AC Chalkis
Full nameAthletic Football Club of Chalkida
Nickname(s)Μπλε (Blue)
Νερατζούρι (Nerazzurri)
Κυανόμαυροι (Cyan-Blacks)
Short nameAOH
Founded22 July 1967; 56 years ago (1967-07-22)
GroundMunicipal Stadium of Chalkida
Capacity1,694
ChairmanVaggelis Tsaliagkos
ManagerVaggelis Togias
LeagueEvia FCA First Division
2022–23Gamma Ethniki (Group 3), 13th (relegated)
WebsiteClub website

Athletic Club Chalkis (Greek: Αθλητικός Όμιλος Χαλκίς), also known as A.C. Chalkida, is an association football club based in Chalkida, Greece. The club was founded in 1967 upon the merger of Olympiakos Chalkida and Evrypos Chalkida. Its colours are black and blue and its symbol is the nymph Arethusa.

Their greatest honour was winning the Beta Ethniki in 1968 and playing in the 1968–69 Alpha Ethniki. They currently play in the Group 3 of Gamma Ethniki.

History

Before the merger

A.C. Chalkis was founded in 1967 after a merger between the biggest clubs in the city, Olympiakos Chalkida and Evrypos, who were both competing in the Greek Second Division at the time, with Olympiakos finishing 4th and Evrypos 9th.[1]

Due to a law by the regime of the Colonels which ruled Greece since April 1967, athletic clubs that were based in the same city were forced to merge with each other.[2][3] As a result, Olympiakos Chalkida and Evrypos were merged in summer 1967 and the resulting club was named A.C. Chalkis[4] in order to represent the city of Chalkis as a whole.

A.C. Chalkis

In the following 1967–68 season and first one after the merger, Chalkida finished 1st in Beta Ethniki's Northern Group and was promoted to the Alpha Ethniki for the first time.[5] However, they were immediately relegated after one season, as they finished 17th in the 1968–69 Alpha Ethniki, second last only to AEL Limassol.[6]

Until 1989 the team competed in the Beta and Gamma Ethniki championships, without repeating the success of their first season, although they won 2 Gamma Ethniki championships in 1977 and 1987.[7][8] From 1989 to 1996 the team was competing in the lower Gamma and Delta Ethniki championships, and from 1996 to 2003 only in the Delta Ethniki.

Decline

In 2003 A.C. Chalkis returned to the national championships after seven years, participating in the 2003–04 season of Gamma Ethniki and finishing 11th.[9] Although having finished in a safe mid-table position, the team was in a financial turmoil; the entire squad was released [10] and negotiations with potential investors were unsuccessful.[11] After a planned merger with local club Doxa Prokopiou was not implemented, Chalkida decided to pull out of every championship, remain inactive for a year and re-appear at the local Evia Football Club Association leagues for the 2005–06 season.[12]

A.C. Chalkis finished 1st in the A1 Division of Evia and was promoted to the Delta Ethniki in 2010.[13] The club also won the Evia Amateur Cup six times and finished as runners-up once, with their last victory being in 2012.[14]

Achievements

Notable wins

Season Match Score
1968 Chalkida – AEK Athens (friendly match) 1–0
1977 Chalkida – AEK Athens (friendly match) 1–0

References

  1. ^ Abbink, Dinant; Mastrogiannopoulos, Alexander. "Greece - List of Second Level Final Tables". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Η ΓΕΝΙΚΗ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΕΙΑ ΥΠΟΔΕΙΚΝΥΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΣΥΓΧΩΝΕΥΣΙΝ ΤΩΝ ΣΩΜΑΤΕΙΩΝ ΔΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΞΙΟΠΟΙΗΣΙΝ ΤΩΝ ΑΘΛΗΤΩΝ (The General Secretary points towards merger of clubs for athletes' benefit)". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek). Athens. 10 June 1967.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Ένωση Ποδοσφαιρικών Σωματείων Ευβοίας, Οι πρώτες ομάδες (Evia Football Clubs Association, the first clubs)" (in Greek). Evia Football Clubs Association. Archived from the original on 27 October 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  4. ^ Mastrogiannopoulos, Alexander. "Greece - Mergers and Name Changes". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  5. ^ Abbink, Dinant; Mastrogiannopoulos, Alexander. "Greece - List of Second Level Final Tables". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  6. ^ Abbink, Dinant; Mastrogiannopoulos, Alexander. "Greece - Final Tables 1959-1999". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  7. ^ Vazogiannis, M. (15 June 1977). "Η Χαλκίδα κάνει σήμερα τον γύρο του θριάμβου (Chalkida performs the victory march today)". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek). Retrieved 16 May 2012.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Mastrogiannopoulos, Alexander. "Greece - List of Third Level Final Tables". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  9. ^ Mastrogiannopoulos, Alexander. "Greece Third Level 2003/04". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Χαλκίδα: Οργή και απογοήτευση (Chalkida: Anger and disappointment)". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek). 3 August 2004.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ ""Βουλιάζει" η Χαλκίδα (Chalkida "sinking")". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek). 26 July 2004.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Χαλκίδα: Τέλος εποχής (Chalkida: End of an era)". Athlitiki Echo (in Greek). 6 September 2006.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Evia FCA competitions, 2009–10 standings" (in Greek). Evia Football Clubs Association. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  14. ^ "ΤΕΛΙΚΟΙ ΚΥΠΕΛΛΟΥ (Amateur Cup finals)" (in Greek). Evia Football Clubs Association. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.

External links

Chalkida Football Club
Super League Greece
Football in Greece
Categories