OFI Crete

Foundation

OFI were founded in 25 of November 1925 by a group of Cretan athletes who trained together in Heraklion. They formed a new club named Omilos Filathlon Irakliou (acronym OFI), which translates as "Heraklion Sportsmen Club". The club aimed to compete in various athletic events and exhibitions. In its early years, most members were among its own founders.

The years before World War II (1925–1940)

The pre-war years posed significant challenges for Crete and Greece as a whole, making travel and participation in national tournaments difficult for OFI. As a result, the club primarily competed in local matches on the island, often facing other Heraklion-based teams. Although no official records survive, older supporters estimate that OFI played roughly 400 matches before the German occupation of Crete.

First participation in the National League (1945–1962)

Football competitions in Crete were suspended during World War II, with many OFI players joining the war effort; some lost their lives. After the war, Greece's “First Division” resumed but was dominated by Athens and Thessaloniki clubs, leaving little room for provincial teams like OFI.

Because teams outside these major cities were required to progress through multiple preliminary stages, OFI—despite being Crete's leading side—initially failed to qualify for the national championship.

In 1957–58, OFI finally succeeded by winning its preliminary group, but the club finished last in the National Championship. A more stable footing emerged in 1962 with the creation of the official Second Division, where OFI established a firmer presence in Greek football.

Attempts in the 2nd League (1962–1968)

In 1962–63 the official Greek 2nd division league was set up for first time. OFI was one of the teams that participated in the league and completed the season in 9th position. In 1963–64 and 1964–65, OFI finished in 3rd and 5th position respectively.

In 1965–66, OFI were the champions of the 2nd Division of Greek football and only one step away from promotion to the official 1st National Division of Greek football.

Yet, the Hellenic Football Federation decided that even the champions of the 2nd Division had to play preliminary games in order to be promoted.

OFI lost in the play-off matches and remained in the 2nd Division. In 1966–67 the disappointment was huge, even though OFI ended in 3rd position. Everyone on the island of Crete was feeling that the moment where they could see the pride of their island in the top league was very close.

In 1967–68, OFI finished in 2nd position and went into play-off games with the bottom team of the 1st division. The final match of the play-offs was to take place in the city of Chania, on 26 June 1968. OFI, with the help of 10,000 Cretans thrashed the team from the 1st division with a 3–0 win and made the dreams of thousands of supporters come true. OFI was an official member of the 1st National Division.

Debut in the 1st League (1968–1971)

OFI's debut in the national 1st division was very difficult. "Omilos" ended the first round in 15th position. It was a difficult task to remain in the league. However, in the 2nd round the Cretans played magnificently and finally finished in 12th place. In the next season OFI had already gained the experience of playing in the top league of Greek football. The "Snakes" finished in 13th place, but the strange thing was that OFI remained unbeaten in almost all of their home games in Heraklion. Only two teams managed to survive and leave Crete with an away win. Thus, even if OFI was not a feared opponent, all the other teams were anxious when taking the trip to the island of Crete.

1970–71 was the worst season the team from Heraklion ever had in the 1st Division. OFI ended in 17th position and were relegated for the last time in their history to the 2nd division. The whole season was a tragedy for the Cretans. OFI had to meet "old friends" from the 2nd division again and start battling again in order to be promoted for a second time.

Back to the 2nd League (1971–1976)

OFI had been relegated again, but this time the 2nd division had changed entirely. After all, the championship had been more officially organized and opponents were tougher than before.

OFI spent another 5 seasons in the 2nd division, from 1971–72 to 1975–76. During the first season, the team was continually in 1st place.

However, at the end of the season, OFI's good performances deteriorated and they finally finished 4th. In 1972–73 the management decided on a complete overhaul of the squad. In these circumstances, the 13th position OFI achieved was predictable, yet a new era of the stars of OFI had just begun. In the next season OFI finished 6th and in 1974–75 they finished 5th. In the next season the league was divided again into two groups, each of 20 teams. The champions of each group would be promoted directly to the First National Division. OFI couldn't afford to miss this chance.

Everything started perfectly for "Omilos" in 1975–76. They finished 1st at the end of the first round with a huge lead over the runners-up and then finished the season as champions. The whole island of Crete was celebrating the promotion of OFI to the 1st division.

Vardinoyiannis Era (1980s)

During the late 1970s, OFI Crete established itself as a competitive team in the Greek 1st Division. In the 1976–77 season, despite being new to the top flight, OFI finished in 6th place, gaining national attention. Dimitris Papadopoulos emerged as the league's top scorer that year. The club continued to perform respectably over the next two seasons, finishing 8th and 7th respectively. During this period, OFI remained unbeaten at home, including against league heavyweights like Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, AEK, and PAOK, who found it challenging to secure points when visiting Crete.

The transformation of Greek football into a professional competition in the 1979–80 season coincided with the arrival of the Vardinoyiannis family as majority shareholders of OFI. Under the leadership of Theodoros Vardinoyiannis, the club entered a new era. In their first professional season, OFI finished 11th, with their only home loss being to Panathinaikos.