Неа Саламина Фамагуста - Женщины

Early years

Nea Salamis was founded at the time of the Greek Civil War. The situation in Greece affected Cyprus, influencing politics and sport; most athletes were also involved in politics. At that time, Famagusta had two sports clubs: the Evagoras Gymnastics Association, or GSE, (Greek: Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Ευαγόρας) and the Anorthosis Famagusta FC. GSE had many leftist athletes (some of the best in Cyprus) on its roster, and many of Anorthosis' players were also leftists. In the right-wing political climate of the time, both clubs began restricting the admission of leftist players or denying them promotion. Additionally, Anorthosis was hosting at their clubhouse the right-wing Cypriot National Party. In early 1947 a group of leftists, members and of GSE and Anorthosis and some other people from Famagusta agreed on the need for another sport club which would appeal to all, regardless of political affiliation.

On 14 February 1948 a decision was made to establish the club, and the New Salamis sports club was formed on 7 March 1948 as the first leftist athletic club in Cyprus. After the club was founded, demand was high to join. The football team was not strong at that time, since most of the players were untalented.

On 8 March 1948, the newspaper Democratis reported the club's establishment in a story titled, "A Progressive Movement in Varosha":

Today at 11 a.m. in Hadjihambis theater the founding convention of a new sport club in our city, New Salamina took place. The board of directors consisted of Messrs. Andrew Paschalides, Georgio Fano, doctor, and Kostas Eleftheriou. Mr. G. Fanos stressed that the most progressive city of the island, Famagusta, hasn't had a political free sport club. He also emphasized the association's program as leading the city in cultural and sportive terms and invited all professionals and amateurs to join the new club.

Nine board members were elected:

• Andreas Paschalidis (Chair)
• George Fanos (Vice-president)
• Kostas Eleftheriou (General Secretary)
• Michael Daniel Sialis (Treasurer)
• Antonis Totsis (Collector)
• Lycurgus Archontides (Football head)
• Nikos Kokkinos (Football head)
• Panagiotis Kalogirou (Track head)

Name

The new club was named "Nea Salamis", based on a suggestion by Evagoras Lanitis. Lanitis came to the GSΕ stadium during Pancypriot games, and said Anorthosis should be renamed "Salamis" in honor of ancient Salamis. A club founder remembered the suggestion, proposed it and it was adopted as "Athletic Club 'Nea Salamis' Famagusta" (Greek: ΑΘΛΗΤΙΚΟΝ ΣΩΜΑΤΕΙΟΝ "ΝΕΑ ΣΑΛΑΜΙΣ" ΑΜΜΟΧΩΣΤΟΥ; nea means "new" in Greek).

Teams

Many people soon joined the new club, creating track and football teams for young athletes. Although the club had a track team, the football department coordinated all events. The first Nea Salamis track meet was the Famagusta races on 25 March 1948 at the GSE stadium, at which the club was victorious. Participants included Nikis Georgiou, Panayiotis Kalogirou, Antonis Totsis, Koumis Kkeses, Kostas Manoli, Nikos Kokkinos and Christofi Tsiakkiros. The track team was successful because GSE's top track athletes joined Nea Salamis, but the football team was not strong because few players from Anorthosis had joined Nea Salamis.

Expulsion from GSE Stadium and founding of CAFF

Before the May 1948 Pancyprian Games, the Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association (SEGAS) asked all sports clubs in Cyprus to publicly support the rightists in the Greek Civil War, espousing "nationalist beliefs" and condemning the leftists. The rightist athletic clubs and athletes signed the statement; the only club which refused was the "Kinyras" Paphos Gymnastic Association, which was excluded from the games. The leftist athletes, opposed to the declaration by the clubs, refused to sign the statement. Among the first athletes who reacted were GSE champions Antonis Totsis (Greek: Αντώνης Τότσης) and Nikis Georgiou (Νικής Γεωργίου). Although the GSE asked the athletes to apologize, both insisted that sports should remain separate from politics. Totsis and Georgiou also decided to support the "Kinyras" Paphos Gymnastic Association if the decision excluding it from the Pancyprian Games was unchanged. They held to their position, and although the GSE was favored in the games it finished third. Nea Salamis did not participate in the Pancyprian Games, and the GSE president informed the club by mail that it was barred from the GSE Stadium. Nea Salamis hadn' t stadium for the new season.

