P.A.O.K.


PAOK, commonly known as A.C. PAOK, 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". They are one of the most popular Greek sports-clubs with many fans all over the country, and also among the Greek diaspora.

History

PAOK is closely linked with Hermes Sports Club, which was formed in 1875 by the Greek community of Pera, a district of Constantinople. The club was founded in April 1926 by Constantinopolitans who fled to Thessaloniki after the Greek defeat in the Greco-Turkish War.
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. 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.
P.A.O.K.'s first Board of Directors, serving between 1926 and 1927, consisted of:
  • T. Triantafyllidis
  • P. Kalpaktsoglou
  • K. Kritikos
  • M. Tsoulkas
  • T. Ioakimopoulos
  • A. Angelopoulos
  • A. Dimitriadis
  • P. Maleskas
  • K. Koemtzopoulos
  • M. Theodosiadis
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 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 Square.
In 1937, PAOK won his first title, the Macedonia 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. 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.

Rivalries

P.A.O.K.'s main rivals are Olympiacos, Aris, Panathinaikos, AEK, Iraklis.
Football kit evolution
First
'''Alternative'''

P.A.O.K. Departments – Honours

Football

Men's Football

Source:
  • Greek Championship: 4
  • * 1976, 1985, 2019, 2024
  • Greek Cup: 8
  • * 1972, 1974, 2001, 2003, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
  • Greater Greece Cup: 1
  • * '''1973'''

    Women's Football

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

    Basketball

Men's Basketball

Source:
  • Greek Championship: 2
  • * 1959, 1992
  • Greek Cup: 3
  • * 1984, 1995, 1999
  • FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup: 1
  • *1991
  • FIBA Korać Cup: 1
  • *'''1994'''

    Volleyball

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'''

    Handball

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

  • 7 '''Greek men's Championships: 2006, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025'''

    Wrestling

  • 9 '''Greek men's Championships Greco-Roman: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025'''

    Judo

  • 2 Greek men's Championships: 2019, 2021
  • 2 Greek women's Championships: 2019, 2022
  • '''1 Greek mixed team Championships: 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'''

    European honours

SeasonMen's FootballMen's basketballWomen's volleyballMen's ice hockey
1973–74UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
Quarter-finals
1989–90FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup
Semi-finals
1990–91FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup
Winners
1991–92FIBA European Cup
Final
1992–93FIBA European League
3rd place
1993–94FIBA Korać Cup
Winners
1995–96FIBA European Cup
Final
2006–07Balkan Amateur Hockey League
Winners
2021–22UEFA Conference League
Quarter-finals
2023–24UEFA Conference League
Quarter-finals
2024-25BVA Cup
Final		-
2024-25FIBA Europe Cup
Final

Notable former athletes