The football vertical in Greece contains 5 divisions, with Super League, sitting on top of the pyramid. As such, some setting and media outlets will refer to the League as Super League 1 to make a clear definition from the second tier League named the same but with a 2 instead. However, for this exploration, we are going to focus on the top-flight division mainly. By which has gone through some team number participations and name change from its birth. With the latest happened as recently as 2006. And on a country level, UEFA currently ranks Greece in its association club coefficient point system to be in 17th place. Right in between Cyprus (16th) and Serbia (18th), that by no means is a bad spot to be at. With that information at hand, let’s start things off by look through the pages of history.
Quick history
A country so steeped in history as Greece is, you expect to find old records that date far back in time. And yes, the Greeks is known for having played many sports. Where we first see a mention of a football-like sport in 388–311 BC. Though, in the modern era of football, it’s more likely that the Englishmen introduced the sport. So, if we look at a somewhat modern time count, this is how the rough evolution and final outcome of the League look like. Starting with the non-sanctioned competition(s) from 1905/06 with the SEGAS Championship and Greece FCA Championship. Followed by the fully supported Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) Panhellenic Championship 1927/28 to 1958/59. That change the name to Alpha Ethniki for the years 1959/60 to 2005/06. Telling us that from the end of 2006 and start of 2007 the top League in Greece names Super League.
Super League Table
How many teams include in the Super League?
During the early era, the nation actually had more than one organisation leading up the professional and semi-professional football in the country. That included Greece Football Clubs Association (FCA), and the Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics (SEGAS). Still, the birth of Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) in 1926 marks the official time count for football in Greece. And it has been few changes to the number of participating teams from the official date. Yet, when the predecessor, Alpha Ethniki were introduced there was the idea of 16 to 18 teams competing. However, with the correct answer in hand, we know that the Super League plays with 14 teams. That is not likely to change any time soon.
A season of Super League
As Super League is part of the UEFA, the season follows the rest of Europe. With a regular-season kicking off in August with its final match days in May. Meaning that the League works on a split calendar year timeline. That plays on the most efficient double round-robin system, with one home game and one away match. Basically, a full season contains 26 game days for any team in the League. Where the bottom 2 team relegates to Super League 2 and trading place with the top 2 from said League. While the number 1 team automatically enter the qualifier for
UEFA Champions League. Leaving one spot left for the 2nd to 5th placed team to play for in a playoff structure.
Who owns the League?
There will always be an organisation that governs a League, and in this case, the overseeing party is the non-profit Hellenic Football Federation. Yet, to raise awareness and draw crowds, there is also a need for financial support. Where the Super League has seen title sponsorship, including drink companies, sports betting suppliers, and lottery organisers. Plus, a well-known sticker and trading card album manufacturer to mention a few.
Super League competition champions
To keep it relatively recent we will not include years before the official launch date of the League. Revealing some very interesting results. In fact, if we only take the Super League into consideration, there is only one team that has won more than 1 time. And the overall winner is Olympiacos with 11 wins (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017). Meaning that second and third place holds by 3 different teams that won 1 time each. And in order of year won we first have Panathinaikos (2010) followed by A.E.K Athens (2018), and PAOK (2019).
Extraordinary moments in Super League
The Titan any football club in Greece, likes to measure itself against is Olympiacos. We already know that they rule the League with an iron fist for many years of back-to-back championship wins. Yet, its reign doesn’t only include the modern top division. Indeed, the seemingly unstoppable force has gone unbeaten 44 times in the history of Greek football. That’s a 53% success rate; in fact, we challenge you to find a team with an equal or better track record.
Top goal scorers and record keepers in Super League
Even if Olympiacos is the unstoppable winning machine, they do not appear to pose any threat to the top 3 winner podium on overall top goal scorers. They actually fall just short with a couple of goals and find themselves in 4th place. And instead, clubs that are ranking in on 2nd to 3rd place as competition champions take all 3 places. Where number one spot occupies by former A.E.K player Thomas Mavros and his 260 goals. And second place goes to Krzysztof Warzycha that use to play for Panathinaikos, that across his professional career made 245 goals. The third and final place goes to the also former A.E.K striker Mimis Papaioannou and his 234 goals.
Live viewership and the home audience
Roughly counted, the Super League in Greece has space for around 250,000 to 270,000 at the combined stadium capacity during a season. However, the spread is huge, and top clubs have room for 75,000. While the bottom teams only can fill 4,000 to 5,000 seats. But, still many choose to watch the top League from the comfort of their home, via different streaming services and digital platforms.
Can you place bets on Super League?
There are bets to look closer at for sure, but worth to keep in mind is that the market will be slightly limited. Sure you have no problem to find normal bet types like
1×2 also known as win draw win or
both teams to score. While some of the more complex structures may be absent. So in the end, to get a better understanding of the offering, you do best in comparing
different bookmakers to each other.