8 November 1953) is a Greek football manager and former football player. Career Born in Evosmos, Thessaloniki, Firos played center-back or sweeper. He was one of the very few players that ...

(Jan 25, 2005 – April 21, 2005) *

(July 1, 2005 – Feb 12, 2008) *

(Dec 1, 2008 – May 31, 2009) *

(July 27, 2009 – Nov 30, 2010) *

Božidar Bandović Božidar Bandović (; born 30 August 1969) is a Montenegrin professional football manager for V.League 1 club Hanoi FC and former player who played as a defender. Playing career Born in Nikšić, SR Montenegro, as a player, while playing for t ...

(Nov 30, 2010 – Nov 9, 2011) *

Javi Gracia Javier "Javi" Gracia Carlos (; born 1 May 1970) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He played 430 matches both major levels of Spanish football combined, in a 15-year professional career. Afte ...

(Nov 14, 2011 – March 28, 2012) * Timos Kavakas (March 28, 2012 – June 30, 2012) * Apostolos Mantzios (July 1, 2012 – Feb 6, 2013) *

Giannis Papakostas Giannis Papakostas ( gr, Γιάννης Παπακώστας) is a Greek football manager. Papakostas began his coaching career at Eleusina and Chalkidona and PAS Giannina that he brought into the semi-final of Greek Cup The Greek Football Cu ...

(Feb 7, 2013 – April 29, 2013) *

(April 2020–)

Historic presidents

* Dimosthenis Tsagaratos (1970) * Spiros Kalogiannis (2000–10)

AO Kerkyra season performances 1969 – present

*1969–70: B' National A Group (11th) *1970–71: B' National A Group (17th) *1971–72: B' National A Group (14th) *1972–73: B' National A Group (16th *1973–74: B' National A Group (14th) *1974–75: B' National A Group (20th; Relegation) *1975–76: After the fall of the Second national, AOK is in the First Division of the Football Association of Corfu *1976–77: A' Division of F.A. Corfu *1977–84: A' Division of F.A. Corfu *1984–85: C' National South Group (14th) *1985–86: C' National South Group (11th) *1986–87: C' National South Group (12th) *1987–88: C' National South Group (12th; Relegation) *1988–89: D' National (4th; Promotion) *1989–90: C' National South Group (16th; Relegation) *1990–91: D' National (3rd) *1991–92: D' National (1st; Promotion) - Finalist in Greek Amateur Cup *1992–93: C' National South Group (14th; Relegation) *1993–94: D' National (7th) *1994–95: D' National (3rd) *1995–96: D' National (1st; Promotion) *1996–97: C' National South Group (9th) *1997–98: C' National South Group (12th; Relegation) *1998–99: D' National (5th) *1999–00: D' National (3rd) *2000–01: D' National (1st; Promotion) * 2001–02: C' National (1st; Promotion) * 2002–03: B' National (5th) * 2003–04: B' National (1st; Historical Promotion to A' National) * 2004–05: A' National (16th; Relegation) * 2005–06: B' National (2nd; Promotion) * 2006–07: Super League (14th; Relegation) * 2007–08: B' National (7th) * 2008–09: B' National (5th) * 2009–10: B' National (2nd; Promotion) *

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

: Super League (12th) * 2011–12: Super League (13th) *

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

: Super League (16th; Relegation) *2020–21: EPS Kerkyra A' Class (The season was abandoned after 3rd round) *2021–22: EPS Kerkyra A' Class (2nd; Promotion after Play-off) ''Note: A' National =

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

, B' National =

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

, C' National =

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 ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{Football in Greece Football clubs in the Ionian Islands (region) Corfu (city) Association football clubs established in 1968 1968 establishments in Greece