PAOK Thessaloniki

Full Name	Panthessalonikios Athlitikos Omilos Konstantinoupoliton Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινουπολιτών
Official Emblem
Founded	1926
Nicknames	Dikefalos του Βορρά (Dikéfalos tou Vorrá) (Double-Headed Eagle of the North)
Titles	18
Anthem
Club colours	White and black
Chairman	Theodoros Zagorakis
Website	PAOK Thessaloniki FC PAOK Thessaloniki BC PAOK Thessaloniki VC PAOK Thessaloniki HC

PAOK Thessaloniki, the Panthessalonikios Athlitikos Omilos Konstantinoupoliton (Greek: Πανthessalonikos Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινουπολιτών, the All-Thessaloniki Sports Club of Constantinopolitans), is a sports club in Thessaloniki, Greece. PAOK Thessaloniki cultivates many sports, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, water polo, swimming, wrestling and weightlifting. PAOK was founded at 1926 and its colors are black and white. Because of its distinctive crest(the original Two Headed Eagle Crest is held by AEK Athens), it is also known as the "Two Headed Eagle of the North", in contrast with the other Greek club of Constantinopolitan origin, AEK Athens, the " Two Headed Eagle of the South".PAOK is world wide known for his home ground, the Toumba stadium and the fanaticism of his supporters. The club has the biggest fun base in north Greece and enjoys a usually sold-out stadium in home matches, while fans follow the club in away games. Toumba stadium is considered a legend in Greece and is among the most spectacular (due to the PAOK fans) grounds in Europe.

PAOK is the historical continuation of the ‘Hermes’ Athletic and Cultural Association from Constantinople established by Greek residents of the city in 1875 in the very heart of the city in the Pera area. The need of Constantinople’s Greek residents to express and support their Hellenism within Turkey was what led to the creation of this club. In 1923 following the Asia Minor Catastrophe when the Turks expelled countless Greeks from the coastal regions of Turkey, the Greeks of Constantinople renamed their club Peraclub in line with the new constitution adopted by Kemal Ataturk. Despite this blow to Hellenic culture in Turkey, which was forced to take the path of the refugee and to abandon its traditional home, Peraclub continued its sporting struggle, promising to continue to do so as long as there were Greeks left in Constantinople. The club won cup after cup proving that although the Greeks were a minority they continued to have a strong presence in the sporting sector. However, that situation did not last long and most players were forced to flee, leaving behind a team consisting of residents of Constantinople renamed Politakia. Those who fled settled in Thessaloniki and in 1926 established PAOK, retaining the symbols of their ‘Greekness’, the twin-headed eagle of the Byzantine Empire combined with mourning black to symbolize the tragic history of the Greeks in Turkey and white, the colour of optimism, a window onto the future, symbolizing their struggle for tomorrow and the victories they intended to win. This club history stretching back to the 19th century in effect makes PAOK one of Greece’s oldest athletic clubs but also means that it shoulders a heavy historical burden.

The club’s first charter was approved on 20th April 1926 by means of decision of the Thessaloniki Court of First Instance (No. 822).

The club’s founding members were A. Angelopoulos, A. Athanassiadis, K. Anagnostidis, M. Ventourellis, F. Vyzantinos (second Chairman), 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. Maletskas, I. Nikolaidis, L. Papadopoulos, F. Samantzopoulos, T. Tsoulkas, M. Tsoulkas, S. Triantafyllidis, T. Triantafyllidis (who was also its first Chairman).

PAOK’s first Board of Directors serving between 1926 and 1927 consisted of :

1. T. Triantafyllidis (Chairman),
2. P. Kalpaktsoglou (1st Vice-Chairman),
3. A. Athanassiadis (2nd Vice Chairman),
4. K. Kritikos (Hon. Secretary),
5. M. Tsoulkas (Secretary),
6. T. Ioakimopoulos (Treasurer),
7. A. Angelopoulos (Football Steward),
8. M. Konstantinidis (Director) and
9. S. Triantafyllidis (Director).

After 2 months of preparation by the team following the club’s establishment it was decided that the team should compete against the other teams in Thessaloniki. The desire to see the new team compete led many to the Iraklis Football Ground on 26th July 1925 where it won 2-1.

