Football League Greece


The Football League Greece is the third highest professional football league in Greece, being a feeder-league to the second tier Super League 2.

History

As the Second National Division (1962−2019)

As the second tier of the Greek football league system, the Beta Ethniki was formally established in the fall of 1962, replacing the informal Greek FCA Winners' Championship, which at the time had tried various experimental formats towards establishing a second national football Division. All participating clubs had to disengage from their local football clubs associations' championships as a prerequisite for eligibility.
In its early years, the competition format was frequently altered each season. The competition was originally held in four groups of 14 clubs each until 1968–69, when the competition was reformatted to contain two groups. The following six years, the competition was held with three Groups, whereas from 1975−76 up to 1982−83 the league was again contested in two Groups, North and South. In the autumn of 1983, a single, pan-Hellenic League Table was established, a format that has been applied continuously until the 2012–13 season.
When football in Greece became professional, the Hellenic Football Federation handed over the responsibility for the competition's organization to the Greek Professional Football Clubs Association. In 2006, the Professional Football Association of the Second and Third National Divisions was set up, which replaced the Greek Professional Football Clubs Association as the governing authority of the Second and Third National Divisions.
In August 2010, the division's governing body decided to change its own, as well as the competition's distinctive title to Football League. The competition was contested as the Second National Division until 2019, when the Greek football league system was restructured and the Super League 2 was established as the new feeder league to the Super League.

As the Third National Division (2019−)

As of 2019, the Football League Greece replaced the Gamma Ethniki as the third tier of the Greek football league system.

Structure of the league

At present, there are fourteen clubs that compete in the Football League, playing each other in a home and away series. At the end of the season, the bottom four teams are relegated to the Gamma Ethniki. The top two teams gain automatic promotion. Unlike the Super League, clubs in the Football League do not get relegated if the club fails to obtain a license. All teams in the Football League take part in the Greek Cup.

Current clubs

The following 14 clubs are competing in the Football League during the 2019–20 season.
ClubFinishing position last seasonLocationStadiumCapacity
Aspropyrgos1st in Gamma Ethniki AspropyrgosAspropyrgos Municipal Stadium2,000
Diagoras2nd in Gamma Ethniki RhodesDiagoras Stadium3,693
Egaleo1st in Gamma Ethniki EgaleoStavros Mavrothalassitis Stadium8,217
Ialysos1st in Gamma Ethniki IalysosEconomideio Municipal Stadium2,000
Ierapetra1st in Gamma Ethniki IerapetraPetros Vouzounerakis Stadium3,000
Ionikos2nd in Gamma Ethniki NikaiaNeapoli Stadium6,000
Kalamata2nd in Gamma Ethniki KalamataKalamata Municipal Stadium5,613
Kavala1st in Gamma Ethniki KavalaAnthi Karagianni Stadium10,550
Niki Volos2nd in Gamma Ethniki VolosPantelis Magoulas Stadium5,000
Olympiacos Volos1st in Gamma Ethniki VolosVolos Municipal Stadium5,700
Thesprotos2nd in Gamma Ethniki IgoumenitsaIgoumenitsa Municipal Stadium3,500
Triglia2nd in Gamma Ethniki TrigliaTriglia Municipal Stadium5,000
Trikala12th in Football League 2018–19TrikalaTrikala Municipal Stadium15,000
Veria NFC1st in Gamma Ethniki VeriaVeria Stadium7,000

Second Division champions

From 1962 to 1983

From 1983 to 2019

Third Division champions

From 2019 to ''Present''