Panathinaikos Football Team of athens

Panathinaikos Football Team History

It was back in 1908 when the track and field athlete of Panellinios, George Kalafatis, took the initiative to found the most successful team of Athens, Panathinaikos football team. Initially, the name of the team was Football Club of Athens (P.Ο.Α. ). Short after the founding of the team George Kalafatis changed the name of the club to Panhellenic Football Club.

After the end of World War 1, football activity resumes and in 1918 Panhellenic Football Club establishes the green colour and the emblem of the shamrock which was designed by George Hatzopoulos, director of the Greek National Gallery and member of Club.

The shamrock was brought to the football club by Michalis Papazoglou, an athlete and later general secretary of Panathinaikos football club, who used to wear it at his former team of Chalkidona in Constantinopole.

One of the most important figures in Panathinaikos football team history was Apostolos Nikolaidis, who was a phenomenal athlete in football, track and field, basketball and volleyball. He participated in the Olympic games of Antwerp in 1920 as a football player and a track and field athlete.