An email sent shortly before a European match in 2001 created the first contact between two groups separated by more than 1,200 kilometres. There was no official ceremony, club agreement or organised partnership behind it. A few Panathinaikos supporters were travelling through Vienna on their way to Graz and wanted to meet members of Ultras Rapid.
What followed developed into one of the strongest active friendships between organised supporter groups from different European countries. Green and white provided an immediate visual connection, but shared colours alone could not have sustained the relationship for twenty-five years. Repeated journeys, hospitality and the willingness to support one another during ordinary matches as well as major occasions turned the first meeting into a genuine brotherhood.
Two Groups from Different Terrace Traditions
Gate 13 was officially founded on 19 November 1966 and is generally recognised as the oldest unified supporters’ association in Greece. Its name comes from Gate 13 of the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, commonly known as Leoforos, where Panathinaikos’ most dedicated supporters had gathered since the late 1950s. Unlike many conventional fan clubs, Gate 13 gradually developed into a network of local clubs and groups spread across Athens, the rest of Greece, Cyprus and the Greek diaspora. Its identity has never been limited to football. Panathinaikos is a multi-sport organisation, and Gate 13 follows its basketball, volleyball and other departments with the same colours and symbols. This permanent presence across different arenas has helped make the number 13 one of the most recognisable symbols in Greek supporter culture.
Ultras Rapid were founded on 1 February 1988, more than two decades after Gate 13. Inspired by the Italian ultras model, UR introduced a more coordinated approach to support at Rapid Wien through choreographies, large flags, organised chanting, printed material and a clear group identity. They became Austria’s oldest continuously active major ultras group and the central force of Rapid’s Block West. At the old Gerhard Hanappi Stadium, Block West occupied the western terrace that gave it its name. When Rapid moved into the new stadium in 2016, the active scene settled behind the goal on the southern side but retained the historic Block West identity. Ultras Rapid remained at its centre, accompanied by groups including Tornados Rapid, Lords, Green Lions, Spirits and SAF.
The two supporter cultures were not identical. Gate 13 operated as a broad network containing numerous clubs and neighbourhood branches, while Ultras Rapid developed as a more centralised ultras group within the wider Rapid scene. Their differences ultimately strengthened the friendship because each side encountered a culture that was familiar in its devotion but distinct in its organisation.
The First Contact in 2001
Panathinaikos were drawn with Sturm Graz in the second group stage of the 2000–01 Champions League. Before the away match in Austria, Gate 13 supporters contacted Ultras Rapid by email and explained that they would land in Vienna before continuing to Graz. UR accepted the invitation to meet. A small Rapid delegation travelled to Styria for the match on 14 February 2001. Sturm won 2–0, but the result had little importance for the relationship forming in the away sector and around the journey. The first contact allowed both sides to recognise a similar commitment to organised support, away travel and independence.
The meeting did not immediately produce a formal twinning. Contact was maintained during the following months, while members exchanged invitations and information about future journeys. What made the relationship credible was the decision to meet again rather than allowing it to remain a single European encounter. Green and white naturally played a role in the initial attraction. Rapid and Panathinaikos carry the same colours, while both groups treat them as symbols of identity that extend beyond the team’s shirt. The deeper connection, however, came through personal hospitality and a shared belief that ultras friendships must be proven through presence.
Prague Strengthens the Connection
The next decisive meeting took place in February 2002. Panathinaikos travelled to Prague for a Champions League match against Sparta, and members of Gate 13 again stopped in Vienna on their way north. Ultras Rapid welcomed them before joining the journey to the Czech capital. A sizeable Rapid convoy travelled to Prague, with contemporary group accounts describing one coach and roughly fifteen cars. The Austrian supporters stood with Gate 13 as Panathinaikos defeated Sparta 2-0 at the Letná Stadium on 19 February. The trip represented the first significant occasion on which UR travelled outside Austria specifically to support Panathinaikos.
