PAS Pyrgos F.C.

PAS Pyrgos
Full nameΠανηλειακός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Πύργος
Paniliakos Athletic Club Pyrgos
Founded20 July 2025; 15 months ago (2025-07-20)
GroundPyrgos Stadium
Capacity6,750
OwnerAris Oikonomou
ChairmanAris Oikonomou
ManagerDimitrios Spanos
LeagueSuper League Greece 2
2025–26Gamma Ethniki (Group 4), 1st (Promoted)

PAS Pyrgos Football Club (Greek: Πανηλειακός Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Πύργος, lit. 'Paniliakos Athletic Club Pyrgos') is a Greek football club based in Pyrgos. The club operates men's and women's football departments, as well as a futsal section.

In 2025, Thyella Katarrachiou Pyrgos merged with PAS Pyrgos 2023 and was renamed PAS Pyrgos 1968, adopting red and white as its official colors and the torch—the historic emblem of Paniliakos—as its crest. Since the 2026–27 season, the men's football section competes in Super League 2, the second tier of the Greek football league system, under the corporate name PAS Pyrgos 1968 S.A. and the trading name Pyrgos AFC. The club plays its home matches at the Pyrgos Stadium, which has a capacity of 6,750.

History

AO Thyella Katarrachiou Pyrgos (1968–2025)

In the 1977–78 season, Thyella won the Elis Football Clubs Association championship and gained promotion to the National Amateur Category, which served as the third tier of Greek football. The following season (1978–79), competing against historic clubs such as Paniliakos, Kalamata, Panegialios, Kerkyra, and Sparta, Thyella finished 18th in the league with 18 points and was relegated.

In the 2024–25 season, the club won the Elis Football Clubs Association championship once again and earned promotion to the national divisions through the Greek FCA Winners' Championship.

PAS Pyrgos 2023 (2023–2025)

The club was founded on 31 July 2023 by the organized supporters of Paniliakos, known as "Red Boys", under the name PAS Pyrgos 2023. It was created as a grassroots initiative by the fans due to the administrative and financial uncertainty surrounding the historic Paniliakos. The club's official colors were red and white.

The team started in the Third Division of the Elis Football Clubs Association during the 2023–24 season and continued its run in the 2024–25 season, securing back-to-back promotions.

PAS Pyrgos (2025–present)

In July 2025, following extensive consultations, the management of Thyella Pyrgos—having won the Elis Football Clubs Association championship—in cooperation with the board of "PAS Pyrgos 2023", agreed to rename Thyella to PAS Pyrgos 1968 (officially Podosfairikos Athlitikos Syllogos Pyrgos 1968), adopting the trading name Pyrgos AFC.

Initially, the new club was intended to be named "APS Pyrgos 1968". However, on 6 July 2025, PAS Pyrgos announced details regarding the agreement reached with the investors of Pyrgos FC Thyella since Monday 2 June, specifying the following:

  • Official registered name: "PAS Pyrgos 1968" (commercial name: "Pyrgos AFC").
  • Club colors: red and white.
  • Crest featuring the torch emblem, based on that of Paniliakos.
  • A binding agreement to adopt the name "Paniliakos" as soon as it becomes legally and financially feasible.

On 11 July 2025, the registration deadline for the Gamma Ethniki, the newly formed club officially entered the championship. The change of name, colors, and crest was approved by the Hellenic Football Federation on 25 August 2025. Unofficially, the club is widely referred to as Paniliakos (which was officially dissolved in 2024) and enjoys the support of Paniliakos fans in its home matches, with a permanent renaming expected following the conclusion of the 2025–26 season.

The team completed 16 transfers during the summer of 2025 and secured first place in its group in the 2025–26 Gamma Ethniki. Consequently, the club qualified for the promotion play-offs, where it earned a second consecutive promotion, advancing to Super League 2.

On 4 November 2026, the historic and symbolic name "Paniliakos" was officially incorporated into the club's acronym, which became "Paniliakos Athletic Club Pyrgos" (PAS Pyrgos) following a unanimous decision welcomed with enthusiasm by hundreds of supporters.

