During the
2016–17 Greek Second Division season,
Chania were represented in the
Greek Second Division by two clubs, namely
AO Chania of the city of
Chania, and
Kissamikos, based in the neighboring town of
Kissamos.
Kissamikos had quickly established itself in the
Football League, managing to outgrow, and eventually outperform its more prestigious local competitor
AO Chania. Facing insurmountable financial issues,
AO Chania were forcibly relegated to the
Gamma Ethniki at the end of the season after being deducted 33 points, while simultaneously having its licence revoked. In the summer of 2017, Kissamikos owner at the time Antonis Rokakis proposed a merger of the two clubs in an attempt to form a new, strong outfit to represent the region, and more specifically the city of
Chania (as the region's competitor in the
Greek Super League,
Platanias is based in the neighboring town and municipality of
Platanias). The initiative was eventually approved on 19 August 2017,[1] however, any club that would result from a potential merger would inherit the financial obligations of
AO Chania. As such,
Kissamikos changed its name to AO Chania − Kissamikos, retaining its original crest and colors,[2][3] while the club's home ground was relocated to
Perivolia Municipal Stadium in
Mournies,
Chania.[4] The entire merger was met with fierce opposition by the supporters of
Kissamikos.[5] On the other hand, supporters of
AO Chania demanded
Kissamikos' name and crest be completely erased, basically turning the club into a modern continuation of
AO Chania.[6]
The new club became serious competitors in the two years following the merger, finishing 4th during the
2017–18 season, and 6th in
2018–19, thus becoming eligible to play in the 2019-formed
Super League 2.
PAE Chania
Club crest during 2019–23.
In the summer of 2019, the club's board of directors changed the club's name to PAE Chania (
Greek: ΠΑΕ Χανιά), indicating their intent to represent the entire
Chania regional unit.[7][8] The
2019–20 season saw Chania FC achieve its best result to date, finishing third in the Super League 2.
Antonis Rokakis
