A.O. Nea Ionia F.C.

A.O. Nea Ionia F.C., officially known as Nea Ionia (, Athlitikos Omilos Neas Ionias), the "Athletic Union of New Ionia", is a Greek association football club based in the city of Nea Ionia, Greece. The club currently competes in the Gamma Ethniki, the third division in the Greek football pyramid.

History At the end of the first decade of the previous century, the town of Nea Ionia had a lot of football clubs, each with its separate football history. The town was known to the rest of Athens for its sport-active inhabitants. Insights gleaned from the archives of the country's newspapers reveal intriguing details about a club named Omilos Filathlon Nea Ionia (OFNI), which is noted to have been established in either 1927 or 1928, according to different sources. The period from 1940 to 1942 saw the club halt its athletic programs as a result of World War II. Following the war, in 1947, the club re-emerged under the name AE Nea Ionia and began to systematically develop a variety of activities. In 1961, AE Eleftheroupoli assimilated the football club with the intention of forming a stronger team dedicated to excelling in the second division. The subsequent year witnessed the dissolution of the merger between the two clubs, primarily driven by numerous disagreements regarding the club's organizational structure. The year 1967 saw, once again, the club forced to merge with AE Eleftheroupoli, ultimately leading to the creation of Elpida Nea Ionia as a consequence of the junta regime's influence. Following the fall of the military junta in Greece, the club was reinstated and adopted the name AE Nea Ionia. The club Athlitiki Enosi Nea Ionia held onto its name until 1979, when it chose to rebrand itself as OFNI. In that same year, OFNI proceeded to merge with Ikaros football club and continued to operate under the name OFNI. In 1988, the newly established OFNI club underwent a merger with PAO Kalogreza, giving rise to Ionikos Nea Ionia. This partnership developed further when Ionikos allied with AO Neapoli, leading to the formation of AO Nea Ionia in 2001. The basic colours of the team are yellow and blue.

In the 2007–08 season, AEK Athens was scheduled to compete on artificial turf against Red Bull Salzburg in the second leg of the first qualifying round for the 2007–08 UEFA Cup. In a spirit of cooperation, Nea Ionia permitted AEK Athens to utilize its artificial pitch, facilitating the acclimatization of their players. In exchange, AEK Athens committed to competing in two friendly matches with the Ionian football club. The training center of AEK Athens and the Olympic Stadium of Athens hosted these friendly matches, both of which concluded with Nea Ionia football club suffering defeats (0-1 and 1-3).

The football club was relegated from the Greek Football League 2 in the 2014–15 season, as their performance resulted in a 13th-place standing in Group 4. The 2015–16 football season saw the club entering the local championships as a consequence of a change in ownership and serious financial issues.

In 2018, the club appealed to the Hellenic Football Federation for the training compensation (€29.500) of Marios Ogboe's transfer from OFI Crete to Hamilton Academical and won the case.

In April 2024, the football club of Nea Ionia won its first regional cup against Aris Petroupolis in a final held at Georgios Kamaras Stadium. In that same month, the club achieved a significant milestone by securing its inaugural regional championship.

On 11 September 2024, the football club of Nea Ionia defeated AER Afantou in the second qualifying round of the 2024–25 Greek Football Cup, recording its ninth win in the Greek Cup. On 15 September 2024, Nea Ionia defeated Anagennisi Artas breaking a record by advancing to the fourth qualifying round of the Greek Cup for the first time in its history. On 26 September 2024, the club was disqualified, in penalties (1–2), by Panionios football club and lost its chance to participate in the fifth round of the 2024–25 Greek Football Cup.

Stadium The municipal stadium located in Nea Ionia serves as the home ground for the A.O. Nea Ionia football club, and it was built in 1962. The stadium's main access point is located along Olympias Street. In 2004, the entire stadium underwent significant renovations, including the installation of a state-of-the-art turf system on the pitch. It is important to acknowledge that the upgrade of the dressing rooms was accomplished solely in 2007. In 2015, the construction of the new facilities and stands was entirely funded by the government of Greece. Additionally, this stadium acts as the primary venue for Eleftheroupoli and P.A.O. Alsoupoli football clubs, playing a significant role in the community's sports culture. In August 2024, the local government funded the renovation of the stadium's track and the upgrade of the floodlights.

Beginning in 1932, numerous significant matches of the club were held at AEK's stadium. This was largely attributed to the insufficient resources of local authorities and the overwhelming number of teams within the municipality of Nea Ionia, which hindered the establishment of a suitable facility for the local football clubs.

