P.A.O.K.

PAOK (ΠΑΟΚ, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton, Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans), commonly known as A.C. PAOK (Α.Σ. Π.Α.Ο.Κ.), is a major multi-sports club based in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. The club has several departments, including football, basketball, volleyball, handball, water polo, swimming, wrestling, ice hockey, and weightlifting. P.A.O.K was founded in April 1926. Because of its crest, it is also known as the "Double-Headed Eagle of the North", in contrast with AEK, the "Double-Headed Eagle of the South". They are one of the most popular Greek sports-clubs with many fans all over the country (mostly, but not exclusively, in Northern Greece), and also among the Greek diaspora.

History


PAOK is closely linked with Hermes Sports Club (Ερμής), which was formed in 1875 by the Greek community of Pera, a district of Constantinople (Istanbul). The club was founded in April 1926 by Constantinopolitans who fled to Thessaloniki after the Greek defeat in the Greco-Turkish War (see Rum Millet).

The club's first memorandum of association signed on 30 March 1926 at Enosis Konstantinoupoliton Thessalonikis office, and was approved on 20 April 1926 by a decision of the Thessaloniki Court of First Instance (No. 822). The founding members were A. Angelopoulos, A. Athanasiadis, K. Anagnostidis, M. Ventourellis, F. Vyzantinos, V.Karapiperis, A. Dimitriadis, D. Dimitriadis, N. Zoumboulidis, M. Theodosiadis, T. Ioakimopoulos, P. Kalpaktsoglou, T. Kartsambekis, D. Koemtzopoulos, K. Koemtzopoulos, P. Kontopoulos, K. Kritikos, M. Konstantinidis, P. Maleskas, I. Nikolaidis, L. Papadopoulos, F. Samantzopoulos, T. Tsoulkas, M. Tsoulkas, S. Triantafyllidis and T. Triantafyllidis (who was also its first Chairman).

P.A.O.K.'s first Board of Directors, serving between 1926 and 1927, consisted of:


 * T. Triantafyllidis (President)
 * P. Kalpaktsoglou (1st vice-president)
 * K. Kritikos (General Secretary)
 * M. Tsoulkas (Special Secretary)
 * T. Ioakimopoulos (Treasurer)
 * A. Angelopoulos (Director of Football)
 * A. Dimitriadis (Director of Sports)
 * P. Maleskas (Consultant)
 * K. Koemtzopoulos (Consultant)
 * M. Theodosiadis (Consultant)

The club's policy was to be open to every citizen of Thessaloniki, leading to a minor rivalry with AEK Thessaloniki, the other Constantinopolitan team of the city, in which only refugees were allowed to play. The original logo of PAOK was a horseshoe and a four-leaf clover. The leaves were green and above them were the initials of the word PAOK. Kostas Koemtzopoulos, one of PAOK's founding members, came up with this idea, inspired by his favourite brand of cigarettes.

The football club played their first game (friendly) on 4 May 1926, at Thermaikos stadium, defeating Megas Alexandros Thessaloniki 2–1. The first coach of the club was Kostas Andreadis, who spent five years on the bench without demanding any payment. Their first captain was Michalis Ventourelis.

The first professional contract was signed by the club on 5 September 1928. The contract stipulated that the French footballer Raymond Etienne – of Jewish descent from Pera Club – would be paid 4,000 drachmas per month. The contract was signed by Dr. Meletiou, the PAOK chairman, and Mr. Sakellaropoulos, the Hon. Secretary.

In early 1929, AEK Thessaloniki was virtually dissolved and absorbed by PAOK. PAOK thereupon changed their emblem, adopting the double-headed eagle, as a symbol of the club's Byzantine/Constantinopolitan heritage. PAOK also got possession of AEK's facilities located around Syntrivani (i.e. Fountain) Square.

In 1937, PAOK won his first title, the Macedonia (EPSM or Thessaloniki) Championship, and participated in the Panhellenic Championship, finishing second. The 1937 team included: Sotiriadis, Vatikis, Goulios, Kontopoulos, Bostantzoglou, Panidis, Glaros, Kritas, Ioannidis, Kalogiannis, Koukoulas, Kosmidis, Apostolou, Vafiadis, Vasiliadis, Anastasiadis, Moschidis, Tzakatzoglou, Zakapidas.

The first Greek championship for the basketball team was achieved in 1958–59 season. The first Greek championship for the football team was achieved in 1975–76 season.

In the 90s, the basketball team won another Greek championship and two European cups, the 1990–91 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup and the 1993–94 FIBA Korać Cup.

