Everything that happened in our new house!

The first taste of our new stadium was given to the more than seven thousand fans who visited the “Alpha Mega Stadium” on the historic evening of Monday (12/12).

The state-of-the-art stadium, which will be the new football home of every Apollon player, delighted the crowd with its facilities and the services it offers. It will be a “home” befitting the history and stature of the club.

Last night’s event was a first class opportunity for the supporters to experience our new home ground which will be our future home, to see the view from the stand and its new location. However, the highlight of the event was to experience Apollon’s transition from the Chirio to the “AlphaMega Stadium” while transferring our history from one stadium to the other.

The whole event started very early with a fanzone outside the stadium where young children had the opportunity to play, meet and have their picture taken with “Apollonio” the new Apollon mascot!

In the area there was a stand of Apollon Official Store where official products of our team were sold.

Just before 18:00 when the gates opened and the fans started to enter the stands of the stadium, you could see the crowd getting excited about the facilities and the view of the pitch.

At 19:30 the event started with presenters Fanourios Constantinou and Katerina Charalambous who welcomed the audience and invited the 200 children of our academy who were holding blue and white flags and took their place around the perimeter of the field. At the same time, 16 older children entered with imposing flags in the colours of “Thrylos” which created a “corridor” in front of the main stand towards the centre of the pitch.

The lights were turned off and the screens started counting down from number 68, the number of years since the foundation of the team, followed by an impressive light show lasting 5 minutes.

This was followed by a video tribute which presented the history of Apollon from its foundation until today, through its presence at the GSE and at the Chirio Stadium, a tribute which awakened memories and moved the audience in the stands.

Subsequently, the Limassol Municipality Philharmonic Orchestra made its entrance and played the well-known motto of our team’s fans “I have grown not changed” and the anthem of our club. As was natural, the 7000 people followed and sang along with the philharmonic.

Apollonios, the new mascot of our team, made his first appearance with his “pistol” by “shooting” commemorative jerseys at the crowd in all four stands of the stadium while doing various tricks with the ball.

There is no stadium without goals! Apollonios chose a kid from the stands who set up the ball a few meters from the goal, got going and scored Apollon’s first goal in the new stadium. Symbolically this goal was scored by the fans of our team!

Then 40 dancers from Evi’s School of Dance presented a dynamic choreography dressed in Apollo’s colours, and gave a full program to the audience who watched the dancers’ movements with interest.

Shortly after 20:20 the first ritual of the event began with the presentation of all the trophies of Apollon Limassol. However, before entering the trophies, championships and shields of our team, the leaders of this team over the course of 68 years could not fail to be mentioned.

Pambos Lympouridis, Andreas Psyllidis, Antonis Hadjipavlou, Pambos Georgiadis, Dimi Kirzis, George Papas, Kakos Potamitis, Filios Drusiotis, Sophocles Sophocleous, Frixos Savvidis, Doros Antoniou, George Pavlidis, Marinos Efstathiou, Pavlos Aristodimou, Xenophon Charalambous and Nikos Kirzis.

Subsequently, 17 great footballers – the club’s iconic players were invited to the pitch carrying the club’s trophies and symbolically the history of our team to the new stadium.

Panikos Krystallis, the top player who played in Apollon’s colours, brought the first Cup of our team in the 1965-66 season. The reception he received from the fans was unprecedented.

The very next season our club made the so-called back to back, defending the Cup title with the Municipality of Kavazis to carry the precious trophy on the field and leave it in a special structure in the center of the stadium.

Our team’s third Cup, of the 1985-86 season, was carried to the centre of the court by Andros Christodoulou, who was also our team’s top scorer at the time.

The first championship of our team, of the 1990-1991 season, made its appearance with the “eternal” captain Giannakis Giagoudakis carrying it. The presence of the captain scattered delirium in the audience who applauded him.

The very next season, 1991-1992, our team won its fourth Cup with Pambos Pitta moving it to the centre of the pitch. One of Apollon’s top players!

