Aris Limassol (Greek: Άρης Λεμεσού) is a professional Cypriotfootball club based in Limassol and one of the founder members of Cyprus Football Association. The club's colours are green, black and white, and their home is the Alphamega Stadium. Founded in 1930, Aris Limassol is one of the most historic football clubs of Limassol.
The club also maintains teams in other sports including basketball, table tennis and chess. The Aris chess team dominated Cypriot chess in the 1980s.
History
One of the founder members of the Cyprus Football Association, Aris competed in the first five seasons of the Cypriot First Division, with their league placement ranging from 5th to 7th. The club ceased operation in 1939 due to financial difficulties, and returned in 1952, competing in the Second Division. Aris returned to the First Division in 1954, but finished last and was relegated. The following season they won the Second Division and returned to the top-tier league, only to be relegated again. Aris returned to the First Division once in 1958, placing 4th.
Being one of the weaker teams in the First Division during the 1960s, they were finally relegated in the 1969–70 season, placing 12th, and spent two years in the Second Division. The situation improved for Aris, with the team finishing 4th in the First Division, in the 1976–77 and 1978–79 seasons. In 1981, they were relegated again after finishing last but returned as runner-ups the following season. In 1989, the team qualified to the final of the Cypriot Cup, where they lost to AEL Limassol. The following season, Aris signed Oleh Blokhin, the 1975 European Footballer of the Year. At the end of the season, Blokhin ended his career playing for Aris Limassol.
Following relegation in 1993, Aris won the Second Division for the third time in the club's history. From 1997 until 2006, the team would alternate between the First and Second Division. This situation ended in the 2006–07 season, when the team managed to remain in the First Division, placing 8th. However, the following season Aris was relegated once more, and the trend returned. After 9 years of drought, Aris managed to remain in the First Division in the 2015–16 season, finishing in 10th place. This season, Aris was the only team which played more than 6 Cypriot players in every match. After three seasons in the First Division, Aris was relegated and spent another three seasons in the Second Division, before being promoted once more in the 2020–21 season.
In Summer 2021, a new era began for Aris, with the Russian investor Vladimir Fedorov, who intends to transform Aris into one of the elite clubs of Cyprus. The following season, Aris finished fourth in the league, meaning the club had qualified for the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League, the first time the club had ever qualified for European football. They made their European debut in the second qualifying round against Neftçi Baku, and despite a 2–0 win at home, Aris lost 3–0 in the second tie, and was eliminated.
Aris' greatest success to date came in the 2022–23 season, as the team won the Cypriot First Division for the first time in their history, earning a place in the 2023–24 Champions League qualifying rounds.[1] Four of the club's players made the Team of the Season at the PASP awards, including goalkeeper Vana Alves, and the team's top goalscorer Aleksandr Kokorin, who was also voted as the most valuable player of the season. Aris' head coach Aleksey Shpilevsky was voted as the best coach of the season.[2] In the 2023–24 season, Aris became the seventh Cypriot club to qualify for the group stage of a European competition as they finished fourth in Group C of the Europa League.
Supporters
Aris has a smaller number of fans compared to other Limassol clubs, but these are very committed to their club.
Choir
The Aris choir was established in 1938 by the conductor and composer Solon Michaelides who remained its conductor until 1956. In 1962, the choir returned the direction of Marinos Mitellas and remains one of the best-known Hellenic choirs performing in Cyprus, Greece and internationally.
Players
As of 30 July 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
