After all, the selection of a young player by experts is based on their talent in technical abilities and not solely on physical ones, but «these, even if they exist to a good degree as a genetic background, require training and a lot of practice to bring a player to the level of a complete football player».

PAOK has invested substantially in the creation of a comprehensive physical fitness team, consisting of exercise physiologists, coaches and rehabilitation specialists.

From the 2024-2025 season, therefore, the collaboration of the Infrastructure Departments and the PAOK B with the Laboratory for the Assessment of Human Biological Performance of TEFAA Thessaloniki began, under the direction of Professor of Exercise Physiology Thomas Metaxas and exercise physiologist Giannis Michaelides, EEP of TEFAA AUTH.

Giannis Michailides is an exercise physiologist, responsible for conducting ergometric tests of our athletes, and monitoring. He records and analyzes the external load, in collaboration of course, with the teams’ coaching staff, with the aim of optimally managing training, preventing and avoiding muscle injuries.

Vasilis Kanaras (TEFAA, UEFA A, UEFA Elite Youth, Corrective Exercise Diploma, MSc in Kinesiology, PhD TEFAA AUTH), with years of experience at the PAOK Academy, returns in a way, and in addition to being responsible for the rehabilitation of our first team players, he also takes on the role of the Academy’s fitness coordinator. The coordinator is essentially the one who sets the goals and the philosophy and of course, the method for the development and improvement of the athletes’ physical abilities, endurance, strength, speed. He is now responsible for the physical condition of our players from Under-15’s to PAOK B.

In good cooperation, of course, with the coaches of our departments, Mert Isbilir {PAOK B, Degree in Physical Education (University of Aegean Izmir), UEFA A, FIFA 11+ Certification, Football Fitness Specialist (University of Komotini), PhD Candidate in Football Coaching (University of Komotini)}, Vasilis Bilis (U-19, TEFAA, MSc AUTH «Prevention and Rehabilitation of Injuries», UEFA B), Vasilis Lefteroudis (U-17, TEFAA, MSc in Special Education University of the Aegean, UEFA B, BLS/AED Provider Course), Konstantinos Georgiadis (U-15, TEFAA AUTH (Serres), MSc AUTH «Sports and Health»), PAOK B rehabilitation trainer Dimitris Petrakis (BSc TEFAA AUTH, MSc Functional Injury Management DPUTH, STATSports Pro Series, FMS Level 1-2, UEFA B, FIFA 11+ Certification), rehabilitation trainer from U-13Vto U-19 Paschalis Elkas (TEFAA AUTH).