Gate 13
Encyclopedia
Gate 13 is a group of supporters of Greek club Panathinaikos
. Officially founded on November 19, 1966, Gate 13 is the oldest supporters' group in Greece
. Gate 13 has members from all over Greece and has over the years become a part of the club by affecting club decisions and by following the club on all possible occasions.
: Σ.Φ.Ο.Π., Σύλλογος Φιλάθλων Οπαδών Παναθηναϊκού, Sylogos Filathlon Opadon Panathinaikou, Panathinaikos Supporters' Club) and stayed active for an unknown amount of time. Towards the end of the 50s, supporters started getting organized as far as the home and away match support. They started attending the matches regularly and always met at the 13th gate of the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium
. In order to organize trips for away matches and other events the various clubs used to write in 2 newspapers most read by Panathinaikos
fans of the time, Athlitiki Iho (Greek
: Αθλητική Ηχώ, Athletic Echo) and Panathinaika Nea (Greek
: Παναθηναϊκά Νέα, Panathenaic News). By 1966 there were a number of supporters' clubs, all named by the area where they were based. Notable clubs include: Ampelokipi, Zografou
, Patissia
, Gizi
, Petralona
, East End
, Peristeri
, Nikaia-Koridallos, Patra
and many more, most of which are still active today. Despite the lack of a universal name, the clubs would often meet to discuss various things including the team's performance and management, various trips for away matches and securing tickets for the often full leoforos stadium (nickname for the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium
). Since 1962–63 there had been thoughts of founding a universal club under the name of the stadium's gate where the team's most devoted supporters met but at the time there were many difficulties. Slowly the name Gate 13 was starting to get recognized and respected from players and fans.
: Σύνδεσμος Φίλων Παναθηναϊκού Αθλητικού Ομίλου "Η Θύρα 13", Club of Fans of Panathinaikos Athletic Club "Gate 13") first operated on November 19, 1966, on 68, Kolonos Road in Athens
. At the time this was a club like all the rest, the difference was of course that its name would become a major part of Panathinaikos
' history. On November 27, 1966, a few days after the foundation of Gate 13, a bus carrying Panathinaikos
fans from Athens
to Veroia crashed resulting to the death of two Panathinaikos
fans, Giorgos Koskoros (Greek
: Γιώργος Κόσκορος) and Dimitris Sarantakos (Greek
: Δημήτρης Σαραντάκος) who was one of the founding members of Gate 13.
were increasing in number in Athens
and in the rest of Greece
. But in 1967 the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 was established and that had an immediate effect on supporters' clubs as one after the other they were closing down. So did Gate 13, only to reopen in 1968 with new offices on 39, Sokratous street in the center of Athens
. Many other clubs followed shortly. At that time, the situation inside the stadiums in Greece
was very calm with fights only occasionally breaking out and were a result of personal differences. In the following years Gate 13 was expanding and flags with its name and logo started to appear in European stadiums as well as Greek ones while the Leoforos stadium was overflowing with people in the vast majority of games. An interest for basketball was growing among Panathinaikos
's fans and the indoor hall of the Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium
, mostly known as "The Indian's Tomb". In addition, Gate 13 would attend non sport related activities like the team's elections. At the same time they would often express their opinion on various issues that they thought negatively influenced the club, like ticket prices etc.
. The football team reached the 1971 European Cup Final
and still is the only Greek
football team ever to reach the final in a major European competition. Because of this success, Panathinaikos
fans increased in numbers. Gate 13 was present in all the games of Panathinaikos
in the European Cup with memorable trips to games. 15000 fans went to Belgrade
to see Panathinaikos
face the then very strong Red Star Belgrade
while 20000 travelled to London
's Wembley Stadium
for the final against AFC Ajax. Because of the success of Panathinaikos
's football team in Euroean Competitions, a number of supporters' clubs started reopening while other fans decided to found their own supporters' clubs. Some of the most famous new clubs were located in Nikaia, Vyronas
and Thessaloniki
in 1972. The Thessaloniki club was one of the most active supporters' clubs of Panathinaikos
. Immediately after its foundation, the club would participate in many away games with its own coaches and would very often criticize Panathinaikos
's management and owners. By 1974 most supporters' clubs had their own coaches and would be present in all away matches.