Crest and Colours
The original logo of PAOK was a horseshoe and a four-leaf clover. The current symbol since 1929 is the double-headed eagle. The eagle symbolizes the origins of the club in the former Byzantine capital, Constantinople, and the legacy of the Greek refugees from Asia Minor, Eastern Thrace, Pontus and Caucasus. In 2013, a golden outline was added to the football team's crest, as a symbol of the club's Byzantine heritage.

The club's traditional colours are black, as sadness for the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922 and the end of the Greek presence in Anatolia, and white as hope for recovery.

Supporters
P.A.O.K. is the most widely supported sports-club in Northern Greece and one of the 4 most popular in the country (along with the big-three of capital Athens and Piraeus). PAOK's traditional fanbase comes from the city of Thessaloniki, where the club is based, as well as from the rest of Macedonia region and Northern Greece. They also have fans all over the country and in the Greek Diaspora (Germany, Australia, USA, etc.).

Rivalries
P.A.O.K.'s main rivals are Olympiacos, Aris (local rivals), Panathinaikos, AEK, Iraklis.

Football kit evolution

First

Alternative



Football
====Men's Football ====
 * Greek Championship: 4
 * 1976, 1985, 2019, 2024
 * Greek Cup: 8
 * 1972, 1974, 2001, 2003, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
 * Greater Greece Cup: 1 (defunct)
 * 1973

Women's Football

 * Greek Championship: 19 (record)
 * 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
 * Greek Cup: 7 (record)
 *  2002, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2024

Basketball
====Men's Basketball ====
 * Greek Championship: 2
 * 1959, 1992
 * Greek Cup: 3
 * 1984, 1995, 1999
 * FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup: 1
 * 1991
 * FIBA Korać Cup: 1
 * 1994

Men's Volleyball

 * Greek Championship: 3
 * ''' 2015, 2016, 2017
 * Greek Cup: 5 
 * 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
 * Greek Super Cup: 1 
 * 2023

Women's Volleyball

 * Greek Cup: 1 
 * 2021

Men's Handball

 * Greek Championship: 3
 * 2009, 2010, 2015
 * Greek Cup: 4
 * 2012, 2015, 2017, 2024
 * Greek beach handball championship: 1
 * 2001

Women's Handball

 * Greek Championship: 6
 * 2013, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
 * Greek Cup: 7
 * 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024
 * Greek Super Cup: 1
 * 2023

Weightlifting

 * 5 Greek men's Championships: 2006, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022

Wrestling

 * 8 Greek men's Championships Greco-Roman: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Judo

 * 3 Greek men's/women's Championships: 2019, 2022, 2023

Athletics

 * 3 Greek women's Open Athletics Championships: 1976, 1977, 1982
 * 2 Greek women's Cross Country Championships: 1968, 1974

Swimming

 * 1 Greek OPEN Championship: 1987

Cycling

 * 1 Greek men's Championship Mountain Bike: 2002

Boxing

 * 2 Greek men's Championships: 2003, 2007

Roller hockey

 * 1 Greek men's Championship: 2008
 * 1 Balkan Cup: 2007

Notable former athletes

 * Football: Men: Giorgos Koudas, Stavros Sarafis, Konstantinos Iosifidis, Christos Terzanidis, Angelos Anastasiadis, Giorgos Skartados, Giorgos Kostikos, Thodoris Zagorakis, Zisis Vryzas, Georgios Georgiadis, Pablo Gabriel García, Lino, Sérgio Conceição, Vieirinha, Dimitar Berbatov, Aleksandar Prijović, Lucas Pérez, Magdy Tolba, Hossam Hassan, Percy Olivares, Dimitris Paridis, Giannis Gounaris, Filotas Pellios, Neto Guerino, Ioannis Damanakis, Nikos Alavantas, Christos Dimopoulos, Giorgos Toursounidis, Kostas Frantzeskos, Omari Tetradze, Pantelis Kafes, Stelios Venetidis, Ioannis Okkas, Omar El Kaddouri, Panayiotis Engomitis, Pablo Contreras, Zlatan Muslimović, Dimitrios Salpingidis, José Ángel Crespo, Léo Matos, Yevhen Shakhov (footballer, born 1990), Diego Biseswar, Stefanos Athanasiadis, Dimitrios Pelkas, Maurício (footballer, born October 1988), Fernando Varela


