The Current State Of Football In The Greek Province Of Messinia

The Current State Of Football In The Greek Province Of Messinia

By:Alexander Koutakos

This week, we continue the trip around the provinces of Greece with the province of Messinia. 

Messinia is located in the southwest corner of the Peloponnese. Messinia is also home to the cities/large towns of Kalamata, Messini, Filiatra and many others. In terms of football, the region has produced exceptional talents over the years, such as: Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Nikos Liberopoulos, Nikolaos Georgeas and many others. 

The best team in the region is none other than Kalamata FC. In this article, I will be going over the current state of Kalamata FC, Apollon Kalamata, youth development in the region and the MFCA (Messinian Football Club Association).

The Current State Of Kalamata FC

Currently, Kalamata FC play in the “Football League”(the third tier of Greek football). Sadly, the  “Football League” has not been played this year due to the incompetence regarding the matter in-hand by Evangelos Grammenos’ EPO(Hellenic Football Federation). 

On a more positive note, Kalamata FC does boast a stadium with a capacity of just over 5000. At the moment, the manager of the club is Nikos Anastopoulos and the captain is Michalis Zacharopoulos. The club's beginnings were very rough to say the least. Furthermore, the club was founded in 1967 by the forced merger of Apollon Kalamata and Kalamata Sports Club. This merger was forced by the far-right Greek military junta. Due to this, the club’s crest was a phoenix between the years of 1967-1974. After 1974, the club’s management changed their crest to what it is today. 

Over the course of Kalamata FC's history, they have been in the top flight for 7 seasons. On a side note, the club’s official colors are white and black and the club’s ultras are called the “Bulldogs Fan Club”. Hopefully, Kalamata FC can work their way up the ladder and return to their former glory and pedigree in the coming years.

The Current State Of Apollon Kalamata (the modern one)

Currently, Apollon Kalamata play in the “Messinian First Division ''. However, like all the other lower leagues in Greek football, the league has been postponed due to “covid” and not by anything else. Hopefully you got the joke! The club itself is not considered as a “professional” club anymore. 

At their height, Apollon Kalamata was a professional club and even played in the third division of Greek football in the late 1970’s. The club has gone on a spiral ever since with multiple different owners. The club is most famous for being the place where the late Panagiotis Bachramis began his footballing career. Bachramis later went on to play for Kalamata FC, AEL, Iraklis, Veria and the Greek national youth teams. 

The club itself was founded in 1927 and its colors are white and black. However, the club was in a merger with Kalamata Sports Club from 1967-1974. Despite that, the club was re-founded in 1974 and the club’s entity has never changed since. Currently, there is a ton of beef between Apollon Kalamata and Kalamata FC. The club’s emblem is the trifolium like Panathinaikos’. However, like previously stated, the colours of the trifolium are white and black instead of Green like Panathinaikos’. 

The goal at the moment for Apollon Kalamata is to get out of the local leagues. If they manage to achieve that, they will be awarded with crucial and well needed monetary funds!

The Current State Of Youth Development In The Region

Youth development in Messinia is far superior than it is in the provinces of Laconia and Western Macedonia(the former and the latter's youth development programs I have previously mentioned and written about in previous articles). 

Youth development is better in Messinia than it is in Laconia and Western Macedonia because Messinia has better facilities, more coaches and the overall way of developing players is better. Youth development in Messinia does also have its faults. In my opinion, the main fault is that youth development in Messinia is very centralized and it practically revolves around the city of Kalamata. The remaining towns and villages in Messinia are quite neglected in terms of footballing facilities and in terms of the lack of coaches available. 

In Messinia, the club that has the most youthful talent is none-other than Kalamata FC. Over the years they have produced and proven time and time again that they are one of the biggest producers of talent in the entire Peloponnese! Hopefully, youth development in Messinia can become less centralized and become more accessible to everyone in the Messinian society and region.

The Current State Of The MFCA

The MFCA which stands for the “Messinian Football Clubs Association” is the current regulative and governing body for over 70 clubs across Messinia. The MFCA was founded way back in 1929 and their current president is Vassilis Spiliotis. The MFCA also holds an annual “Messinian Cup”. The team with the most Messian cup titles is Erani Filiatra with a total of 8 . The MFCA is also the governing body for two women’s teams: Messiniakos and Niki 1991 Kalamata. 

The MFCA championship for men is divided into three tiers(the first division, the second division and the third division). Of course, the MFCA has EPO as their FIFA affiliation. Overall, the MCFA is well governed and I wish that other provinces’ footballing associations follow suit!

Conclusion

To conclude, football in Messinia is not at the state/level that it used to be. However, the foundations are in place and with some well needed monetary investment, football in Messinia could rise once again. 

Everyone in the "Greekfooty"  circle knows that I love rural teams in the Greek league and it would be truly fantastic to see another, especially from Messinia! 

Hellas Football 

Follow @AKoutakos on Twitter