Leftist athletes were also persecuted in other Cypriot cities. In Larnaca, Alki Larnaca F.C. was founded in April 1948; the following month, the Gymnastic Club Zeno (GSZ) banned Alki from using its GSZ Stadium; a similar proposal excluding Turks and Catholics was rejected. At the same meeting, GSZ members amended its constitution to prohibit the future enrollment of new members unless they signed a declaration that "they espouse Hellenic nationalistic ideals". This excluded leftist athletes from becoming members or using its stadium. In May, Orfeas Nicosia was founded in Nicosia; that month, APOEL F.C. sent a telegram to SEGAS with "cordial brotherly greetings to the entire Greek youth athletes" for the National Games and hoping for an end to intra-nation mutiny. APOEL asked its members and athletes to sign a declaration supporting the telegram's content. Leftist APOEL members and athletes "intra-nation mutiny" a political challenge issued by the club, and distanced themselves from the statement. The Cypriot press created a hostile climate with articles and commentary. This was followed by an indefinite suspension of five APOEL athletes, who founded AC Omonia in June 1948 with former APOEL members. After that, AS Kyrenia was founded.

The members of the new clubs were not accepted in the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) due to their leftist sympathies, and founded the Cyprus Amateur Football Federation (CAFF) in December 1948. CAFF organized leagues and cups, attracting thousands of fans; CAFF matches attracted more fans than those of the CFA. Six clubs belonged to the new league: Nea Salamis Famagusta, Omonia and Orfeas in Nicosia, Alki at Larnaca, AMOL at Limassol (renamed Antaeus in 1951) and Neos Asteras in Morphou.

Unification of Cypriot football

Although the CAFF clubs favored the unification of Cypriot football, they were repeatedly rejected over a three-year period by the CFA. The existence of two football federations and two championships was unprecedented in Cyprus. The situation created economic and infrastructure problems, preventing the sport's development in the country. The CAFF clubs also felt that sports should be based on friendship rather than segregation. In December 1952, the first edition of the sports newspaper Athlitiki launched a crusade for the unification of Cypriot football which was supported by the foreign coaches of CFA clubs. According to the CFA, "[The coaches'] statements opposed the spirit of the Federation". During the summer of 1953, most Cypriot sportspeople supported unification. In August 1953, Nea Salamis, Omonia, Alki and Antaeus submitted a joint application to join the CFA's First Division. On 19 September the association accepted Nea Salamis and Omonia as members. However, the organization's negative attitude towards those clubs continued. First, the league rejected applications from Alki, Orfeas Nicosia and Neos Asteras (although the first two joined a year later), and second, arguing that according to its constitution, only one team must participate in the Cypriot First Division and two teams in the second division. The CAFF clubs accepted the conditions in the interest of unification. At an ad hoc meeting, CAFF members agreed that Omonia would join the First Division and Nea Salamis and Antaeus the Second Division. After this, the federation disbanded. The first game between teams from the rival leagues was a friendly between Nea Salamis and Anorthosis at GSE Stadium on 27 September 1953 before a crowd of 5,200. Anorthosis won, 3–1, and Athlitiki praised the fans' sportsmanship and brotherhood.

Famagusta municipal stadium

When Nea Salamis was barred from GSE Stadium, the club had nowhere to play. Initially practicing at the Saint Lukas ("Proodou") court in Famagusta, it began efforts to build a privately owned stadium. In December 1948, Israel donated three thousand pounds to Famagusta for a community project in gratitude to the city's residents for help offered to Jewish refugees. Famagusta alderman and Nea Salamis footballer Gabriel Makris supported a stadium, and the city council acknowledged "financial assistance granted by the Jews to create Municipal Sports Stadium, which is available to Famagustans for the promotion and spread of mass popular sport." The stadium would be available to Nea Salamis and any other sports club. In early 1949, construction began with volunteer labor on a municipal stadium in Saint John's parish in Famagusta. The stadium, the first in Cyprus with a roofed grandstand, was completed in 1952 and was Nea Salamis' home ground in 1952 and 1953. In 1953, after unification of Cyprus' football, Nea Salamina started using GSE Stadium. The Famagusta municipal stadium was used by the team only for training until 1974. That year, when Famagusta was occupied by the Turkish army, the club moved its headquarters in Larnaka.

Refugees and reactivation

A tragic day in Nea Salamis' history was the 14 August 1974 occupation of Famagusta by Turkish troops as a result of the invasion of Cyprus, which made it a refugee club. The city remains in Turkish hands, and fans and players scattered to free areas of Cyprus or abroad.

Although while Cypriots struggled to adjust to the occupation sports were a low priority, club members tried to maintain its presence. In September 1974 board members Kostas Nikolaos, Nikis Georgiou, Dimos Fotiou and Panayiotis Kalogirou met, deciding to convene a meeting of the full board. Since most board members were in Limassol, the meeting was held in the Aris Limassol F.C. clubhouse on 14 October 1974 with eight of eleven board members present; the other three were abroad. In attendance were Nicholaou Costas (chair), Pantelakis Vasileiou, Dimos Fotiou, Panagiotis Kalogirou, Pambos Charalambous, Christakis Polyviou, Giorgaros Kythreotis and Makis Constantinou, who decided to reactivate Nea Salamis. Since most of the players were in Larnaca, it was decided that the Alki Larnaca F.C. clubhouse would be Nea Salamis' temporary home.

In late 1974, the CFA decided to play a championship season. Although the Nea Salamis board disagreed on whether to play because of their refugee status, they decided to participate—not so much to win as to keep the team in First Division.

There were many problems; Nea Salamis' football fans were scattered across Cyprus, the team no longer had equipment nor a place to train. Without a permanent home, Nea Salamis used the GSZ Stadium for the 1974–75 season. Players of the team lived in various Cypriot cities, and many had been conscripted by the military due to the tense situation on the island. Board members traveled at their own expense across Cyprus, transporting players from Larnaca and the military camps for workouts and matches on day trips.

In January 1975, Nea Salamis rented a building. The team's expenses were covered at first by contributions from members and friends of the club. Two teams were formed to train young players; the first, in Larnaca, was managed by former team member Andreas Konteatis (followed by Nikis Georgiou) and assisted by Nikos Pitsiaoulos. The second team, in Limassol, was trained by Mavrikios Asprou. In 1975 Georgiou proposed a volleyball team in Limassol, since most of Nea Salamis' volleyball supporters were there after 1974, and it was created the following year.

Emblem, colors and anthem

The club's emblem is a red-and-white Olympic flame on a shield with the five Olympic rings in red. Nea Salamis' first colors were yellow and red, worn for two years in the CAFF. After 1950, the club's governing council changed the team's colors to red and white: red for power, and white for peace. Red jerseys with white stripes were chosen because they resembled those worn by Olympiakos Piraeus.

Nea Salamis' anthem, translated from the Greek, is:

Red blood, red outfit
Salamis fight we give you a soul.
Olympia circles illuminating with a torch
The glorious shield of '48.

The red-and-white color I will see
Back to life in empty Famagusta.
Fiery people brave athletes,
Together celebrate everlasting victories.

Red blood, red outfit
Salamis fight, we give you a soul.
Great Salamina never stop
In your refuge fight for us.

In our hearts you are the one, Salamina.