Olympiacos SFP (men's volleyball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Olympiacos

Nickname	Thrylos (The Legend) Erythrolefkoi (The Red-Whites)
Founded	1926
Ground	Melina Merkouri Indoor Hall (Capacity: 2,900)
Chairman	Michalis Kountouris
Manager	Andrea Gardini
League	A1 Greek Volleyleague CEV Champions League CEV Cup
2023–24	1st (Champion)
Website	Club home page
Uniforms
Home 　 Away

Olympiacos Men's Volleyball is a professional volleyball team from Greece. It's part of the larger Olympiacos SFP sports club, located in Piraeus, Attica. The team started in 1926. They play their home games at the Melina Merkouri Indoor Hall.

Olympiacos is the most successful volleyball club in Greek history. They have won 32 Greek Volley League titles, 19 Cups, and 7 League Cups. These are all national records! They also have 3 Super Cups.

This team is the only Greek volleyball team to win a European title. In fact, they have won three European titles:

• Two CEV Cups (in 1996 and 2005)
• One CEV Challenge Cup (in 2023)

Olympiacos has a strong history in European volleyball. They have played in 8 European finals across the three main CEV competitions. They were runners-up twice in the CEV Champions League (in 1992 and 2002). They also won the CEV Cup twice and were runners-up twice. In the CEV Challenge Cup, they won once (2023) and were runners-up once (2018).

At home, Olympiacos holds the record for winning the most championships in a row, with eight straight wins from 1987 to 1994. They also won seven championships without losing a single game! Their best time in Europe was between 1992 and 2005. During this period, they reached eleven "final fours" (where the last four teams compete). They also finished third in the FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship. In 2023, they won the 2022–23 CEV Challenge Cup by beating their rivals Panathinaikos in the semi-finals and Maccabi Tel Aviv in the final.

Olympiacos is very popular in Greece, and their men's volleyball team gets amazing support from fans. Many great Greek players have played for them, like Marios Giourdas and Sakis Moustakidis. They have also had many world-class players from other countries, such as Ivan Miljković, Lorenzo Bernardi, and Jeff Stork.

Team Achievements

Olympiacos has won many important titles both in Greece and in Europe.

European and World Titles

• CEV Cup
  • Winners (2): 1996, 2005
• CEV Challenge Cup
  • Winners (1): 2023
• FIVB Club World Championship
  • 3rd place (1): 1992

Greek National Titles

Olympiacos first volleyball team in 1926, the year the club was founded.

• Greek League
• Winners (32) (record): 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024
• Greek Cup
• Winners (18) (record): 1981, 1983, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2024, 2025
• Greek League Cup
• Winners (7) (record): 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2025
• Greek Super Cup
• Winners (3): 2000, 2010, 2024

How Olympiacos Won European Titles

Winning the CEV Cup (twice!)

1996 CEV Cup Winners' Cup Victory

Olympiacos won their first European title in 1996. They played against teams from different countries in the group stage. In the semi-final, they beat Alcom Capelle from the Netherlands. Then, in a tough final match, they won 3-2 against Bayer Wuppertal from Germany.

Round	Team	Home	Away
Semifinal	Alcom Capelle	3–1
Final	Bayer Wuppertal	3–2

2005 CEV Top Teams Cup Victory

Nine years later, Olympiacos won their second CEV Cup. They had a strong run, winning all their qualification matches. In the semi-final, they defeated VK Dukla Liberec from the Czech Republic. In the final, they had a clear 3-0 victory over Ortec Nesselande Rotterdam from the Netherlands.

Round	Team	Home	Away
Semifinal	VK Dukla Liberec	3–0
Final	Ortec Nesselande Rotterdam	3–0

Winning the CEV Challenge Cup

2023 CEV Challenge Cup Victory

In 2023, Olympiacos added another European trophy to their collection: the CEV Challenge Cup. They had some exciting matches on their way to the final. In the semi-finals, they faced their Greek rivals, Panathinaikos Athens, and won in a thrilling "Golden Set." Then, in the finals, they beat Maccabi Tel Aviv with a strong performance.

Round	Team	Home	Away
Semifinals	Panathinaikos Athens	1–3	1–4 (Golden Set)
Finals	Maccabi Tel Aviv	3–0	0–3

Amazing Fan Support

Olympiacos volleyball logo

Olympiacos fans are famous for how much passion and energy they bring to games. The atmosphere at their home matches is known to be super intense and exciting, which is rare in volleyball! In the 1990s and early 2000s, Olympiacos was one of the best volleyball teams in Europe, and they had some of the biggest fan support.

In 1992, during the 1992 CEV Champions League Final Four in Piraeus, about 20,000 Olympiacos fans filled the Peace and Friendship Stadium. They cheered loudly for the semi-final and the final. Hall of Famer Karch Kiraly, a famous player from the opposing team, said that the atmosphere was "unbelievable" and that he "cherished the Greek supporters and the passion of Olympiacos fans."

