Skoda Xanthi FC

Skoda Xanthi FC is the Greek football club that resulted from the merger of two football teams in Greece: Orfeas and Aspida. These teams were the most popular ones in the town of Xanthi so that when both teams played, the town was divided into two parts. In 1967 things changed when Orfeas and Aspida merged in a new team called AOX.  Unlike most teams which started as local teams, Skoda Xanthi FC began from Second Division. However, it took 23 years for the team to be in Premier Division. 1989 was the year in which this dream came true.

Another year that made a difference in this team was 1991. At that time, they found a sponsor who could take care of everything. That company was The VIAMAR S.A. which got the control of Xanthi and renamed it to SKODA XANTHI. Soon, the team began to give great results so that other clubs got interested in young talented players from Skoda Xanthi. Panathinaikos, AEK, and PAOK were some of the teams that wanted players such as Marinos Ouzounidis, Nikos Kostenoglou, Christos Maladenis, Triantafillos Maheridis, Luciano De Souza, Christos Patsatzoglou, Stelios Venetidis, Akis Zikos, and Paraskevas Antzas.

Skoda Xanthi FC is one of the best Greek football teams. This team has participated in the UEFA Cup and plays in the Super League Greece. Their home stadium, Skoda Xanthi Arena, was built in 2004 based on designs from the architects Pierre de Modjuon, Santiago Calatrava. Located in the eastern part of Xanthi in the region of Thrace, the Skoda Xanthi Arena holds 7,361 people. Their record attendance took place in 2005 when 6,410 people attended in a game against the PAOK FC.