OFI Crete Women Football Club, or simply OFI, is a Greek women's association football club based in Heraklion, Greece and part of the professional football club O.F.I.. The club was founded in 2015 and currently competes in the Greek A Division.
| Full name | Όμιλος Φιλάθλων Ηρακλείου Ómilos Filáthlon Heraklíou (Heraklion Fans' Club) |
|---|---|
| Short name | OFI |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Ground | Krousonas Municipal Stadium |
| Chairman | Dimitris Manousakis |
| Manager | Kostas Pantzaridis |
| League | Greek A Division |
| 2022–23 | A Division, 4th |
History edit
O.F.I. established a women's football department in the 2015–16 season, which started its journey from the Greek third division. In their first season, they went unbeaten in their group thus winning promotion to the second division.[1] In 2016–17, OFI continued their undefeated streak, winning all eight of their games to get promoted to the Greek A Division for the first time.[2]
During the 2017-18 Greek A Division season, they only won 3 out of 22 matches, resulting in their relegation back to the B Division.[3] In 2018–19, they managed to top their group and bounce back to the first tier with the help of Maria Araviaki, who scored 18 goals, as well Greek internationals Vasso Kydonaki, Maria Kokotsaki and Elisavet Apostolaki.
Since the 2019–20 season, they have been competing in the top tier of Greek football and in recent years they have become one of the best teams in the league. OFI have signed some notable players like Katerina Lagiou, Ioanna Chamalidou, Maria Paterna and Galini Zachariou that have represented Greece at international level, as well as footballers from abroad, like Gerli Israel, Nikola Rybanská, Victoria Kaláberová, Theano Karalouka and Katarzyna Siejka.
In the 2022-23 season, OFI finished in fourth place, the highest ranking in their history.[4] Their most valuable player was Slovak Nikola Rybanská who scored 17 goals and made 8 assists.[5][6]
Current squad edit
- As of 22 February 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff edit
- As of 4 February 2024
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Kostas Pantzaridis
|
| Assistant coach | Charalampos Ntagkinis
|
| Goalkeeping coach | Giorgos Kalaitzakis
|
Managerial history edit
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| Zafiris Latsoudis
|
2015–2017 |
| Kostas Pantzaridis
|
2017–2018 |
| Dimitris Chomatas
|
2018–2020 |
| Petros Marinakis
|
2020 |
| Stamatis Mamatzakis
|
2020–2023 |
| Kostas Pantzaridis
|
2023– |
Honours edit
- Greek B Division (2): 2016/17, 2018/19
- Greek C Division (1): 2015/16
References edit
- ^ "Πρωτάθλημα Γ' Κατηγορίας Γυναικών". epo.gr. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Πρωτάθλημα Β΄ Κατηγορίας Γυναικών". epo.gr. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Πρωτάθλημα Α΄ Κατηγορίας Γυναικών". epo.gr. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Πρωτάθλημα Α΄ Κατηγορίας Γυναικών". epo.gr. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "ΠΡΩΤΗ ΣΚΟΡΕΡ Α ΕΘΝΙΚΗΣ 2022-23 TOP SCORER A FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2022-23". instagram.com. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "ASSISTS 2022-2023". instagram.com. Retrieved 28 August 2023.