. By 1978 there were 52 Panathinaikos
supporters clubs operating all over Greece
at a time when arch rivals Olympiakos
only had a few clubs running. In 1976, during the event for Gate 13's 10 year anniversary, Panathinaikos
's fans honoured the Panathinaikos
' fans that had died by keeping a minutes silence in their memory. After the change of the fans' organizer in 1974, Gate 13 remains the loudest part of the stadium and the center of all the noise was the section above the Gate 13 of the stadium where many flags and a few banners gave colour and character to the stand. Before the start of any match, all the fans wait for members of Gate 13 to invade the pitch and worship Panathinaikos
's flag.
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
. Officially founded on November 19, 1966, Gate 13 is the oldest supporters' group in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Gate 13 has members from all over Greece and has over the years become a part of the club by affecting club decisions and by following the club on all possible occasions.
Origins
Before the foundation of Gate 13 there were various football supporters' clubs all around Greece. The first of these clubs was founded in October 1952 and was called S.F.O.P. (GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Σ.Φ.Ο.Π., Σύλλογος Φιλάθλων Οπαδών Παναθηναϊκού, Sylogos Filathlon Opadon Panathinaikou, Panathinaikos Supporters' Club) and stayed active for an unknown amount of time. Towards the end of the 50s, supporters started getting organized as far as the home and away match support. They started attending the matches regularly and always met at the 13th gate of the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium
Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium
Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium is a football stadium in Athens, Greece. The stadium, has been the home of Panathinaikos FC and has played for most of the years of its existence, since its foundation back in 1908....
. In order to organize trips for away matches and other events the various clubs used to write in 2 newspapers most read by Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
fans of the time, Athlitiki Iho (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Αθλητική Ηχώ, Athletic Echo) and Panathinaika Nea (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Παναθηναϊκά Νέα, Panathenaic News). By 1966 there were a number of supporters' clubs, all named by the area where they were based. Notable clubs include: Ampelokipi, Zografou
Zografou
Zografou is a suburb in the eastern part of Athens, Greece. It is located about 5 km from downtown Athens, 2 km SW of Katechaki Avenue, 4 km from the Hymettus Ring forming part of the Attiki Odos private superhighway network, and 3 km E of Kifissias Avenue...
, Patissia
Patissia
Patissia is a neighborhood of central Athens, Greece.It is split in two neighbourhoods: Ano Patissia and Kato Patissia . The main streets of Patissia are Patision Av. and Acharnon Av....
, Gizi
Gizi
Gizi, gyzi, gkyzi, gkizi is a neighborhood of Athens, Greece. It was inhabited around the 1960s - 1970s. The nearest metro stations are Ampelokipoi and Panormou. Gyzi is popular in the Greek people because there is the old stadium of the best team in the Greek sport history Panathinaikos F.C. and...
, Petralona
Petralona
Petralona is a neighborhood of Athens, Greece located between Thiseio and Kallithea. Athenians refer to Petralona either as Ano Petralona or Kato Petralona, where Ano Petralona is the area between the hill of Filopappou and the railway and Kato Petralona the area between the railway and Piraeus...
, East End
Papagou–Cholargos
Papagou–Cholargos is a municipality in the North Athens regional unit, Attica, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Cholargos.-Municipality:...
, Peristeri
Peristeri
Peristeri is a suburban municipality in Athens, Greece, located about 5 km NW of the downtown area. The municipality is bordered by the Cephissus/Cephissos River, Athinon Avenue , Chaidari in the west and Petroupoli in the northwest, with a size of around...
, Nikaia-Koridallos, Patra
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
and many more, most of which are still active today. Despite the lack of a universal name, the clubs would often meet to discuss various things including the team's performance and management, various trips for away matches and securing tickets for the often full leoforos stadium (nickname for the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium
Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium
Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium is a football stadium in Athens, Greece. The stadium, has been the home of Panathinaikos FC and has played for most of the years of its existence, since its foundation back in 1908....
). Since 1962–63 there had been thoughts of founding a universal club under the name of the stadium's gate where the team's most devoted supporters met but at the time there were many difficulties. Slowly the name Gate 13 was starting to get recognized and respected from players and fans.
