Proodeftiki F.C.

Proodeftiki Football Club, also known as Proodeftiki Piraeus, simply as Proodeftiki, or with its full name as A.O. Proodeftiki Neolea (Greek: Αθλητικός Όμιλος Προοδευτική Νεολαία, transliterated "Athlitikós Όmilos Proodeftiki Neolea", Athletic Club Progressive Youth), is a Greek football club, part of the major multi-sport club A.O. Proodeftiki Neolea, based in Korydallos, Piraeus – Attica.

The club has a longstanding presence in Super League, having participated so far 15 times.

The club exists since 1925. The official year of its foundation is 1927. Founded in Kokkinia, a suburb of Piraeus, which is the older name of Nikaia, a few years later by the "Asia Minor Catastrophe". Kokkinia, the older name of Nikaia, inhabited mainly by Greeks and Armenians refugees who inhabited the coast of Asia Minor. Hellenic Football Federation was founded on 1926. Proodeftiki, one of the older members of Hellenic Football Federation, became its member with Registration Number 31.

The founders of Proodeftiki, Korais, Verzopoulos and Metaxas, laid the foundations for an association that is almost approaching a century of invaluable social and sporting action and offer. It is characteristic that the idea of setting up a sports club was associated with the effort to reconstruct and regenerate the place after the Asia Minor catastrophe. The founders established as the motto of the club's emblem is the mythical long-lived bird, the Phoenix, which is reborn from its ashes in crimson and white, and as the football headquarters was chosen the then Grass Municipal Gym of Nikaia, the historical seat of the association.

"Proodeftiki Youth", also referred to as "Proodeftiki", officially participated in the competitions of the National Technical University of Athens. Piraeus from the period 1928-29, whenever it belongs to Gamma Ethniki. Since October 1926, and even before it was active in official competitions, she was initially joined by the Piraeus Association of Football Associations, also giving friendly matches. In November 1926 the Piraeus Association of Football Associations joins with the Piraeus Football Association, where the team is finally included. Also, in November 1926, the Hellenic Football Federation is founded, where Progressive is registered, being the first of its football clubs, under the Hellenic Football Federation Registration Number 31. In February 1927, with the start of the 1926-27 Championship of the National Technical University of Athens, Piraeus, seems to be included in the official events, but without ending it, and even up to the official championships, and more specifically in the 3rd Division between 1928–29, he continued to give friendly matches as an independent team. In the 3rd category of the National Technical University of Athens Piraeus continued to struggle until the period 1933-34, as the next one seems to have not been established, and then continued into the second category. Thus, from the period 1934-35, in the mid-1930s, he took part in the second category, which was the last hierarchical class for that period. In the period 1935-36 he finished in 1st position of the second category, equalizing with Aris Piraeus (Kokkinias), but in a match between them, to secure the position and at the same time to climb, he was defeated by 1-0 and remained in the second half, category. Over the next two seasons (1936–37 and 1937–38) he continued to claim the rise to the top class of the FCA Piraeus, finishing in 3rd and 2nd place respectively. Eventually, the next one, 1938–39, became the champion and was promoted to the first class of the Piraeus championship for the first time. In her last match for the championship, and while mathematics had already been declared champion, 3-0 won the defense of Red Kokkinia (after Nikaias SA) in a match that took place at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. The home games, both official and non-official, took place in the former Cycling Stadium (afterwards the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium) in Neo Faliro, which the team used until the 1970s. In 1939, at the border with the Korydallos area, New Kokkinia (since 1940 Nice) was built at the current Nice Municipal Stadium, which has since started to use it from time to time and since the mid-1970s it has become the permanent seat of.

In the 1939-40 season, with the coach of the veteran international player Filippos Kourantis, Proodeftiki finished 3rd in the A' Category, behind Ethnikos Piraeus and Olympiacos, which gave him the right, as a third player Piraeus, to qualify for Panhellenic championship for the first time in its history. Notable were her wins in the Piraeus Championship on Piraeus Thesis with 4-1 and on Argonaut Piraeus 7-2. In the 1939-40 Greek Championship, he finished last in the 8th place of the South Group, behind Athens Stars, while his only victory was the 2-1 win over the Athenian. At the same time, Proodeftiki managed to overtake the qualifying phase of the Piraeus Cup region of Greece for the first time in its history, dominating the Keramikos Kaminis (champion B) with 4-1 in a repetitive match (the first match ended 0-0) at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium with over 2000 spectators. Proodeftiki was then eliminated from AEK (Athens champion and subsequent champion of Greece) with 5-1 at Nikos Goumas Stadium. In the first years of World War II and with the outbreak of the Greek-Italian war, the 1940-41 league was interrupted only in its third game, whereas Proodeftiki was in 2nd place after the 2-2 with Ethnikos Piraeus, winning 6-2 on Argonauts and defeating 1-0 from Keramikos Kaminis respectively. It was followed by the Occupation period, throughout which the official championships were not held, but he took part in the unofficial Athens-Piraeus Championship that was held in 1943-1944, during the difficult years of the occupied war, from the forces of the axis, Greece.

