Super League Greece

Infobox football league

pixels = 140
country = Greece
confed = UEFA|
founded = 16 July 2006
teams = 16
relegation = Beta Ethniki
levels = 1
domest_cup = Greek Cup
Greek Super Cup
confed_cup = Champions League
UEFA Cup
Intertoto Cup|
champions = Olympiacos
season = 2007–08|
website = http://www.superleaguegreece.net
current = 2008–09 season

The Super League Greece ( _el. Σούπερ Λίγκα Ελλάδα), founded in 2006, is the highest professional football league in Greece.

Six clubs have been crowned champions. Since the foundation of the first Panhellenic championship, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens have dominated the competition, Olympiacos having been crownd champions 36 times, Panathinaikos 19 and AEK Athens 11. Other winners include Aris , PAOK, and Larissa.

History

In 2006, the Super League Greece replaced Alpha Ethniki as the highest Greek professional football league. Alpha Ethniki had held the position as the highest level of Greek football since 1959 when it replaced the Panhellenic Championship. In 1959, Alpha Ethniki, which had been an amateur competition from its inception, turned professional. Up to then the Panhellenic Championship, a cup competition open only to the largest football associations of Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki and Patras, had served as the top Greek league. The Panhellenic Championship began in 1906 and ran until superseded by Alpha Ethniki in 1959. This move came as Alpha Ethniki had a larger number of clubs and a greater national interest than the Panhellenic Championship. During its fifty-three years, the Panhellenic Championship was run by several organizations in succession. From 1906 to 1913, Contact of Greek Gymnastic and Athletic Associations (SEGAS), the precursor of Hellenic Football Federation (EPO), had responsibility for the Championship. From 1922 to 1923, the Union of Football Associations of Greece (EPSE) ran it before the EPO took over in 1927. Up to then the Championship was considered an informal and unofficial competition. The first official champion was named in 1928.

tructure

At present, sixteen clubs compete in the Super League, playing each other in a home and away series. At the end of the season, the bottom three clubs are relegated to Beta Ethniki. In their place, the top three teams from Beta Ethniki are promoted.

The Super League is entitled to two entrants into the UEFA Champions League. The Super League champion directly enters the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The second through fifth place teams in the Super League enter a play-off for the second Greek entry. The play-off winner enters the UEFA Champions League's second qualifying round, a two-legged tie from which the winner advances to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The winner of the Greek Cup automatically qualifies for the UEFA Cup, as well as the runners-up of the Super League play-off.

In the play-off for UEFA Champions League, the teams play each other in a home and away round robin. However, they do not all start with 0 points. Instead, a weighting system applies to the teams' standing at the start of the play-off mini-league. The team finishing fifth in the Super League will start the play off with 0 points. The fifth place team’s end of season tally of points is subtracted from the sum of the points that other teams have. This number is then divided by three to give the other teams the points with which they start the mini-league.

uper League Greece 2008-09 members

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Records

ee also

*Greek Superleague Top Goalscorer
*Greek Superleague Best Greek Player
*List of sports attendance figures — the Super League in a global context

References

External links

* [http://www.superleaguegreece.net Super League Greece Official Website]
* [http://www.galanissportsdata.com/sdatesgr.asp Super League Statistics]
* [http://www.e-soccer.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=171&Itemid=507 Greek Top Scorers]
* [http://www.e-soccer.gr/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=458 Greek Champions]