Ranked 15th in UEFA’s ranking of leagues, the Greek Super League is a league in the European football scene playing host to the likes of Olympiacos and PAOK.
The league is relatively young having been formed in 2006. Before its formation, the 1st tier of football in Greece was known as the Alpha Ethniki which operated a round-robin fixture format and was founded back in 1959.
There’s somewhat of a monopoly in the Greek Super League as only PAOK, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos regularly contest for the league title.
Regardless, the title race remains fun to watch despite the likelihood of certain teams winning the league, because, after all, it’s the same situation with most European leagues.
Football in Greece is very technical. Forwards are often very skilled at finding spaces to exploit and midfielders are known to be great at distributing the ball. There’s also an element of physicality in the Greek style of play, but all-round, the Greek Super League’s football is interesting to watch and follow closely.
The System
The Greek Super League is contested by a total of 14 teams. Teams come up against each other twice a season, once home, once away and as a result teams play a total of 26 games a season.
A typical Greek Super League season runs from August to May, a similar fixture calendar to the Premier League.
At the end of the season, the top 2 teams secure entry into the UEFA Champions League, whilst the teams ranked 3rd-5th have to settle for Europa League qualification.
The 14th-16th placed teams on the league table succumb to automatic relegation to the second division, whilst the 13th-placed team at the end of the season competes in the relegation play-offs in a battle to remain in the Greek Super League and avoid relegation.
Rules
Squad registration rules stipulate that 25 players are registered per season. Greek Super League teams are able to register a maximum of 5 non-EU players for a season, in line with squad registration rules.
There are no rules regarding the amount of foreigners or homegrown players a Greek Super League side is allowed to name in a team sheet.
Financials;
Average Salary
The Average Salary for a player in the Greek Super League is €120,000 per year.
Value of Teams
The 14 teams in the Greek Super League have a total market value of €302.48m with Olympiacos, PAOK and AEK Athens accounting for around €190m.
Most Valuable Player
Valued at €15m, Olympiacos’ Mady Camara is currently the most valuable player in the Greek Super League.
Biggest Transfer
The League’s transfer record holder is Daniel Podence who left Olympiacos in 19/20 for €19.6m.
Overview
Country: Greece
Confederation: UEFA
Founded: 2006
Number of teams: 14
Domestic cup: Greek Cup
International Cup: UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League
Level on the pyramid: 1
Transfer window: July 1 — August 31, January 1 — January 31
Number of Players: 434
Number of Foreign Players: 223
Percentage of Foreign Players: 51.4%
Most Championships: Olympiacos
Average Attendance: 3,896
Teams;
● AE Larisa http://www.aelfc.gr/
● AEK Athens http://www.aekfc.gr
● Aris Thessalonikis http://arisfc.com.gr/
● Asteras Tripolis http://www.asterastripolis.gr/
● Atromitos Athen http://www.atromitosfc.gr
● Olympiacos Piraeus http://www.olympiacos.org/
● Panathinaikos AO http://www.pao.gr/
● Panaitolikos GFS http://www.panetolikos.gr/
● OFI Crete https://www.oficretefc.com/
● PAOK Thessalonikis http://www.paokfc.gr
● PAS Lamia http://www.lamia1964.gr/
● Volos NFC http://www.volosnfc.gr/
● Apollon Smyrnis http://www.apollongs.gr/
● PAS Giannina https://pasgiannina.gr/
Famous Player to have played in the Greek Super League: Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, began his career in the Greek Super League with AEK Athens.
Fieldoo’s Opinion; The Greek Super League’s top 3 clubs have established a monopoly in the league and as such, lower ranked teams often look towards Asia, Africa and some parts of Europe to acquire players they can afford thus giving players a chance to truly make a name for themselves in Greece.