1966
Then, in 1966, after much effort the Syndesmos Filon Panathinaikou Athlitikou Omilou "I Thyra 13" (GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Σύνδεσμος Φίλων Παναθηναϊκού Αθλητικού Ομίλου "Η Θύρα 13", Club of Fans of Panathinaikos Athletic Club "Gate 13") first operated on November 19, 1966, on 68, Kolonos Road in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. At the time this was a club like all the rest, the difference was of course that its name would become a major part of Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
' history. On November 27, 1966, a few days after the foundation of Gate 13, a bus carrying Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
fans from Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
to Veroia crashed resulting to the death of two Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
fans, Giorgos Koskoros (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Γιώργος Κόσκορος) and Dimitris Sarantakos (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Δημήτρης Σαραντάκος) who was one of the founding members of Gate 13.
1967-1971
In 1967 the supporters' clubs of PanathinaikosPanathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
were increasing in number in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and in the rest of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. But in 1967 the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 was established and that had an immediate effect on supporters' clubs as one after the other they were closing down. So did Gate 13, only to reopen in 1968 with new offices on 39, Sokratous street in the center of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Many other clubs followed shortly. At that time, the situation inside the stadiums in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
was very calm with fights only occasionally breaking out and were a result of personal differences. In the following years Gate 13 was expanding and flags with its name and logo started to appear in European stadiums as well as Greek ones while the Leoforos stadium was overflowing with people in the vast majority of games. An interest for basketball was growing among Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
's fans and the indoor hall of the Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium
Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium
Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium is a football stadium in Athens, Greece. The stadium, has been the home of Panathinaikos FC and has played for most of the years of its existence, since its foundation back in 1908....
, mostly known as "The Indian's Tomb". In addition, Gate 13 would attend non sport related activities like the team's elections. At the same time they would often express their opinion on various issues that they thought negatively influenced the club, like ticket prices etc.
1971-1974
1971 was a key year in the history of PanathinaikosPanathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
. The football team reached the 1971 European Cup Final
1971 European Cup Final
The 1971 European Cup Final was a football match held at Wembley Stadium, London, on 2 June 1971, that saw Ajax of the Netherlands defeat Panathinaikos of Greece 2–0. An incredible comeback in the second leg of their semi-final against Red Star Belgrade meant Panathinaikos became the first Greek...
and still is the only Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
football team ever to reach the final in a major European competition. Because of this success, Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
fans increased in numbers. Gate 13 was present in all the games of Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
in the European Cup with memorable trips to games. 15000 fans went to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
to see Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
face the then very strong Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
while 20000 travelled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
for the final against AFC Ajax. Because of the success of Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
's football team in Euroean Competitions, a number of supporters' clubs started reopening while other fans decided to found their own supporters' clubs. Some of the most famous new clubs were located in Nikaia, Vyronas
Vyronas
Vyronas is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. The city is named after George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, the famous English poet and writer, who is a national hero of Greece...
and Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
in 1972. The Thessaloniki club was one of the most active supporters' clubs of Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
. Immediately after its foundation, the club would participate in many away games with its own coaches and would very often criticize Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
's management and owners. By 1974 most supporters' clubs had their own coaches and would be present in all away matches.
1974-1978
After the fall of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 supporters' clubs started appearing all over GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. By 1978 there were 52 Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
supporters clubs operating all over Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
at a time when arch rivals Olympiakos
Olympiakos
Olympiakos may refer to:* Olympiakos F.C., a football club in Piraeus, Greece* Olympiakos CFP, a multisport club in Piraeus, Greece...
only had a few clubs running. In 1976, during the event for Gate 13's 10 year anniversary, Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
's fans honoured the Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
' fans that had died by keeping a minutes silence in their memory. After the change of the fans' organizer in 1974, Gate 13 remains the loudest part of the stadium and the center of all the noise was the section above the Gate 13 of the stadium where many flags and a few banners gave colour and character to the stand. Before the start of any match, all the fans wait for members of Gate 13 to invade the pitch and worship Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos is a multi-sport club based in Athens, Greece. It has the shamrock as its official emblem and green and white as its colours...
's flag.