Funding and purchase of area

The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki purchased a 2-acre piece of land in the area of Syntrivani Stadium in order to construct new schools. PAOK had to relocate and an area owned by the Ministry of National Defence at Toumba was chosen as the adequate location.

Wing-commander Giorgos Themelis, then Minister of National Defence, granted the 7,5 acres to the club and also became the chairman of the committee overseeing the construction of the new stadium. The purchase cost was set at 1,5 million drachmas and was paid by PAOK’s administration in 20 six-month instalments of 75.000 drachmas each. On 7 February 1958, a committee of Third Army Corps officers delivered the land to “Double-Headed Eagle’s” representatives.

There were still barracks on the premises, housing victims of the Civil War and the 1953 Ionian earthquake. Relocating all these people cost PAOK 70.000 drachmas. The total cost of the stadium’s construction amounted to 6 million drachmas, with just 1,1 million coming from the General Secretariat of Sports as subvention.

Start of earthworks and “Lottery for the Construction”

Earthworks started in spring of 1958 and then construction work followed, based on the plans of architect Minas Trempelas and political engineer Antonis Triglianos. In an attempt to collect the necessary funds, the club issued the “Lottery for the construction of PAOK’s new stadium” in April 1958 at a cost of 20 drachmas each. Since 1956, the administration was withholding 15% of the gate income in order to fund the construction of the new stadium. The “Double-Headed Eagle’s” fans, apart from money, also contributed to construction by volunteering to work as builders!

Inauguration event in 1959 and record attendance against AEK Athens

The construction of the stadium was completed at a record time of one year. The inauguration event was scheduled for Sunday 6 September 1959 with a friendly encounter against AEK (PAOK prevailed 1-0 with a goal by Kostas Kiourtzis). Prime minister Konstantinos Karamanlis’ attendance was cancelled at the last minute. However several ministers of his government were there for the occasion. As for the ball for the first kick-off, it fell at 17.30 off an airplane of Sedes Military Air Base.

On inauguration day, 15.000 PAOK supporters packed Toumba, as that was the stadium’s capacity back then. It would increase to 20.000 seats in the following months until it reached a 45.000-seat capacity in the mid ‘70s through extensive expansion work.

HERE is the timeline of Toumba’s history.