In 1996, the CEV Cup Winners' Cup Final Four was also held in Piraeus. Around 18,000 to 20,000 Olympiacos fans packed the stadium. They created an incredible atmosphere that helped their team win their first European title against the German team Bayer Wuppertal. After the win, hundreds of excited fans rushed onto the court to celebrate with the players!

In 2005, Olympiacos hosted the CEV Top Teams Cup Final Four. Again, 15,000 fans filled the Peace and Friendship Stadium, creating an electric atmosphere. This support helped Olympiacos win their second European title.

More recently, in 2018, about 12,000 Olympiacos fans created an amazing atmosphere in the final of the 2017–18 CEV Challenge Cup. An opposing player, Paul Buchegger, described it as a "red hell" and said he had "goose bumps" because he had never played in front of such a big crowd.

On March 15, 2023, 13,000 Olympiacos fans packed the Peace and Friendship Stadium. Their incredible support helped Olympiacos win the 2022–23 CEV Challenge Cup, which was their third European title.

Famous Players

• 

  Ivan Miljković

• 

  Aleksandar Atanasijević

• 

  Lorenzo Bernardi

• 

  Dragan Travica

• 

  Salvador Hidalgo Oliva

• 

  Tom Hoff

• 

  Fabian Drzyzga

• 

  Goran Vujević

Many talented players have been part of the Olympiacos men's volleyball team over the years. Some are from Greece, and others are famous international players.

• 

  Janne Heikkinen

• 

  Mitar Đurić

• 

  Plamen Konstantinov

• 

  Boyan Yordanov

• 

  Osvaldo Hernández

• 

  Alen Pajenk

• 

  Todor Aleksiev

• 

  Olli Kunnari

Coaches of Olympiacos

The team has been led by many experienced coaches over the years.

Ljubomir Travica

Zoran Gajić

Current Team (2024–2025 Season)

Daniel Castellani

Here are the players and staff for the Olympiacos men's volleyball team for the 2024–2025 season.

Shirt No	Nationality	Player	Birth Date	Height	Position
2	Slovenia	Alen Pajenk	(1986-04-23) April 23, 1986 (age 39)	2.02	Middle blocker
3	Greece	Dimitris Manikas	(2007-10-27) October 27, 2007 (age 17)	1.99	Middle blocker
4	Greece	Vassilis Costopoulos	(1995-02-16) February 16, 1995 (age 30)	1.97	Οutside Hitter
6	Greece	Mateo Hasbala	(2004-05-22) May 22, 2004 (age 21)	1.92	Setter
8	Canada	John Gordon Perrin	(1989-08-17) August 17, 1989 (age 35)	2.01	Οutside Hitter
9	Greece	Nikolas Papangelopoulos	(1988-11-17) November 17, 1988 (age 36)	2.04	Middle blocker
10	Greece	Rafail Koumentakis	(1993-05-05) May 5, 1993 (age 32)	2.03	Οutside Hitter
12	Greece	Nikos Zoupani	(1989-03-18) March 18, 1989 (age 36)	2.02	Opposite
14	Italy	Dragan Travica (c)	(1986-08-28) August 28, 1986 (age 38)	2.00	Setter
15	Greece	Dimitris Tziavras	(1999-02-16) February 16, 1999 (age 26)	1.77	Libero
16	Serbia	Aleksandar Atanasijević	(1991-09-04) September 4, 1991 (age 33)	2.02	Opposite
17	Greece	Anestis Dalakouras	(1993-06-18) June 18, 1993 (age 32)	1.99	Outside hitter
18	Greece	Dimitris Constantinidis	(1993-08-05) August 5, 1993 (age 32)	1.88	Libero
19	Greece	Apostolos Armenakis 1	(1980-07-19) July 19, 1980 (age 45)	2.05	Middle blocker
20	Serbia	Nemanja Mašulović 2	(1995-10-05) October 5, 1995 (age 29)	2.05	Middle blocker
21	Greece	Mitar Tzourits	(1989-04-25) April 25, 1989 (age 36)	2.11	Middle blocker

Team Staff

Name	Job
Andrea Gardini	Head Coach
Antonis Vourderis	Assistant Coach

Team Captains Through the Years

• Michalis Triantafyllidis (1989–1994)
• Sakis Moustakidis (1994–1996)
• Giorgos Dragovits (1996–2001)
• Marios Giourdas (2001–2003)
• Antonis Tsakiropoulos (2003–2007)
• Vasilis Kournetas (2007–2009)
• Dimitris Soultanopoulos (2009–2010)
• Andreas Andreadis (2010–2012)
• Kostas Christofidelis (2012–2015)
• Menelaos Kokkinakis (2015–2017)
• Kostas Christofidelis (2017–2019)
• Giorgos Petreas (2019–2020)
• Kostas Stivachtis (2020–2022)
• Dragan Travica (2022–present)

League Performance History

Olympiacos has a long history of success in the Greek Volleyleague. They have often finished in the top positions.

League Final Positions

This table shows how many times Olympiacos has finished in each top position in the Greek League.

Team Uniforms

The table below shows the companies that have made the uniforms for the Olympiacos team.

See also

• Olympiacos Women's Volleyball Team