GS Apollon Smyrnis

Chrysostomos of Smyrna

Apollon was founded in 1891.[1][2] The first members from the club belonged earlier to Orpheas Smyrnis, the ancestor of Panionios. The metropolitan bishop of Smyrna Chrysostomos was among the founders of Apollon. In 1894, three years after its foundation, Apollon acquired its own stadium. A few years later the stadium moved in the Smyrni's district of Agios Tryfonas. In 1904, Apollon organised the Apollonian Games, the annual athletics games in Smyrna. Athletes of all the nations in Smyrna take part in the Games besides Turks.[1] The football team of Apollon was founded in 1910 and it became the most popular and successful team of the club.[1][2]

The football team of Apollon in 1924

In 1922, Apollon moved to Athens as result of Asia Minor Disaster and the expulsion of Greek population from Asia Minor. The club originally settled in Columns of the Olympian Zeus. In 1923, Apollon moved to Rouf, a district in the west of Athens. In 1946 the Greek Railway Company bought the area of Apollon in Rouf. The money from the selling was used for the buying an area in Rizoupoli where the new stadium of Apollon was built. The stadium started to be built in 1947 and it inaugurated in 1948.[3][4] In 2003, the stadium was named Georgios Kamaras after the name of the notable player of Apollon. Apollon was two times the finalist of the championship. Other achievements were the third place in the championship of 1963, and the presence in the final of the Greek Football Cup in 1996 when it was defeated by AEK. The Volleyball and Water Polo sections of Apollon have reached up to second division in their sports. In current season Volleyball and Water Polo[5] team play in A2 Ethniki (2nd-tier). The basketball team had played in Beta Ethniki in 1991-92 and 1992–93 seasons and now it plays in Gamma Ethniki (4th tier).