Sports Clubs

The interest in sporting activities initially fostered under autonomy now grew further. Football became the most popular sport, and many young people in Heraklion joined teams. 1923 saw the founding of the Astir club, which amalgamated the following year with other smaller amateur teams to create the Union of Heraklion Sporting Organisations (Greek EGOI, now known as the Heraklion National Sporting Club), one of the town's most historic associations. The Heraklion Sports Enthusiasts' Club (Greek OFI) was founded in 1925, including sections devoted to football, track and field, swimming, cycling and women's volleyball.

Shortly thereafter, in 1928, Stylianos and Stephanos Perdikoyiannis joined with Nikolaos Pantelakis and Meletios Kokkinakis in setting up the Heraklion Tennis Club, which was first based in Therissos and later moved to the well-known site below the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The Ergotelis football club and the Heraklion Soccer Association Union were both established in 1932, followed the same year by the Heraklion branch of the Greek Mountaineering Association.