Stadium declared a listed building
The original part of one of Greece’s oldest soccer stadiums, belonging to Apollon Smyrnis club in Rizoupoli, northwest Athens, has been declared a listed building.
The stadium was first constructed in 1948 to house Apollon, a club founded in Smyrna (modern Izmir) on the Asia Minor coast, in 1891. The club moved to Athens after the Greco-Turkish War in 1922.
The original buildings were among the first in Greece to be made of reinforced concrete.
The stadium’s capacity was increased in 1962 and 1972 and it was revamped in 2003 for use in the 2004 Olympic Games.
“Declaring the stadium a listed building may also allow us to seek EU funds for its maintenance,” said club chairman Panayiotis Kantavellos, who also owns the stadium.