Part of the dramatic film 'The Striker with Number 9', directed by Pantelis Voulgaris, was filmed in this stadium.

Supporters The club's fan group, Refugees Nea Ionia, is well known for its strong antifascist stance. This antifascist mentality is a result of the club's fan base being the descendants of the 6,000 Asia Minor refugees who were selected to settle in the region during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1922. These refugees were coal miners in the area and part of the Greek Resistance (EAM), which fought the Nazis and their Greek collaborators in the Kalogreza Block during World War II. Of these miners, twenty-two were executed.

Honours +A.O. Nea Ionia F.C. honoursTypeCompetitionTitlesWinnersRunners-upThird placeRef.Domestic Gamma Ethniki (Third-tier)0 2024–25 (Group 4) Delta Ethniki (Fourth-tier)0 2007–08 (Group 8), 2008–09 (Group 8), 2009–10 (Group 8)RegionalAthens FCA First Division1 2023–24 (Group 2)Athens FCA Second Division1 1963–64Athens FCA Cup1 2023–24 2006–07

+A.O. Nea Ionia W.F.C. honoursTypeCompetitionTitlesWinnersRunners-upThird placeRef.Domestic Beta Ethniki (Second-tier)1 2001–02 (Group 3)

+A.O. Nea Ionia Youth F.C. honoursTypeCompetitionTitlesWinnersRunners-upThird placeRef.Regional U17 Athens FCA Youth League1 2024–25

Shared record

Domestic performance Season by season in the higher divisions +SeasonCategoryPositionPointsGF \ GACupRef.2003–04Delta Ethniki (Group 8)7th4443—33—2004–05Delta Ethniki (Group 9)5th4430—25—2005–06Delta Ethniki (Group 8)5th4461—26—2006–07Delta Ethniki (Group 8)7th4243—36—2007–08Delta Ethniki (Group 8)3rd4954—26—2008–09Delta Ethniki (Group 8)3rd5151—23—2009–10Delta Ethniki (Group 8)3rd6169—28—2010–11Delta Ethniki (Group 8)8th3532—40—2011–12Delta Ethniki (Group 8)6th4335—21—2012–13Delta Ethniki (Group 8)4th3424—17—2013–14Gamma Ethniki (Group 5)6th4538—211R2014–15Gamma Ethniki (Group 4)13th (R)2728—381R2024–25Gamma Ethniki (Group 4)3rd6754—254R2025–26Gamma Ethniki (Group 5)8th3728—30—2026–27Gamma Ethniki (Group 9)TBD——— The best result is highlighted in bold.

Key: 1R = First Round, 2R = Second Round, 3R = Third Round, 4R = Fourth Round, 5R = Fifth Round, GS = Group Stage, R16 = Round of 16, QF = Quarter-finals, SF = Semi-finals, C = Champion, P = Promotion, R = Relegation.

Greek Cup campaigns Season Round Venue Opponent Home Away Qual. Ref.1940–41First RoundAEK StadiumΑ.Ε. Ierapoli 4–2 – Cancelled due to the Greco-Italian War1941–44 Not held due to the German invasion of Greece1946–47First RoundAEK StadiumProodos Patisia – 1–01947–48First Round –Pantzitzifiakos 2–0 () –Second RoundAEK StadiumIonikos Nea Filadelfeia 3–0 –Third RoundNea Ionia Municipal StadiumA.P.O. Attikos – 2–11948–49First RoundAEK StadiumProodos Patisia 3–2 – Second RoundAEK StadiumA.P.O. Attikos – 4–11949–50First RoundRizoupoli StadiumKronos Athens 6–1 – Second RoundRizoupoli StadiumApollon Smyrnis – 1–01950–51First RoundAEK StadiumAfovos 4–0 – Second RoundRizoupoli StadiumAiolikos Tzitzifies 1–0 –Third RoundRizoupoli StadiumApollon Smyrnis – 2–11951–52First RoundAEK StadiumAkratitos Petralona 1–0 –Second RoundAEK StadiumFostiras – 2–01953–54First RoundRizoupoli StadiumP.A.O. Kalogreza – 1–01955–56First RoundRizoupoli StadiumThyella Peristeri – 4–22024–25First Round –Bye – – –Second RoundAfantou Municipal StadiumA.E.R. Afantou – 0–1 Third RoundAg. Anargyroi Municipal StadiumAnagennisi Arta 1–0 – Fourth RoundSpyros Gialampidis StadiumPanionios – 0–0

Overall record in major competitions CompetitionTotalPldWDLGFGAGDWin%Gamma EthnikiGreek CupGamma Ethniki CupTotal Matches are classified as home or away depending on the team's allocation established after the Hellenic Football Federation's competition draw. Home and away games may not always take place at the designated home venue of the respective team.

