It has been, throughout time, the second largest football team of the Prefecture of Achaia, the first ever to play in the newly established, at the time, championship of the A’ National Division. Throughout the 60s, the “heart” of Achaean Football beat in Aegios, where the Paneiyaleios lived his best years.
Black and white, I dream
Paneiyaleios entered the 97th year of his age and looks forward to his 10th decade with optimism! It was founded on February 25, 1927 with elite members of the local community as founders. Among the first to think of the idea of creating the Panegialeion was Zisimos Livas, architect by profession, designer and hagiographer, followed by: Nik. Gardeniotis, G. Sakellaropoulos, Ir. Anastasopoulos, K. Iliopoulos, K. Lyritzis, Chr. Papandianos et al.
The “Archive”, as a debt due to the historical group of Aegios, participates in the celebration of his birthday, dedicating today’s issue to him.
The patriarch of Panegialeion
Zisimos Livas is the initiator and one of the founders of the Panegialei Gymnastics Club. An architect by profession, designer and iconographer, following fighting and serving in the Greek Army throughout from 1912 (First Balkan Wars) to 1922 (Asia Minor Disaster), he graduated in 1924 and settled in Aigio. He was an athlete (in the Decathlon) of the Panhellenic Gymnastics Association of Athens and he carried this love of his to the new city.
When he saw the youth of Aegius impoverished and poor, he set himself the goal of establishing a gymnastics club similar to the one he belonged to and with which he exercised in Athens. With personal efforts, diligence and care, he gathered several young people and on New Year’s Day 1924, he had them go around Aigio and sing carols, collecting contributions that would support this effort. He himself will train the first athletes and in 1925 will organize the first games. With the help of the then mayor of Aigio, Spyros Panagiotopoulos, he will proceed with the establishment of the Gymnasium (i.e. the current Municipal Stadium of Aigio) which will be fenced first with oilcloth and then with boards. On February 25, 1927, and following being prepared for almost a year, the association’s statutes were submitted, which were approved in November of the same year. In fact, on the day it was signed, it had not yet been decided what the name of the Association would be. According to the account of the specific incident by Pavlos Livas, son of Zisimos, the co-founders gathered in the great hall of the then Aigi Town Hall (which was located in today’s garden) and when the question was raised what the name of the association would be, they shouted ” Libyan” thus recognizing the value and personality of the initiator of this movement.
Zisimos Livas, a modest man by nature, refused this proposal and he himself suggested that the name should contain something related to Aegio, so that the city might be heard and advertised. This is how the name “Panaigialios Gymnastic Association” was born. After the establishment of the Panagialea Gymnastics Association, he did not get involved in its administration (he was never its president, nor a member of the Board of Directors) but only a gymnast.
A short history of a brilliant course
The Paneiyalian Gymnastic Association (PGS) is a sports football club of Aegion and the wider region of the Municipality of Aegialia, founded on February 25, 1927. It is one of the most historic football teams in Greece. It is essentially the club that brought professionalism to Greek football.
On February 25, 1927, Paneiyaleios was founded with elite members of the local community as its founders. Among the first to think of the idea of creating the Panegialeion was Zisimos Livas, architect by profession, designer and hagiographer, followed by: Nik. Gardeniotis, G. Sakellaropoulos, Ir. Anastasopoulos, K. Iliopoulos, K. Lyritzis, Chr. Papandianos et al.
After the establishment of the Panegialian Gymnastics Association, Livas did not get involved in its administration and was never its president or a member of the Board of Directors, only a gymnast. In fact, behind this attribute of his is the unknown history of the logo of the football department of Panegialeion: Zisimos Livas loved the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling, of which he himself was an athlete. Therefore, in 1954 it was decided by the then president of Panegialeio, Sotiris Panagiotopoulos (son of the former mayor of Aigio, Spyros Panagiotopoulos) to adopt the form of two athletes competing in Greco-Roman as the emblem of Panegialeio.
Other members who helped to create the historical Association at that time were: Papaioannou Chr. (chemist) Liaramatis Sot. Triantafillou Kon. and a little later Panagiotopoulos Sot. who for many years was president before and following the war and housed the Association’s offices.
It is worth noting that the honorary president of Panegialeion was the former mayor of Athens and former Minister of Capital Administration Konstantinos Kotzias.
The first team
The first team of Paneiyalio in 1927 consisted of: Souflis Panos Panagopoulos Konstantinos, Simonian Ioannis, Simonian Armenak, Stefanidis Ag., Mourikis Kon., Arvanitis Arg., Duras And., Zairas Pavlos, Moschochlaidis Ioannis, Gionis Aristos, Foukas Kon., Skliris Fotis, Kollias Dim. (he excelled with the Greek National Team and scored the golden goal in Romania), Koukas, Nikos Talamagas, Zafeiropoulos, Panos Angelopoulos.
A little later: Pirpiris Stagias, Moschos, Mendzelopoulos, Manousakis, Zouropoulos, Kolais, Armenis, Mourikis Panagiotis, Goumas, Skartsilas, Deligiannis and others.
Some of the presidents of the Association at that time were: Nikos Kougevetopoulos, Andreas Kouniniotis, Spilios Panagopoulos. Later they followed: Kalimanis G. and Bellas Asterios.
The one and only Asterios Bellas
Asterios Bellas was one of the biggest factors in Achaean football and not only that, the man thanks to whom Paneiyaleios experienced its most brilliant period. From the end of 1957 to 1968, Paneialiaios was an…unpredictable “football brigade” and Bellas the most talked regarding person in the field of Greek football. Football player of Olympiakos Volos, he was transferred to Aigios. He played as a right-back in the Panaiyalei squad and at the same time assumed the duties of general captain. All clubs recognize his energy and ability.
He bought players who were not used by their teams, who made new careers in Paneiyalios, and then sold them to other clubs. In 1964, he gave to Olympiakos Grigoris Aghanian (which he had acquired from Ethnikos) in exchange for 100,000 Dra. The sports and political press, as well as the sports fans in general, called Paneiyalios “legion of foreigners”. Asterios Bellas was the first factor who had imposed professionalism and had established that premiums and special percentages were given to the players of Paneiyalio depending on the result.
*From the “Archive” of “P” on Saturday, February 27, 2016
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