PAOK (
Greek: ΠΑΟΚ, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton, Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans),[1] commonly known as A.C. PAOK (
Greek: 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 (
Greek: 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).[2][3][4]
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).[2]
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.[5]
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.[6] 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.[7]
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.
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.[8]
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.[9]
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.).
^"Ο άγνωστος Ραϊμόν Ετιέν..." [The unknown first foreign player of PAOK Raymond Ettienne]. paokmania.gr (in Greek). 7 December 2015.
Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.