Prague changed the scale of the relationship. The first meeting in Graz had involved only a small number of people, but the second journey allowed a wider section of Ultras Rapid to experience Gate 13 directly. Hours spent travelling and preparing for the match created the type of personal connections that could not have been formed through correspondence alone. Later that year, Gate 13 made its first important visit to Rapid. The Gerhard Hanappi Stadium had undergone extensive renovation and was reopened on 27 October 2002 with a Vienna derby against Austria Wien. Panathinaikos supporters attended the occasion and joined their new friends despite Rapid losing 2-1. The choice of fixture was significant. A derby provides visiting supporters with a direct view of the host group’s identity, rivalries and position within its own city. Gate 13 experienced Block West during one of Rapid’s most important matches, just as Ultras Rapid would soon encounter the intensity of the Athens derby.
The First Journey to Athens
Shortly before Christmas 2002, a delegation of roughly seventeen Rapid supporters travelled to Athens. Most arrived by air, while two completed the journey overland by bus and train. The visitors were hosted by members associated with Gate 13 clubs including Mad Boys, Underground and East End. The programme demonstrated that Panathinaikos supporter culture extended beyond football. The Austrian delegation attended a volleyball fixture before watching Panathinaikos defeat Kallithea 1-0 at Leoforos on 22 December. Much of the visit was spent inside Gate 13 clubhouses, where travelling supporters experienced the everyday social structure behind the banners seen at matches.
Hospitality became one of the foundations of the friendship. The Rapid delegation was not treated as a group of football tourists but as guests within the Panathinaikos scene. Meals, accommodation and time spent in local meeting places made the relationship personal. A smaller Rapid delegation returned to Athens for the derby against Olympiacos on 12 January 2003. Panathinaikos won a dramatic match 3-2, correcting a result sometimes incorrectly remembered as 2-0 in older accounts. The visitors witnessed the intensity of Greece’s largest rivalry from inside the Panathinaikos support.
The experience also revealed the harsher environment surrounding major Greek fixtures during that period. Heavy policing, confrontations and deep hostility formed part of the derby’s atmosphere. For the visiting Austrians, however, the most important impression was the commitment of Gate 13 and the scale of support generated inside the stadium.
From Friendship to Brotherhood
Gate 13 attended the fifteenth anniversary celebration of Ultras Rapid in February 2003. Their presence demonstrated that the relationship was already extending beyond fixtures involving either club. Anniversaries, group gatherings and private celebrations became as important as matches. Later that month, a mixed Rapid delegation travelled by coach to Brussels for Panathinaikos’ UEFA Cup return leg against Anderlecht. Panathinaikos lost 2-0 on 27 February but progressed 3-2 on aggregate after winning the first match in Athens. Rapid banners appeared alongside Gate 13 material in the visiting section.
The Brussels trip established a pattern that continued during the following years. Ultras Rapid did not only receive Panathinaikos supporters in Vienna but joined them on European away trips, while Gate 13 appeared at Rapid fixtures and group events. The relationship was becoming based on practical commitment rather than symbolic messages. Further visits followed. Rapid supporters attended Panathinaikos matches against Olympiacos in 2004, Larissa in 2005 and AEK in 2006. Panathinaikos supporters also travelled to Vienna for Rapid fixtures and events involving other sections of their multi-sport club.
The friendship gradually spread beyond the original individuals. New members were introduced through journeys, accommodation and shared matchdays, allowing younger supporters to develop their own relationships. This generational renewal prevented the connection from depending entirely on those who had exchanged the first email. It is still important to describe the structure accurately. The friendship’s historic core is between Ultras Rapid and Gate 13, although other groups from Block West and different Gate 13 clubs have regularly participated. It should not automatically be extended to every Rapid or Panathinaikos supporter, even though it has become widely recognised across both fanbases.
Celebrating the Major Anniversaries
The twentieth anniversary of Ultras Rapid in February 2008 became one of the largest early celebrations of the friendship. Gate 13 representatives travelled to Vienna and were welcomed in front of more than 2,000 Rapid supporters. Chants for Panathinaikos accompanied a special tribute marking the Greek club’s centenary. Five years later, Gate 13 returned for the twenty-fifth anniversary of Ultras Rapid. Some members flew to Vienna, while others completed the long journey from Athens by coach. During the celebration on 15 June 2013, the groups of Block West presented their own tributes to UR, with the Gate 13 appearance receiving a particularly strong response.