Apollon’s second championship, 1993-1994, was brought to the pitch by Milego Spoliaric, whose presence brought back memories of the ’90s and “forced” the fans to chant the well-known slogan of the decade.

Our team entered the new millennium by winning the seventh trophy in its history with the 2000-2001 season’s Cup. The… great Sofronis Augustis carried the precious cup onto the pitch with the fans cheering him on.

In the 2005-2006 season, our team achieves something incredible. It wins the title of champion being undefeated and bringing the championship to Limassol after 12 years! The “cup” was brought to the field by the native of our team, Christis Theofilou.

After the dreamlike May 2006, another trophy followed for our team and its first in this institution. Apollon’s first Super Cup was won against APOEL 3-1 with Joao Paiva taking it to the pitch bringing back memories to the crowd. The… cook also did the crowd a favour with his usual celebration by pretending to stir the pot.

The 2010 Cup was brought to the pitch by the unforgettable… Gaston Sagoy! The former Argentine striker of our team was a terror to the opposing teams just by his presence on the pitch and for this reason he was a favourite of the fans. The slogan that vibrated the atmosphere is familiar and for obvious reasons cannot be mentioned…

The Cup that sent Apollon’s fans to the 7th heaven was brought to the center of the court by the giant Bruno Valle, who with his huge save in the final against AEL, put his stamp on the seventh Cup of the 2012-2013 season in the history of our team.

Apollon’s 8th Cup was won again at Tsirio, which was the last final at this stadium. Abraham Guie carried the 2015-2016 season’s cup which was won against Omonia.

The next title was the Super Cup in August 2016 with Ioannis Pitta taking it to the stadium with the hope that he will score many more goals in the new “Alfamega Stadium” in the coming years!

Our team made the back to back in the cups in the 2016-2017 season with the iconic captain George Vassiliou taking it to the pitch! In the GSP final, our team beat APOEL 1-0 despite playing with 10 players.

Another player who has been on the team’s roster to date, carried the Super Cup trophy to the center of the field. The top defender in Cypriot football, Valentin Roberge was celebrated by the crowd who rhythmically chanted his name.

Reaching our 16th title and the fourth championship in our history, Hambos Kyriakou carried the prestigious trophy of the 2021-2022 season with which we bid farewell to the Chirio Stadium. It was our team’s last title in this stadium where we experienced incredible moments.

The 4th Super Cup was won just last August with Alexander Jovanovic taking it to the pitch.

The ceremony was completed with the legendary players being photographed with the trophies and the President of Apollon Football (Public) Ltd., Mr. Nikos Kirzis, who then took the floor and stressed that in our new home we will write new “golden” pages in the history of the club.

Ακολουθεί αυτούσια η ομιλία του:

“The big moment, the dream of decades takes shape tonight at the new football stadium of Limassol, the Alfa Mega Stadium.

Here, in the new home of our football team, here where united we will seek to write new “Golden” pages in the glorious history of Apollon Limassol in both domestic and international competitions.

A football stadium that befits the club’s stature, but also exceeds the demands of our team’s fan base, which will attend all our home matches, as befits every football fan.

At the same time, the thousands of Apollon Limassol fans will have the opportunity to create those conditions which will turn our new football stadium into a real fortress, in which it will be very difficult for any opponent to beat us.

Here where the rules of every match will be set on the pitch by our team, and in the stands by the thousands of our fans.

Tonight is a milestone night for the club, as we transfer 68 years of glorious history from the GSO and the Chirio, to this very stadium where the next generations of Apollon Limassol fans will grow up, become men and be nurtured.

It is with great pleasure that in the stands and inside the stadium tonight are personalities who wrote from scratch the glorious history of Apollon Limassol.

Footballers, coaches , administrators but also the enormous strength of Apollon Limassol…the thousands of its fans.

I and my colleagues have struggled a lot over the years to be here tonight in this state-of-the-art stadium.

I feel the need to thank you all for your great and enduring support, which has been the main pillar of this successful decade.

I understand that the demands are now at an all-time high and this is something we have achieved together through patience and methodical work.