Performance against higher-profile clubs Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Ref.1949–50 Greek Cup Second RoundApollon Smyrnis – 1–01950–51 Third RoundApollon Smyrnis – 2–11951–52 Second RoundFostiras – 2–02013–14 Gamma Ethniki Matchday 1 & 16Ethnikos Asteras 3–0 0–2 Matchday 2 & 17 Kissamikos 0–0 0–1 Matchday 6 & 21Panelefsiniakos 1–2 1–0 Matchday 7 & 22Ionikos 2–3 1–0 Matchday 9 & 24Proodeftiki 2–0 1–1 Matchday 14 & 29Giouchtas 0–0 1–0 Matchday 15 & 30Doxa Vyrona 1–0 1–12013–14Gamma Ethniki Cup First RoundGiouchtas 0–0 Second RoundOlympiakos Laurium 2–12014–15 Gamma Ethniki Matchday 1 & 14 Kissamikos 1–1 3–1 Matchday 2 & 15Ilisiakos 1–0 1–1 Matchday 4 & 16Ethnikos Piraeus 1–1 1–0 Matchday 7 & 20Ionikos 1–0 3–0 Matchday 9 & 22Kifisia 1–1 2–1 Matchday 11 & 24Giouchtas 1–1 2–12014–15Gamma Ethniki Cup First RoundKissamikos 1–3 Second RoundEthnikos Piraeus 2–02024–25 Gamma Ethniki Matchday 1 & 17Ethnikos Piraeus 1–1 3–1 Matchday 2 & 18Marko 1–1 1–1 Matchday 3 & 19Giouchtas 3–0 1–2 Matchday 4 & 20Agios Nikolaos 2–0 1–0 Matchday 16 & 32Ilisiakos 0–3 0–22024–25 Greek Cup Third RoundAnagennisi Arta 1–0 – Fourth RoundPanionios – 0–0 2025–26 Gamma Ethniki Matchday 2 & 13Diagoras Rodos 1–1 3–0 Matchday 7 & 18Doxa Vyrona 0–1 0–1

Matches are classified as home or away depending on the team's allocation established after the Hellenic Football Federation's competition draw. Home and away games may not always take place at the designated home venue of the respective team.

Players Current squad

Notable former coaches Greece

Giannis Petrakis (2009–10) Daniel Batista (2008–09) Isidoros Stavrianos (2023–26)

Asia

Murat Seropian (2007)

List of former and current players

Greece

Mimis Anastasiadis (1951–56) Antonis Panagiotopoulos (2004–06) Georgios Iordanidis (2006–07) Vasilios Vallianos (2007–08) Dimitrios Mouroutis (2007–08) Vangelis Kefalas (2008) Savvas Gentsoglou (2008) Xenofon Panos (2008–09) Lefteris Velentzas (2008–09) Diamantis Athanasiou (2008–10) Dimitrios Ziogas (2009) Theopistos Papadopoulos (2009–10) Periklis Minas (2009–10) Stamatis Kalamiotis (2009–10) Nikos Moustakis (2009–10, 2012–13) Marios Ogkmpoe (2009–15) Georgios Provatas (2010–11) Ahmet Satzit (2010–15, 2021–22) Isidoros Chalimourdas (2011–12) Georgios Vidalis (2011–13) Prokopis Saganas (2012–13) Kleopas Giannou (2013–14) Viktoras Plantzos (2013–14) Michalis Tsamourlidis (2013–14) Panagiotis Karachalios (2013–15) Georgios Barkoglou (2014–15) Giannis Chloros (2014–15) Alexandros Karachalios (2014–15) Antonis Lykouris (2022) Enias Kalogeris (2021–23) Vangelis Platellas (2023–26) Oresti Xhamaj (2024) Panagiotis Georgeas (2024–25) Georgios Droznt (2024–25) Alexandros Lafkas (2024–25) Nikos Dimitriadis (2025) Rey Rokaj (2025–26) Alexandros Krushelnytsky (2026–) Alexis Koutsias (2026–)

Rest of Europe

Flosard Malçi (2013–14) Eralb Sinani (2014–15) Stallone Limbombe (2024–25) Daniel Jackson (2024)