Ground Capacity 2,000 Manager Makis Sergides | Chairman Filippos Filippou | |
Full name Podosfairiki Athlitiki Enosi Eparxeias Kerynias Founded October 1953; 63 years ago (1953-10) Ground Keryneia Epistrophi, Lakatamia | ||
PAEEK (Greek: ΠΑΕΕΚ; Podosfairiki Athlitiki Enosi Eparxeias Kerynias = "Football and sport union of Kyrenia District") is a Cypriot sports club founded in Kyrenia in 1953 by graduates of Kyrenia Gymnasium and represented the first force to be reckoned from the small city. It now plays in exile in Nicosia since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974. This union has football division competing in Cypriot Second Division. PAEEK used to have also a basketball division but due to economic difficulties had to suspend it for some years up to date.
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Basketball
The PAEEK was a founding member of the Cyprus Basketball Federation in 1966 rising to fame in the early 1970s after its basketball division won the Cyprus top division basketball league in 3 consecutive years.[1][2].
The PAEEK reached the Cyprus Basketball Cup final on 5 occasions losing them all [3]. 1995 was APOEL's year, when they took the basketball double. As losers of the Cup final, PAEEK automatically qualified to represent Cyprus in Europe in the Saporta Cup [4] . They were knocked out by PAOK BC Salonika which in turn went on to reach the final of the competition.The game with PAOK BC was very special for both teams as they were all refugees and victims of the wars between Greece and Turkey.
Football
The football team has not matched the basketball team's success in terms of trophies. They have mostly hovered between the Cypriot Second and Third Divisions. Paeek is considered to be the team with the most appearances in the Cyprus Second Division with 41 in total. In the 2011–2012 season they came closest to their first ever promotion to the first division by finishing 4th.
Current squad
As of 21 September 2016Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
For recent transfers see List of Cypriot football transfers summer 2016
Colours
The colours of PAEEK shirt are symbolic with the black symbolising the sadness from the Turkish invasion in 1974 and the white symbolises the hope that one day they will return to their hometown. When this happens the colours will change back to yellow and black as they were before the Turkish invasion.