Aris Limassol F.C.

Aris Limassol

Full name	Άρης Λεμεσού Aris Limassol
Nickname(s)	Ελαφρα Ταξιαρχια (Light Brigade)
Founded	1930 (1930)
Ground	Tsirion Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus
Ground Capacity	13,331
Chairman	Filippos Simillidis
Manager	Akis Agiomamitis
League	Cypriot Second Division
2013–14	First Division, 11th (Relegated)
Home colours Away colours

Aris Limassol (Greek: Άρης Λεμεσού) is a Greek Cypriot football club based in Lemesos. The club's colours are green and white, its home is the Tsirion Stadium. The team often finds itself in relegation zone because it doesn't have enough funds to buy players and improve the team.

History

One of the founder members of Cyprus Football Association, and was around between 5th and 7th position in the 1930s. During the 1940s, the team didn't compete in the Cypriot First Division, however they returned in the Cypriot Championship in 1954 and they were the first team to be relegated to the Second Division after finishing last in the table. The following season they became Champions in the Second Division and returned to be relegated again. Returning to the First Division, where after a good appearance in the First Division, they gained the fourth position.

Being one of the weakest teams in the First Division during the 1960s, they were finally relegated in 1969–70 as 12th and remained for two seasons in the Second Division. The situation changed for Aris between 1975 and 1980 when the team won again the fourth position in 1976–77 and 1978–79. Two years after winning the fourth position, in 1981 the team were relegated again after finishing last (14th) but returned as runners up the following season and finished 5th in 1985–86.

The greatest success of the club was in 1989 when the team qualified to the Cyprus Cup final, where they were beaten by AEL Limassol 2–3. The following season, in 1989–90, the club signed the Ukrainian Oleg Blokhin, the 1975 European Footballer of the Year, and helped them to win for another time the fourth position, which was the club's greatest position. After the end of the season, Blokhin ended his career playing for Aris Limassol.

After the relegation in 1992/93, the team won the following season for third time the Second Division Championship. Since 1996/97, when the club was in Cypriot First Division, the team was then every year relegated to the Cypriot Second Division and the following year was promoted to the Cypriot First Division. That situation ended in 2006–07, when the team finished 8th in the championship and managed to remain in the Cypriot First Division. Aris was relegated to the Cypriot Second Division in 2008–2009, the team finished in 2nd place and played in the Cypriot First Division in 2009–2010 but was relegated again. In 2009–2010 it reached the Cyprus Cup semi-final. In the next season 2010-2012 the club was again promoted but finished 3rd from bottom in the 2011-12 season and was yet again relegated. In 2013-2013 Aris won the Cypriot Second Division and was again promoted to the Cypriot First Division only to be relegated again after the 2013-2014 season. In 2014-2015 Aris finished third in the second division.

Supporters

Aris has a smaller number of fans than other Limassol clubs, but these are very committed to their club. As a resuly, they are often referred to as "the 300 of Leonidas", in reference to the famous 300 Spartan soldiers that stopped the Persian army at Thermopylae.

Other Sport Departments

Although the football team forms the centre of sporting activity for Aris, the club has over the years maintained teams in other sports including basketball, table tennis and chess. The Aris chess team dominated Cypriot chess during the 1980s.

Choir

Additionally, the Aris choir was established in 1938 by the famous conductor and composer Solon Michaelides who remained its conductor until 1956 to undertake the direction of the National Orchestra of Salonica, Greece. In 1962, the choir made a new start under the direction of Marinos Mitellas and remains one of the best known Hellenic choirs performing in Cyprus, Greece and internationally.

Current squad

As of 31 January 2015

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Simos Tsiakkas 3 DF Ioannis Efstathiou 4 DF Kypros Christoforou 5 DF Bogdan Panait 6 MF Panos Theodorou 7 MF Menelaos Aristeidou (Vice-captain) 9 FW Marcos Michael 15 MF Andreas Niokka 17 MF Emilios Panayiotou 18 MF Spencer 19 FW Carlitos 20 MF Christos Charalampous (Captain) 21 DF Christos Theophilou 22 DF Ivo Carosini

No. Position Player 23 FW Hrvoje Tokić 28 FW Giorgos Malekkidis 30 MF Simos Krassas 31 MF Constantinos Hadjittofi 32 FW Michalis Sykas 33 GK Gregor Fink 35 DF Alexis Plakouas 38 FW Theodosis Kyprou 50 MF Alexandros Constantinou 60 DF Stavros Hadjikyriacos 77 FW Markos Maragoudakis 88 GK Rafaellos Christoforou 89 GK Panos Constantinou 99 FW Charalambos Pittakas

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 12 MF Sergios Panayiotou (to AEZ Zakakiou until May 2015)

For recent transfers, see List of Cypriot football transfers winter 2014–15.

Selected former players

Titles

• Cypriot Cup:
  • Runners-up (1):1989
• Cypriot Second Division:
  • Winners (5): 1954, 1956, 1994, 2011, 2013

Managers

• Tadeusz Kraus (1976–80, 1983–85)
• Jerzy Engel (1997)
• Henk Houwaart (Sept 1, 2007–Nov 30, 2007)
• Mihai Stoichiţă (2007–08)
• Akis Agiomamitis (2008–09)
• Marios Constantinou (May 17, 2009–Jan 18, 2010)
• Stéphane Demol (Feb 21, 2010–June 30, 2010)
• Dušan Mitošević (July 18, 2011 – June 30, 2012)
• Demetris Ioannou (July 1, 2012 – June 22, 2013)
• Tasos Kyriacou (July 1, 2012–Oct 22, 2013)
• Ton Caanen (Oct 23, 2013–May 11, 2014)
• Giorgos Polyviou (Jun 16, 2014–Oct 14, 2014)
• Akis Agiomamitis (Oct 14, 2014–)

External links

• (el) Official website

Cypriot Second Division 2014–15 clubs AEZ Anagennisi APEP Aris L. Digenis V. Elpida ENAD Paralimni Parekklisia Karmiotissa N. & S. Erimis Olympiakos N. Omonia A. Pafos Associated competitions First Division Third Division Fourth Division Women's 1st Division Cypriot Women's Cup Cypriot Women's Super Cup Cypriot Cup LTV Super Cup Seasons 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15

Cypriot First Division 2014–15 clubs AEK Larnaca AEL Anorthosis APOEL Apollon Ayia Napa Doxa Ermis Ethnikos Nea Salamis Omonia Othellos Stadiums Ammochostos Stadium Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium Dasaki Stadium GSP Stadium GSZ Stadium Makario Stadium Paralimni Stadium Tsirion Stadium Former clubs AEK Kouklia AEP Anagennisi APEP APOP Alki APOP Kinyras Aris ASIL Atromitos AYMA Çetinkaya Chalkanoras Digenis Enosis THOI EPA Ethnikos Assia Evagoras Keravnos Olympiakos Omonia Ar. Onisilos Sotira Orfeas Pezoporikos Trast Competition Champions Players (foreign) Managers Derbies Associated competitions Second Division Third Division Fourth Division Cypriot Cup LTV Super Cup Women's 1st Division Cypriot Women's Cup Cypriot Women's Super Cup UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League Seasons 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15