A.P.S. Zakynthos
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| Full name | A.P.S. Zakynthos (Athlitikos Podosfairikos Sillogos Zakynthos) | |||
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| Founded | 1961 | |||
| Ground | Zakynthians Olympic Champions Ground, Zakynthos, Greece | |||
| Capacity | 2,000 | |||
| Owner |  Stelios Gounaris |
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| Chairman | Stelios Gounaris |
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| Manager |  Khalid Karama |
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| League | Football League | |||
| 2013–14 | Football League (North Group), 9th | |||
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A.P.S. Zakynthos Greek (Α.Π.Σ. Ζάκυνθος, Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Σύλλογος Ζάκυνθος) is a Greek football club, based in Zakynthos, Greece. It was founded in 1969.
History
The club was officially founded in 1969 after the merger of two other local clubs, one of them founded in 1961, explaining the older foundation date on the team's logo.
The team had the chance to win promotion to Beta Ethniki in 1973 and in 1975 when they won the local championship of Ileia - Zakynthos, thus taking part to the Promotion Play-Offs against other local unions' champions from southern Greece.
However, they failed to be promoted, finishing in their promotion group's 2nd place both of the times while only the 1st teams of each Play - Off group was to be promoted.
From the middle of the 1970s until the early 1980s, the team was participating in a new amateur championship named "Ethniki Erasitechniki", which was the 3rd highest level of football at the time in Greece. It is also the first format of the today's Gamma Ethniki Championship. In 1982, the club was relegated to newly created, Greek 4th National Division and in 1987 when they were relegated to local championships.
The years that followed the club was constantly promoting and relegating between Delta Ethniki and Zakynthos' Local Championship.
Finally, in 1997, they were able to avoid being relegated again from Delta Ethniki. In the years that followed they kept performing continuously in the league by regularly finishing in the top-half of the table.
In 2006 they were promoted for their first ever time to semi-professional Gamma Ethniki after winning the championship in Delta Ethniki's 6th Group.
However, their debut in the division was not ideal and they were relegated again in the 4th tier of Greece after finishing last in their group in 2006 - 2007 season.
They re-won the title in their group the next season, though, and were instantly repromoted to Gamma Ethniki were they stabilized. In 2011- 2012 season the team achieved its highest ever position finishing 3rd in their group and competing in the promotion Play-Offs without success.
In 2013 they were promoted for the first time in the club's history to the fully professional Beta Ethniki, even though they had had a mediocre season finishing in 7th place. Basically, they were favoured from HFF's decision to increase the number of teams in Beta Ethniki, resulting in promotion of more teams from 3rd division. Still, they weren't initially to be promoted but some clubs from the upper division decided not to participate in the championship due to financial problems leaving empty places that were filled with additional teams from Gamma Ethniki, including the team of Zakynthos.
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Season to season
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Notable Players
- Stelios Liveris
- Stathis Karamalikis
- Thanasis Dinas
- Alexandros Apostolopoulos
Tomasz Moskal
Enes Rujović
External links
- http://www.zakynthosfc.gr/ Official Team Webpage
- http://www.apszakynthos.blogspot.com/ Unofficial Webpage of team's fans
- http://www.ioniansports.gr/football/aps-zakynthos Team's news in ioniansports.gr
- http://www.zantesport.gr/index.php/podosfairo/g-ethniki.html Team's news in zantesport.gr