Crest and colours

Colours

The official club colours of PAS Pyrgos 1968 are red and white, directly adopted from the historical identity of Paniliakos.

Crest

The club's crest features a traditional shield with a white background and a red diagonal sash. At its center stands a white medieval tower topped with a burning red torch, combining the historical symbol of the city of Pyrgos (meaning "tower" in Greek) with the iconic torch emblem of Paniliakos. The top header of the shield displays the trading name Pyrgos AFC, while the foundation year 1968 is depicted on the lower right side.

Supporters

The club is supported by fans of Paniliakos, as well as general football supporters from the city of Pyrgos and the broader region of Elis.

Fan clubs

  • Red Boys - Angels Club (est. 1996): The primary supporters' club of Paniliakos, which now supports PAS Pyrgos 1968 and refers to the team as Paniliakos during home matches.

Players

Current squad

As of 21 September 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  GRE Makis Giannikoglou
2 DF  GRE Alexandros Kardaris
3 DF  GRE Georgios Saramantas (captain)
4 DF  GRE Konstantinos Dimitriou
6 MF  GRE Kaloudis Lemonis
7 MF  GRE Dimitrios Mavrias
8 MF  GRE Giannis Ferekidis
9 FW  GRE Konstantinos Doumtsios
10 MF  JOR Angelos Chanti
11 MF  GRE Odysseas Lazaris
12 MF  ZIM Tirivashe Chirikwawo
14 MF  GRE Manolis Koulousias
15 DF  GRE Ilias Evangelou
16 DF  GRE Chrysovalantis Manos
17 MF  CIV Manssour Fofana
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF  GRE Alexandros Dani
19 MF  ARG Gonzalo Muscia
20 MF  GRE Giannis Sardelis
21 GK  GRE Adam Tsekouras
22 DF  GRE Jon Prifti
23 DF  ARG Rodrigo Erramuspe
24 MF  GRE Giannis Daskalopoulos
26 MF  GRE Adriano Skenderaj
29 MF  ARG Nicolás Czornomaz
31 DF  GRE Sotirios Markopoulos
34 MF  ALB Aidon Shehu (on loan from Panathinaikos)
47 FW  GRE Georgios Nalitzis
50 GK  GRE Georgios Birbilis
72 MF  GRE Aristidis Kokkoris
77 MF  GRE Frixos Grivas

Honours

PAS Pyrgos

Thyella Katarrachiou Pyrgos

Personnel

Board of directors

Position Name
President Aris Oikonomou
Vice-President Grigoris Dedes
Members Vasilis Theodorakopoulos
Panagiotis Babatsikos
Andreas Nikolakopoulos

References

  1. ↑ ""Π.Α.Σ. Πύργος 1968" αποφασίστηκε ως νέο όνομα της Θύελλας (με απορρόφηση και του πρώην Π.Α.Σ.)". iliaoikonomia.gr (in Greek).
  2. ↑ "ΓΕΜΗ :: Υπηρεσίες Δημοσιότητας". publicity.businessportal.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Οι οπαδοί του Πανηλειακού ιδρύουν ομάδα με το όνομα ΠΑΣ Πύργος (2023)". thebest.gr (in Greek). 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Και επίσημα "ΠΑΣ ΠΥΡΓΟΣ 1968"-"Μια πόλη μια ομάδα", το μήνυμα της Γενικής Συνέλευσης". patrisnews.com (in Greek). July 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  5. ↑ ""ΠΑΣ Πύργος 1968" η ονομασία από τη "συνένωση"-Τα βρήκαν Θύελλα και ΠΑΣ Πύργος". proini.news (in Greek). 6 July 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "ΠΑΣ Πύργος και επίσημα από την ΕΠΟ – Πανηλειακός από… Μάρτη του 2026". iliaenimerosi.gr (in Greek). 25 August 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Βγήκε η απόφαση για το Πύργος-Ζάκυνθος, ποιες ομάδες ανεβαίνουν στη Super League 2!". sport-fm.gr (in Greek). 4 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Και εγένετο… Πανηλειακός Α.Σ. Πύργος" (in Greek). PatrisNews.com. Retrieved 5 November 2026.