KF Apolonia Fier
 |
|
| Founded | 17 June 1925 |
|---|---|
| Ground | Loni Papuçiu Stadium, Fier, Albania |
| Capacity | 8,800 |
| Owner | Koco Kokëdhima |
| Manager | Elidon Demiri |
| League | Albanian Superliga |
| 2013–14 | Albanian First Division, 2nd (promoted) |
| Active branches of Apolonia Fier | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
| Football | Basketball | |
Klubi i Futbollit Apolonia Fier is an Albanian football club based in Fier. The club was founded on 17 June 1925 and took its name from the nearby ruins of the ancient Greek Illyrian city of Apollonia. The club currently compete in the Albanian First Division and they play their home games at the Loni Papuçiu Stadium.
During the early 1920s sports activities began being organised in the city of Fier, much like other cities in Albania at the time. Students from the region returning from their studies in larger Albanian cities and abroad had learned about football, which they then played back in Fier, which soon became so popular that almost every neighbourhood in the city had children and adults alike playing football. The first official football game to be held in Fier was organised by the Bashkimi Culturual Society on 17 July 1924, which was played between a selection of players from Fier and neighbouring city Vlorë. The following summer in 1925, a group of local students led by Namik Resuli founded the Shoqeria Sportive Apollonia, which translates in English to the Apollonia Sports Society, taking the name from the nearby ruins of the ancient Greek city of Apollonia. The club was a multidisciplinary one, ad featured one of the first official football clubs in Fier. In 1927 the club's name was changed to SK Myzeqeja and the following year in 1928 the club became a fully professional one, and along with this re-organised its structure by adding the club's regulations and the board of directors, who would plan every activity and match held by the club.
In 1930 the Albanian Football Association was established and the first officially recognised competitions were held in the country. The club had entered to compete in a national competition for the first time, and were placed in the inaugural second tier championship along with Shqiponja Gjirokastër, SK Lushnja, Bardhyli Lezhë and Muzaka Berat. Before the championship had begun, the club had renamed itself to SK Fier, thus dropping the Apollonia from the name. Muzaka Berat won the first second tier championship and they achieved promotion to the old First Division, with SK Fier, Shqiponja Gjirokastër, Bardhyli Lezhë and SK Lushnja missing out on promotion. There was no Second Division held the following year in 1931, but the competition returned in 1932 and was played in three groups between April and May. SK Fier competed in Group B along with Erzeni Shijak, SK Kavajë, Kongresi i Lushnjës and Muzaka Berat, where SK Kavajë finished top of the group and progressed to the final stage against SK Vlorë, who they beat to win the competition. For the following two seasons SK Fier competed in Group B of the Second Division to no avail as they failed to the reach the final stage of the competition. There were no footballing activities held in 1935, but with their return in 1936, SK Fier did not compete in the Second Division initially. However, due to the financial problems of the original finalist Leka i Madh Përmet the club was invited by the Albanian Football Association to compete in a rematch tournament, where SK Fier finished in third and last place with 3 points, behind Kongresi i Lushnjës who also had 3 points and the winners and the promoted side Tomori Berat with 5 points. Between 1937 and 1939 there was no Second Division held, and shortly after World War II broke out which meant that many clubs including SK Fier ceased sporting activities until 1945.
...
Wikipedia