After the reunification of the official championships, he continued for 8 consecutive years in the top Piraeus championship category (from 1945-46 to 1952-53), but did not manage to qualify for the Pan-Hellenic Championship, finishing not more than the 3rd position occupied in the periods 1945-46 and 1947-48. In the period 1952-53 he finished last in the 6th place of the 1st Division of the EPI Piraeus Championship, which led her to claim her stay, through a barrage fight with the champion of the A2 'class and coopitos, Aris Piraeus. In the first match, they scored 1-1 in the Nikea Stadium, before some 5,000 spectators and in the second and repetitive games they were re-scored, but no goals were scored this time (0-0). Thus, in the third game, Proodeftiki was defeated by 2-1 [24] and temporarily deferred to the A2 'category. In the A2 'category he played temporarily for two seasons (1953–54 and 1954–55) when the latter finished at the top, in front of the Piraeus Glory and won the championship. So, as a champion, she had to claim her return to the first class, through a grading match, with the latter, Panelefsiniakos. In the first match, it won 5-3 away in Elefsina and in the second one they scored with 1-1 home in the Nikaia Stadium and secured her return to the top of the Piraeus championship.

Then, in the second half of the 1950s, the club began its most important career and was established as the third force of Piraeus. Initially, between 1955-56 he finished third, behind Ethnikos Piraeus and Olympiacos and in front of Atromitos Piraeus. In the following two seasons, 1956–57 and 1957–58, he finished second and highest ever in the Piraeus Championship, behind Olympiacos and in front of the National League, winning as a secondary her participation in the respective championships (1956–57 and 1957–58) of the Panhellenic Championship. In the 1956-57 Greek Championship, Proodeftiki finished in the 9th and penultimate positions, ahead of the Panagiersakos beat and behind Panionios and remarkable victories was the prevailing on Panargiakos with 5-1 in and 0-4 away, while Petros Christofides, one of the team's top players, scored 15 goals and was the top scorer of the championship. In the 1957-58 Greek Championship, it made its best, finishing in 6th place in a total of 12 teams, while the victories over Panathinaikos (1-2 with 1-0 in home) and home wins against PAOK (3-1) and OFI (4-0) respectively, and also the away wins against Panionios and Apollon Kalamarias with 1-2 respectively. In the period 1958-59 however, Proodeftiki finished in 4th place in the Piraeus Championship, behind SA. Nice and ahead of the Panelefsiniakos, Piraeus, Atromitos and Argonauts, thus losing to one place the qualification for the barrage participation in the Pan-Hellenic Championship 1958-59. In the following period, 1959–60, Proodeftiki continued its racing obligations in the Piraeus Championship and in the first 5 games, Aris Piraeus prevailed 4-0, 1-1 with Atromitos Piraeus, 1-0 from Panelefsiniakos, he scored 0-0 with the National and finally he was also equalized, this time 1-1 with Argonaut. However, in October 1959, Proodeftiki was decided to establish the permanent 1st National Division to replace the Pan-Hellenic Championship and, as a Piraeus quadrant of the previous period (1958–59), was entitled to participate. Proodeftiki participation in the newly-established championship of the permanent Alpha Ethniki, Proodeftiki had to claim through a barrage struggle, where Proodeftiki faced Olympiacos Chalkis, who had in the meantime imposed and displaced OFI. In the first match between them in Chalkida, they scored 2-2, while a draw (0-0) was the result in the repeat at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. In the third most, after two consecutive draws, played in Nea Philadelphia's neutral stadium, Proodeftiki prevailed 3-0, with two goals scored by Peter Christofides (9', 11') and one by Nikos Mitosis (58') and has secured, before 10,000 spectators, its historical prestige in the first league of the First National Championship.