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| Full name | Athens Kallithea Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Πεντάστερη (Five Stars) Ίνγκλαντ (England) | |||
| Founded | 18 August 1966; 59 years ago (1966-08-18) | |||
| Ground | Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 6,300 | |||
| Owner | Alex Dunev | |||
| Chairman | Ted Philipakos | |||
| Head coach | Sokratis Ofrydopoulos | |||
| League | Super League Greece 2 | |||
| 2024–25 | Super League Greece, 13th (relegated) | |||
| Website | akfc66.gr | |||
Athens Kallithea Football Club is a Greek professionalfootball club based inKallithea, a city and a suburb inAthens. The club currently competes in theSuper League 2, the second tier of theGreek football league system.
The club has finished as high as ninth in theGreek top flight (2004–05) and has reached as far as the quarterfinal stage of theGreek Cup on five occasions (1969–70, 1978–79, 1986–87, 2001–02, 2009–10).[1]
The club was founded on 18 August 1966 from the merger of five local clubs:Esperos, Iraklis, AE Kallitheas, Kallithaikos, and Pyrsos.[2]
In 1970, Kallithea'sGrigoris Lambrakis Stadium, named after the Greek liberal politician and peace activistGrigoris Lambrakis, was opened to the public.
Under co-managersKostas Nestoridis andTakis Papoulidis, Kallithea clinched their first promotion toGreece's second division with a 1-0 playoff win overAO Koropi on a goal by Giannis Maxouris in extra time on 21 June 1969.[3][4][5]
Kallithea’s victory over Koropi had political significance in dictatorial Greece. During the rule of theGreek junta, the Secretary General of SportCostas Aslanidis had planned a reform of the football map that would eliminate clubs opposed to the regime — including Kallithea. When Kallithea defeated regime-favored Koropi, there were mass celebrations in the streets, withBBC Radio calling it “the first defeat of the junta.”[6][7][8]
On 28 April 2002, Kallithea clinched their first promotion toGreece's top division with a 0-1 win overChalkidona FC atNeapoli Stadium on a goal byTheofanis Gekas.[9]
The club's first win in the competition was a 3–2 upset ofPAOK atToumba Stadium, thanks to two goals from Gekas, on 14 September 2002.
After four seasons in the top flight, Kallithea were relegated in the 2005-06 season.
In August 2021, New York-born Greek-American Ted Philipakos, a former Chief Executive Officer and Chief Brand Officer atVenezia FC,[10] led the takeover of Kallithea FC[11] with his brother and former professional footballerPeter Philipakos and investorAndrew Barroway.
In the2021-22 season, Kallithea finished second inSuper League 2, seven points back of league winnersLevadiakos for promotion toSuper League 1, which was the club's most successful season since it last appeared in the top division in 2005–06.
In September 2022, the club rebranded as Athens Kallithea FC.[12] The presentation of the club's rebranding was met with widespread acclaim in Greece[13][14][15][16][17][18][19] and abroad,[20][21][22][23][24][25] with London-based Versus calling it "one of the cleanest football rebrands ever."
In the2022-23 season, AKFC missed out on promotion to Super League 1 by one point, finishing second in Super League 2 for the second consecutive season.[26]
After two consecutive second-place finishes, AKFC were crowned2023-24 Super League 2 South Group champions and earned promotion to theSuper League, returning to the top flight for the first time in 18 years. The promotion was clinched in a 1-1 draw with second-placeChania at Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium in the penultimate round of the season on 9 May 2024, after Argentinian defender Nicolás Marotta headed in fromJavier Matilla's free-kick to level the match.[27]Giannis Loukinas was the team's leading scorer in the promotion-winning campaign, scoring nine goals during the regular season and nine goals in eight promotion playoff matches.[28]
Athens Kallithea FC historically play atGrigoris Lamprakis Stadium in the district of Kallithea, located 2 km south of theAcropolis and 1 km west ofSyggrou Avenue.
Built in 1970, Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium is a public stadium, which has been named after the Greek liberal politician and peace activistGrigoris Lamprakis.
The stadium is commonly referred to by its nickname “El Paso,” a reference toSergio Leone’s 1965Spaghetti Western filmFor a Few Dollars More (which had the titleDuel in El Paso in Greece) starring Clint Eastwood, the second installment of theDollars Trilogy, because of the tall rock that overlooks the north side of the pitch, considered reminiscent of the film's depiction ofEl Paso, Texas.[29]
For the2024-25 Super League season, Athens Kallithea FC temporarily played atLeoforos Alexandras Stadium, as Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium did not yet meet Super League regulations.[30]
The first crest of Kallithea consisted of four circles representing the four groups of the merger of 1966, then becoming five circles with the addition of Pyrsos in 1967, which caused an issue with theHellenic Olympic Committee. As a result, the club introduced a new crest with five stars in a diagonal line. The club's colors were blue and white, which were the colors of the two main groups of the merger, Esperos Kallitheas and Iraklis Kallitheas.
In September 2022, the club rebranded as Athens Kallithea FC and presented a new visual identity, including a new crest — an "AK" monogram, with five points that reference the five stars of the previous crest. The club's traditional blue and white were maintained as primary colors, with an update to the tone of blue, while gold was introduced as a complementary color. The work was executed in collaboration with German design studio Bureau Borsche, which also handled the rebrandings ofInter Milan andVenezia FC.[31]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Sokratis Ofrydopoulos |
| Assistant head coach | Panagiotis Korompokis |
| Goalkeeper coach | Georgios Soulogianis |
| Fitness coach | Konstantinos Parousis |
| Rehab coach | Christos Skaltsas |
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| 2025–26 clubs | |
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| Former clubs |
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| Former clubs (fromCyprus) | |
| Before the establishment of Alpha Ethniki | |
| Competition | |
| Statistics and awards | |
| Associated competitions | |