The vision of the club’s founders and fans of the team of establishing a home base became reality in 1928 following much effort and thus on 12th December 1930 the Syntrivaniou Football Ground was officially opened. This was followed by a friendly match against ARIS with the home team winning 2-1.

The first professional contract was a document of historic importance. It was signed by the Club on 5th September 1928. The contract stipulated that the footballer Etien who had come from the Constantinople club Peraclub would be paid 4,000 drachmas per month. The contract was singed by Dr. Meletiou (PAOK Chairman) and Mr. Sakellaropoulos, Hon. Secretary.

Sports Departments

• A.S. PAOK Thessaloniki
• PAOK F.C. - Football
• PAOK Thessaloniki B.C. - Basketball
• PAOK Thessaloniki V.C. - Volleyball
• PAOK Thessaloniki H.C. - Ice Hockey

Rivalries

PAOK's main foes are the teams of the Greek capital Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, and AEK and the other Thessaloniki teams Aris and Iraklis. The derby against Olympiacos is the fiercest, representing more than any other the animosity between Athens and Thessaloniki. The rivalry started in the 1960s when Olympiacos tried to steal Giorgos Koudas, one of the best players of his time, from PAOK, through direct negotiations with the player. It should be noted that during the '80s and '90s it was very rare for any rival team's supporters to visit Toumba stadium, the home ground of PAOK, while PAOK fans were always following their side, creating a myth around their name and enjoying the respect of all fans.

PAOK Thessaloniki Supporters

Organised fans

• Melbourne Club PAOK - Official PAOK Thessaloniki Supporters Club of Australia (English)

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Ρόδος

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Δράμας

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Ιερισσού "Ακάνθιοι"

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Αριδαίας

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Γιαννιτσών "Πατριαρχείο"

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Πολίχνης

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Κορδελιού

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Σιδηροκάστρου

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Καίσαρας Επανομής

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Μελίκης North Army 1996

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Αγίου Αθανασίου

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Θέρμης

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Νάουσας

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Τούμπας Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Hannover "Black & White"

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ New York

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Coventry

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Ελβετίας

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Melbourne

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Ultras

Σ.Φ Π.Α.Ο.Κ. Cerrwn

Σ.Φ. ΠΑΟΚ Ηλιούπολης

PAOK Marketing and Media

PAOK is considered one of the most organised clubs in Thessaloniki in terms of marketing. Since 1992 when PAOK Marketing Inc.was founded the club has developed rapidly.

PAOK Channel

In 2001 the first Greek Club TV Channel was PAOK). It was named PAOK Channel and was popular amongst the club's supporters since its depute. Unfortunately, Alpha Digital, the company responsible for the channel's broadcast went bankrupt and the service was shut down.

PAOK Boutique Shops

PAOK Boutique is the club's official shop offering a wide variety of products such as official PAOK jersey's and other sporting gear, memorabilia, mobile phones by PAOK Telecom and more. The Thessaloniki branch was designed by a group of American companies and was opened in 1996. It is located in Toumba Stadium serving PAOK fans from Greece as well as other countries, is now considered an attraction for the city's visitors. Currently, other official PAOK's shops are located in Athens, Herakleion, New York, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Tokyo, Nicosia, Limassol, Paphos, Oslo and Beijing.

PAOK TV

PAOKMANIA COMBO WEB SITES presents ... PAOK TV''' ... PAOK TV is a multi channel, Flash, hand made, web site, where PAOK fans can watch streaming 24/7 exclusively PAOK themes, full games of football, basketball, volleyball,... and much more, ... with a click of their choice!

All files are entertained in the server of ... www.paoktube.com/paoktv ... another PAOKmania combo site. PAOK TV is free for all and can be watched also at www.paoktv.com & www.paoktv.gr

PAOK TV has also 5 broadcasting channels in Mogulus. (Many other channels in broadcasting servers COMING SOON). The beta version of the PAOK TV WEB SITE is only the beginning, ... more, coming soon!

The first independent website by PAOK fans, www.fcpaok.gr, has launched the first Web TV for PAOK, mainly including video clips from PAOK moments! The TV is based on the Mogulus Portal and the website address is www.mogulus.com/paok. The PAOK TV has also launched a 3D animation sportscaster (named Victoria), that will read online the PAOK news! The new effort is called PAOK TV Live News, and is still under pilotic program.