The roles were reversed in June 2016 when Ultras Rapid travelled to Athens for Gate 13’s fiftieth anniversary. More than 5,000 Panathinaikos supporters gathered at Leoforos for concerts, presentations and tributes involving representatives from different sections of the club. The Rapid delegation displayed its banner inside the stadium and was publicly honoured for the friendship. Later in 2016, Gate 13 members travelled to Vienna for the fifteenth anniversary of the relationship. The gatherings in Athens and Vienna showed that the friendship had survived leadership changes, new generations and the transition from the old Hanappi Stadium to Rapid’s new home. By then, the slogan “Athens and Vienna, forever united” had become a concise description of the connection.
More Than Shared Colours
The green and white colours provide the most visible link between Rapid and Panathinaikos, but the relationship was never based entirely on appearance. Both supporter scenes place great importance on independence, constant support and travelling in significant numbers. Their groups also see the terrace as a community that exists throughout the week rather than only during matches. There are clear differences between them. Rapid’s Block West is shaped by Central European organisation and the disciplined visual style developed by Ultras Rapid. Gate 13 reflects the more decentralised structure of Greek supporter clubs and the intensity created by following every department of Panathinaikos.
These contrasts gave both sides something to learn. Rapid supporters encountered the clubhouses, multi-sport identity and powerful local networks of Gate 13. Panathinaikos supporters experienced the organisation, carefully prepared choreographies and collective structure of Block West. The friendship was strengthened through difficult periods as well as celebrations. Stadium closures, restrictions on away supporters, changes of grounds and legal pressure affected both scenes at different times. Even when public visits became more complicated, banners, smaller delegations and personal contact kept the relationship visible.
Twenty-Five Years Celebrated in Vienna
The twenty-fifth anniversary received its largest official recognition on 15 July 2026. Rapid hosted Panathinaikos at the Weststadion in Vienna for a friendly arranged specifically around the relationship between the supporters. It was the first match between the two clubs since a friendly in Athens in August 1980 and therefore their first meeting since the friendship began. A crowd of 6,046 attended the extended 120-minute match. Rapid won 4-1, but both clubs acknowledged that the main meaning of the evening was found in the stands. Rapid and Panathinaikos supporters stood together in Block West, exchanging songs and celebrating the connection without a conventional separation between home and visiting fans.
The anniversary choreography carried the message “Our freedom burns bright in the colours green and white”. Green and white smoke formed patterns across the stand, while the number 13 was incorporated into the timing and presentation of the display. Rapid chants alternated with songs for Panathinaikos before the traditional Rapid quarter-hour brought another pyrotechnic display. For most of the relationship’s history, the two clubs had remained outside a friendship created and maintained by their supporters. The 2026 match represented a rare moment in which the institutions formally recognised something the ultras had built independently. The event did not create the relationship but publicly acknowledged twenty-five years of work already completed in the stands.
Athens and Vienna, Forever United
The friendship between Ultras Rapid and Gate 13 began without social media, official intermediaries or commercial planning. An email led to a meeting in Graz, the meeting led to a convoy to Prague, and those journeys opened the way for repeated visits between Vienna and Athens. Each stage depended on supporters choosing to travel again.
Its strength comes from the balance between group identity and personal friendship. Ultras Rapid did not become Gate 13, and Gate 13 did not attempt to reproduce Block West. Both retained their own traditions while recognising values they respected in the other. Twenty-five years after the first contact, their banners continue to appear together and new generations have inherited relationships formed long before they entered the terrace. The 2026 celebration demonstrated that the connection remains active rather than purely historical. In European ultras culture, the green and white line between Athens and Vienna remains one of the clearest examples of how an unexpected meeting can develop into an enduring brotherhood.