Apollon fans,

A warm request to protect this jewel. To respect this facility as our own home, and to hand it down to future generations as we are receiving it today.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, for his enormous contribution to the realization of this great project, the Board of Directors of the C.O.A., the CEO of the company AlfaMega, Mr. George Theodotou, and of course all my colleagues of the last 11 years and all the administrative agents who served our team in the past and contributed in their own way to the fulfillment of the great dream of thousands of fans of the club.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize to all the fans of our team that from tonight a new era begins for Apollon Limassol and we must all walk together united….to add new “golden” pages to the glorious history of our team.

The future is even greater… THE FUTURE IS APOLLON!”

And if the audience was moved by the previous process with the presentation of the trophies, they could not have imagined what would follow.

The Lavaro ceremony was a look back from the past to the present and the future of our club.

A “relay” with protagonists people – symbols for our club who represented huge parts of Apollo and together they composed and compose the whole structure of the club. These huge personalities carried the banner of the club around the perimeter of the stadium which was then placed in the centre!

First of all, Mr. Pambos Lympouridis, one of the founders of Apollon and the first general secretary of the club, represented all the administrators and carried the banner, handing it over to the most famous fan of our club.

Mr. Christodoulos is a person with whom many thousands of Apollon fans are associated, since for decades he set the pulse, stirring up Apollon fans in all the stadiums of Cyprus. In his person, the great and selfless love of the fans towards our team is expressed.

The moment when he bowed to the banner in front of the horseshoe of the organisers was shocking.

The banner was then received by the president of the Panhellenic Union of Apollon Limassol Fans, who represented the liveliest part of the team’s fans, those who follow Apollon in all stadiums, both in Cyprus and in Europe, in heat and in rain. Legendary Gate 1 carried the banner handing over to the next.

Mr. Hambis, the eternal companion of our beloved Apollon for decades, present and strong during the difficult and rocky years of the club, never abandoned the ship of Apollon and in every storm he was at the forefront. He represented all the unsung heroes serving our club from various positions.

The banner was then received by Mr. Kostakis Vassiliadis who represented all the veteran players who wore and fought with the emblem of “God” Apollon on their chest.

On behalf of the club were at the stadium the leaders of the basketball team on wheels… Christakis Ioannou, Boban Stankovic and Konstantinos Nestoridis who are the most symbolic and heroic part of our club!

Coming to the present and the racing data of our team, the banner was carried by our captain, Hambos Kyriakou who represented his teammates who received the baton and will hand it over to the next…

The future… a child of our academy who represents the new generation of Apollonists, those who come to write in this stadium, even more golden pages in the glorious history of Apollon!

The child and the president of Apollon, Mr. Nikos Kirzis placed the banner in the center of the stadium expressing with this symbolism the transfer of our club to the “Alfamega” stadium!

The beginning of the new era for Apollon Limassol was marked with the cutting of the ribbon by the presidents of the Apollon Football Company Mr. Nikos Kirzis and the Apollon Limassol Association Mr. Xenophon Charalambous with the evening ending with fireworks and slogans from the podium.

The last “scene” of the event took place around the perimeter of the pitch and more specifically from the stands of the stadium. Gate 1 stood along the length of the stands making night a day with fireworks in the Colossus sky and flares.

We express our warmest thanks to BEON1X for providing the necessary equipment to make possible the spectacular event in which they were the major sponsor.

Special thanks also to Cytavision, who undertook the projection of all the historic events that took place in “Alfamega” .

We would be remiss if we did not thank all those who contributed to this event which, apart from the financial cost, took hundreds of hours to produce this amazing result.

Among them the director and project manager of the event Mr. Miltos Hatzoulis for the supervision and execution of the Welcome Event and CGC Advertising for the curation of the event and the support.

Special thanks to Katerina Charalambous who took over as presenter with Fanourios Konstantinou and for her help.

In closing, we would like to thank the Limassol Philharmonic Orchestra for their presence, which honoured us by playing the anthem and a motto of our team.