PAOK Thessaloniki Links

Official Websites

• PAOK Thessaloniki Football Club (Greek) (English)
• PAOK Thessaloniki Basketball Club (Greek)
• PAOK Thessaloniki Boxing Club (Greek)
• PAOK Thessaloniki Hockey Club (Greek)
• PAOK Thessaloniki Volleyball Club (Greek)
• A.S. PAOK Thessaloniki (Greek)

Supporter Clubs Federation - Official Websites

• Pan-Hellenic Federation of PAOK Supporter Clubs "Northerners" - Πανελλήνια Ομοσπονδία Συνδέσμων Φίλων ΠΑΟΚ "ΒΟΡΕΙΟΙ" (Greek)
• Western Districts - Δυτικες Συνοικιες (Greek)
• Gate 4 - Θύρα 4 (Greek)
• Byzantine United Warriors - Βυζαντινοί Ενωμένοι Μαχητές (Greek)
• Macedonians Club PAOK - Μακεδόνες Club ΠΑΟΚ (Greek)
• Ultras Fans PAOK (Greek)

Supporter Clubs - Official Websites

Australia:

• Melbourne Club PAOK - Official PAOK Thessaloniki Supporters Club of Australia (English)

England:

• Coventry Club PAOK (Greek) (English)
• Plymouth Club PAOK (Greek) (English)

Fiji Islands:

• Fiji Islands Club PAOK (English)

Germany:

• Frankfurt Club PAOK (Greek)
• Luedenscheid Club PAOK (Greek) (German)
• Munich Club PAOK (Greek)
• Reutlingen Club PAOK (Greek)
• Stuggart Club PAOK (Greek)

Greece:

• S.F. PAOK Aridea (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Dendropotamoy (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Drama (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Eletheroupolis (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Evosmou "Lemmy" (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Ilioupolis (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Ierissos (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Kalohoriou (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Kastoria (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Kavala (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Kordelio (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Lamia (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Neapoli "Bellos" (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Northerners (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Polihnis (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Rhodos (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Sidirokastro (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Sohou (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Triandria (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Trikala (Greek)
• S.F. PAOK Ilioupolis (Greek)

Switzerland:

• Switzerland Club PAOK (Greek)
• Zurich Club PAOK (Greek)

USA:

• New York Club PAOK (English)

General Websites

• PAOK Thessaloniki History - PAOK Thessaloniki History provided on behalf of Melbourne Club PAOK (English)
• Melbourne Club PAOK (English)
• -GIANNITSA HOLY CITY OF PAOK (Greek)
• Profile & Statistics - For Giorgos Koudas Profile & Statistics provided on behalf of
• NetFans PAOK Fans Portal (English)(Greek)
• Toumba Stadium - Toumba Stadium, Information and Photos provided on behalf of Stadia.gr (Greek)
• PAOKTSIS.COM (Greek)
• PAOKworld- Most informative PAOK Thessaloniki Forum (Greek) (English)
• PAOKG4.ORG Autonomus Website about PAOK Thessaloniki (Greek)
• fcPAOK.gr - General PAOK Fans Website (Greek)
• PAOK WEB TV - Web TV by PAOK fans (Greek)
• PAOKMANIA - PAOKMANIA COMBO WEB SITES - PAOK Thessaloniki Supporters(Greek)
• PAOKMANIA WEB RADIO - PAOKMANIA COMBO WEB SITES - Radio Station with webcast for PAOK Thessaloniki Supporters (Greek)
• CLUB PAOKMANIA - PAOKMANIA COMBO WEB SITES - PAOK MUSIC & GAMES web site(Greek - English)
• PAOKTUBE - PAOKMANIA COMBO WEB SITES - PAOK TUBE web site (Greek - English)
• PAOKTV.COM - PAOKMANIA COMBO WEB SITES - PAOK TV web site(Greek - English)
• PAOKTV.GR - PAOKMANIA COMBO WEB SITES - PAOK TV web site (Greek - English)
• PAOK Laiki Vasi Movement (Greek) (English)
• PAOK Thessaloniki Fans from Athens (Greek) (English)
• PAOK-Italia (Italian) (English)
• PAOK Videos (Greek)
• PAOK Supporters of Athens & Piraeus (Greek)
• The oldest domain -paok.de- (Greek)