OFI Crete

OFI F.C. ( – Omilos Filathlon Irakleiou), the Association of Sportfriends of Heraklion, is a Greek association football club based in Heraklion, on the island of Crete. Outside Greece, the club is generally known as OFI Crete F.C., however, the name Crete is not actually part of the club's official title.

OFI is the club with most appearances in the Greek first division among clubs which are based outside of the two major Greek cities, Athens and Thessaloniki. The club has had noticeable success to date, particularly considering its comparative status, and has won one Greek Cup and one Balkans Cup, while they have competed several times in UEFA competitions.

At the end of the 2008–09 season, OFI was relegated to Beta Ethniki, thus ending a notable 33-year run in Greece's top division.

History

The foundation

The club was founded during the autumn of 1925 by a group of athletes that used to exercise in a specific gym in the city centre of Heraklion. The official name given to the sports club was Omilos Filathlon Irakleiou or OFI. The colours that OFI used were black and white, because none of the existing sports clubs had the same colour combination in Crete. The scope of the sport club, as had been written down in the first deed of association, was to participate in all kinds of events, and exhibitions related to athletics. During the first period of OFI’s existence most of the teams founders were also members.<!-- Deleted image removed: -->

The years before......

Read More