The kids of the PAOK Academy who defy distances
They face fatigue. Try to fit everything into a 24-hour period. Recruit parents, grandparents, and friends to help them. And the most gruelling of all, they cover astonishing distances every day – at least four times a week – to try and develop and play the sport they love.
These are the kids of the PAOK Academy. They build personality and character through a perpetual educational process, often involving long hours in the back seat of a car. They choose it, they support it, and they don’t complain about it. Traditionally, therefore, we like to give a special mention to those youngsters who are putting in many kilometers this season as well. And we all know by now how much that costs…
The long distances continue this season for three Under-17 players, even though their obligations in this category are increased. There’s Koupenos, who comes from Kilkis, Kesidis from Prochoma and Kalioglou from Nea Filadelfia, Thessaloniki. Fotis Vassili also comes and goes from Pedino, Kilkis for the Under-16s, while for the Under-15s, Arseniy Koval makes the trip from Pefkohori, and Sidiropoulos from Melissohori.
In the Under-14 age level, Nikolaidis, Kalpakis and Maganielos travel from Kilkis, while Aivazoglou from Kavala. Also traveling from Kavala – for the Under-13s – are Avramidis and Duralis, while from Veria there’s Anastos and Toliopoulos, and from Larissa there’s Tentolouris.
Many children are putting in the kilometers at Under-12 level as well. Chatzis and Papageorgiou travel from Katerini, Kakalis from Kozani, Geladaris from Veria, Solomidis from Ptolemaida, and Chrysoulakis from Larissa. Matsikopoulos comes and goes for the Under-10s from Serres and for the Under-9s there’s Papadimitriou from Kilkis.
