PAOK Academy


PAOK Academy is the football academy system of Greek professional football club PAOK consisting of eleven official youth teams, based on the young athletes' age. PAOK's U15, U17 and U20 teams all play in Greek Super League's . Ιn 2016–17 season, U20 team participated in UEFA Youth League as a champion on official superleague U17 2015–16.
This academy holds more than 280 young players, and also more than 50 people work there. The PAOK Academy maintains 16 training centers outside of Thessaloniki. These are in Athens, Didimoticho, Alexandroupoli, Komotini - Xanthi, Kilkis, Kavala, Drama, Kozani, Katerini, Lamia, Corfu, Rethymnon, Chios, Chalkidiki, Cyclades and Rhodes.
WWW paokfc.gr/en/paok-academy...

History

The first youth academy was created in 1952. The visionary was Austrian coach Wilhelm Sefzik.
His dream was to be able to bring out new talents that could evolve from an early age into the PAOK team.
In 2007–2009, The former president Theodoros Zagorakis began the rebirth of the academies. Vangelis Pourliotopoulos undertook the reorganization,
and for the first time in PAOK history started an organized effort of the club to exploit, to bring out new talents, and promote young footballers systematically from the infrastructure departments of PAOK's to the first team. In 2009, the cost reached €1 million per year.
At that time the "Football Prints" program was created. Today more than 90 academies participate in this program.
In 2008, the first hostels in the Toumba Stadium were inaugurated. In the first three years, the hostels accommodated 14 children, who came from outside Thessaloniki
The evolution of academies continues to date, with Ivan Savvidis investing in a new home that will host young footballers.
In September 2015, the PAOK Academy acquired a seven-storey building in the center of Thessaloniki, where 55 young football players live there.
The cost of academies has now reached €2 million per year, making it the most expensive academy in Greece. According to the International Center for Sports Studies, the club has the best academies in Greece.

Organization

PAOK invest in setting up its own football schools to bring out talented children. To this day the club maintains 13 training centers in every corner of the country. PAOK FC youth sections, with the assistance of their network of collaborating academies, select the most talented players of each region, in order to have them train often and gradually follow the schedules and aims of the PAOK academy players.
The objective of the club is encounter young talented athletes aged no more than 12, and hand them at least 7 years of proper the footballing education, so that they can dive into the mentality and philosophy of their club. The scouting team visits each training centre once each month, in order to supervise the children's progress. Some distinguished children are invited to Thessaloniki to join the PAOK Academy, which will be staying at PAOK's house.
Since 2013, PAOK maintains a cooperation with Juventus on the academies sector.

Football Prints

PAOK football prints, is a network of academies working with the PAOK academy. Football Prints network functions through a communication system that is based on the eagerness of local academies to work and push talented children. The coordination of all academies has the Vangelis Pourliotopoulos and Kyriakos Alexandridis. In 2014, PAOK FC also organized their first "PAOK Football Prints Network Tournament". Since 2009, the club hold the annual youth tournament “Panagiotis Katsouris” in his memory, a renowned tournament and among the best in the Balkans.

List of academies

The 90 academies of "Football Prints" in Greece, according to geographic criteria.
Greece
Cyprus
Germany
Israel
Sweden
Australia
Serbia

Academy Personnel

Source:

Honours

Titles won and honours by the PAOK academy's teams.

Official Youth Championship's - International Tournaments

PAOK U20Greek Superleague U19
  • *Winners : 2002–03, 2006–07, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21
  • *Runners-up : 2011–12, 2015–16, 2022–23, 2023–24Superleague Greece Youth Cup
  • *Winners : 2025 Broersen International Youth Tournament U19Culemborg Cup
  • *Winners : 2018-19
  • *Runners-up : 2012-13
PAOK U17Greek Superleague U17
  • *Winners : 2012–13, 2015–16, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023–24, 2024-25
  • *Runners-up : 2014–15, 2018–19, 2022–23International Youth Tournament U17Craig Brown Memorial Trophy
  • *Winners :2025-26
PAOK U15Greek Superleague U15
  • *Winners : 2014–15, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024-25
  • *Runners-up : 2013–14, 2015–16, 2021–22International Youth Tournament U15Universal Youth Cup
  • *Winners : 2025-26International Viktor Ponedelnik's Cup
  • *Winners : 2014-15Rimini Cup
  • *Winners : 2013-14, 2001–02«We Love Football» tournament
  • * Runners-up : 2015-16

Domestic - International tournaments Under

PAOK U14International Children’s Football Festival
  • *Winners : 2015-16
PAOK U13Lennart Johansson Academy Trophy
  • *Winners : 2012-13, 2016–17
  • *Runners-up : 2015Panagiotis Katsouris" Football tournament
  • *Winners : 2013-14, 2014–15 CVV Zwervers
  • * Runners-up : 2013-14Lukoil Cup
  • *Winners : 2013-14, 2016-17 Rodos Knights Cup
  • *Winners : 2014-15Pfingst Cup
  • * Runners-up : 2016-17
PAOK U12Marc Overmars
  • *Winners : 2015-16
PAOK U11Lokoball
  • *Winners : 2012-13, 2013–14
  • * Runners-up : 2015, 2016Panagiotis Katsouris" Football tournament
  • *Winners : 20141 SANDANSKI CUP
  • *Winners : 2013-141 Invitational Cup Stockholm
  • *Winners : 2014-151 Catnic Cup*
  • *Winners : 20161 Paris World Cup
  • *Winners : 2015-161 Max Sport Youth Cup
  • *Winners : 2014-15
PAOK U101 International tournaments Serbia
International Orthopaedikos U10 Juniors Cup 2016
  • * Runners-up : 2016
PAOK U9Pfingst Cup
  • **Winners : 2013-14International Tournaments Krnjevo
  • **Winners : 2014 2 Dragan Mance Cup
  • **Winners : 2017
PAOK U8Olympico Paphos Tournament
  • **Winners : 2017Germany Offenbach Tournament
  • **Winners : 2017

Notable players

Notable players coming from the club's youth departments include: