March 28 – The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) has announced plans to buy a new training facility for its national teams.
The news was announced by EPO president Makis Gagatsis during the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Hellenic Football Federation. The new home of the Greek national team will be on the site of the existing Paiania training facility on the outskirts of the Greek capital Athens that is privately owned.
The project’s cost is €21.5 million including €3 million for improvements. €18.5 million will be provided by FIFA and UEFA programs. The rest will come from the federation’s budget.\Gagatsis expressed hope that national teams would be able to use the training centre, with minor improvements, as early as September.\
“Since the day of our election, on 22/7/2024, our administration has had as its primary goal the finding of a space for the construction of a training centere, which would be the home of the national teams, a chronic problem that despite the efforts of previous administrations has not been solved,” said Gagatsis said.
“The truth is that the spaces for the construction of a training center in Attica are limited since more than 50 acres are required, on which you must have the ability to erect building facilities. Indeed, after the efforts of the administration and proposals from private individuals, we found some areas on which the necessary control, legal and technical, was carried out, where in other cases problems were found regarding the ownership status, in others regarding the ability to erect building facilities and the construction of the fields and in others the shape of the plots was not suitable for a training center.
“The Paiania training centre, which everyone knows, even those who are not involved in football, was the one that had piqued our interest from the beginning for obvious reasons: it is a training centre that is operational, and therefore immediately, with some minor improvements, will be used by the National Teams,” Gagatsis continued.
“We all know that it is a historic training center and when it was built it was a jewel for all of Europe. A training center that was built by Mr. Vardinoyannis taking into account every parameter, even the climatic conditions of the area, the distance from the urban fabric and even the development that the Paiania area would have at that time.
“A training center that has been nurtured and competed by great players who formed the backbone of the 2004 team and the successes of Panathinaikos in Europe for three decades. Its aura is in every square meter of the area that it spreads. The EPO EU focused on Paiania and proceeded with a series of actions (decision for the assessment of the sports facilities, business plan, inspection of the sports facilities and negotiations with Mr. Georgios Vardinoyannis).
“The purchase price of this property amounts to €21,500,000, while in addition to the above price, all taxes, fees, notary and other expenses will be paid. The total amount will be raised from funds from FIFA and UEFA, as well as from own resources, without any borrowing. FIFA and UEFA will pay, through programs, the total amount of €18,500,000 for the purchase.”
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1743511364labto1743511364ofdlr1743511364owedi1743511364sni@o1743511364fni1743511364