On 25 March 1914, on Greece's national day, a group of young men in Thessaloniki founded a club named after a god. On 25 March 2027 Aris turns 113. And its yellow and black colours are among the most distinctive in Greek football.

22 young men in a café

Thessaloniki had only just been liberated, in the Balkan Wars. In a café in the Votsi area, 22 young men decided to form the Football Club Aris Thessaloniki. The club's official history records their names, among them Giannis Angelou, Grigoris and Lazaros Vlachopoulos and Theodoros Theodoridis.

The club was born on the day of the great national holiday, in a city that had only just become Greek again. It was the start of a story that would bring Thessaloniki titles in football, basketball and many other sports.

Why "Aris"

The name comes from Ares (Aris in Greek), the god of war in ancient Greek mythology, and stands for courage and valour. According to the sources, the choice was inspired by the mood of the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913.

That is also where the nickname "God of War" comes from, which the team still carries today. For its fans, Aris is not just a club but an identity.

Yellow and black

Aris's colours are yellow (or gold) and black. According to the sources, the yellow is linked to Macedonian tradition and to Thessaloniki's Byzantine heritage.

Exactly how the combination came about is not clearly recorded. What is certain is that the club's supporters are known as the great "yellow-black" family, and that the yellow shirt with black details stands out in every stadium.

Ares at rest

For decades the club had a simpler badge. In the late 1970s it adopted the current emblem, showing the god seated, at rest, inspired by the ancient statue known as the Ludovisi Ares.

It is a special badge. The god of war is not shown in battle, but in a moment of calm, sure of his strength.

Titles, Charilaou and European nights

Aris was one of the strongest teams of the interwar years. It won the Greek championship in 1928, 1932 and 1946, and the Greek Cup in 1970. Meanwhile it also dominated locally, with 13 Macedonian championships between 1923 and 1959.

Aris's first ground opened on 18 June 1927, on the site of today's Thessaloniki International Fair, with a 5-2 friendly win over Vojvodina. The Charilaou ground opened on 4 November 1951, designed by architect Kostas Filippou, a former swimmer of the club.

Today the stadium, renovated in 2004 and holding about 22,800, bears the name of Kleanthis Vikelidis, the "Macedonian tank" who starred in the 1946 title.

In Europe, in 1979-80 Aris knocked out Benfica and Perugia in the UEFA Cup, and in 2010 it beat Europa League holders Atlético Madrid. At Charilaou it went unbeaten in 28 consecutive European home games, from 1968 to 2020.

The shirt was also worn by Dinos Kouis, the record holder for appearances and goals, Alekos Alexiadis and Alketas Panagoulias.

Celebrate with us

Yellow, black and a god on the chest: the Aris shirt is the shirt of a whole city. For every Aris fan, it is worn on the big nights at Charilaou and kept forever in the collection.

Happy birthday, Aris! May you always be victorious.

See our Aris jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Aris championship-winning team, 1928 – Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.