 * Women: Natalia Chatzigiannidou, Jelena Dimitrijević, Dimitra Panteliadou
 * Basketball: Men: Bane Prelević, John Korfas, Peja Stojaković, Scott Skiles, Walter Berry, Ken Barlow, Cliff Levingston, Nikos Boudouris, Giorgos Balogiannis, Efthimios Rentzias, Giannis Giannoulis, Kostas Vasileiadis, Zoran Savić, Anthony Bonner, Frankie King, Claudio Coldebella, Manthos Katsoulis, Nikos Stavropoulos, Vangelis Alexandris, Panagiotis Fasoulas, Rasho Nesterovic, İbrahim Kutluay, Damir Mulaomerović, Dejan Tomašević
 * Volleyball: Men: Dante Amaral, Ernardo Gómez, Alexander Shafranovich, Rolando Cepeda, Javier Jiménez, David Lee, Giannis Pantakidis, Giannis Kalmazidis, Vasileios Kournetas, Vladimir Grbić, Kevin Hansen, Matti Hietanen, Plamen Konstantinov, Paul Lotman, Olli-Pekka Ojansivu, Evan Patak, Vlado Petković, Konstantinos Prousalis, Clayton Stanley, Riley Salmon, Nikolaos Smaragdis, Saša Starović, Mitar Tzourits, Nikolay Uchikov, Ronald Zoodsma
 * Athletics: Men: Michalis Akritidis, Themistoklis Akritidis, Dimitrios Kokotis, Konstantinos Koukodimos, Dimitrios Koutsoukis Women: Vasiliki Anastasiou, Xanthipi Koukoumaka, Voula Patoulidou
 * Swimming: Men: Christos Papadopoulos Women: Kalliopi Araouzou, Antonia Machaira, Aikaterini Sarakatsani, Katerina Stikoudi, Aikaterini Klepkou, Anna Ntountounaki.

Notable supporters

 * Effie Achtsioglou, politician
 * Stefanos Athanasiadis, footballer, former PAOK captain
 * Angelos Anastasiadis, former football player and coach
 * Giorgos Aftias, journalist
 * Giannis Aggelakas, musician
 * Anna Korakaki, shooter
 * Elena Asimakopoulou, actor
 * Iordanis Chasapopoulos, journalist
 * Vicky Chatzivasileiou, journalist, TV presenter
 * Sissy Christidou, TV presenter
 * Rallia Christidou, singer, politician
 * Makis Christodoulopoulos, singer
 * Olympia Chopsonidou, model
 * Demy, singer
 * Georgios Donis, football player and coach
 * Pyrros Dimas, Olympic champion, politician
 * Stratos Dionysiou, singer
 * Konstadinos Gatsioudis, Greek javelin thrower
 * Periklis Iakovakis, athlete, European champion
 * Michalis Iatropoulos, actor
 * Antonis Kanakis, journalist
 * Vasilis Karras, singer
 * Stavros Kalafatis, former MP
 * Charis Kastanidis, former MP with PASOK
 * Nikos Kourkoulis, singer
 * Eva Kaili, journalist, politician
 * Georgios Koudas, footballer, former PAOK captain
 * Razvan Lucescu]], Romanian former football player and coach
 * Manos Loizos, composer
 * Kostas Makedonas, singer
 * Sokratis Malamas, singer
 * Manolis Mitsias, singer
 * Giorgos Minos, sports journalist
 * Alkinoos Ioannidis, singer
 * Ioanna Lilly, former model
 * Nikos Oikonomou, basketball player
 * Marinos Ouzounidis, football player and coach
 * Kyriakos Papadopoulos, footballer
 * Nikos Papazoglou, singer
 * Paola, singer
 * Elena Rapti, politician
 * Branislav Prelevic, Serbian basketball player and coach, former PAOK president and Greek champion
 * Dimitris Salpingidis, football player and coach, former PAOK captain
 * Dionysis Savvopoulos, musician
 * Euclid Tsakalotos, former Minister of Economy
 * Akis Tsochatzopoulos, Former Minister of National Defence of Greece
 * Popi Tsapanidou, journalist
 * Giorgos Toursounidis, football player and coach, former PAOK captain
 * Natassa Theodoridou, singer
 * Rania Thraskia, journalist, politician
 * Tasos Telloglou, journalist
 * Fay Skorda, TV presenter
 * Gerasimos Skiadaresis, actor
 * Katerina Stikoudi, actress, model, singer
 * Sofoklis Schortsanitis, basketball player, 2006 FIBA Silver Medalist, former PAOK player
 * Stavros Sarafis, footballer, former PAOK player
 * Kyriakos Velopoulos, politician
 * Nikos Vertis, singer
 * Evangelos Venizelos, politician
 * Zisis Vryzas, footballer, Euro 2004 champion, former PAOK player and president
 * Kostas Vasileiadis, basketball player
 * Loukas Vyntra, football player
 * Theodoros Zagorakis, footballer, Euro 2004 champion, politician, former PAOK president
 * Christos Zabounis, journalist
 * Kostas Zouraris, author, former MP