Stadio Kalamarias

The stadium at the corner of Papagou and Chilis Street has a quiet, local life that rarely reaches beyond Thessaloniki. It opened in 1973. Apollon Kalamarias, the amateur club that owns the place, undertook a major rebuild to prepare for the football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The renovation brought a new natural grass pitch, plastic seating, and a car park. The original attendance record of 8,375 for a match against Panathinaikos on the opening day now sits in the history books rather than on the programme.

The club itself has some history with the wider game. In August 2023, the ground was officially renamed in honour of Vasilis Triantafyllidis, a stage name he used when he was a famous actor. He served as president of the club from 1982 to 1986, and the renaming recognized his dedication to preserving the club's identity. The stadium has not hosted official Olympic matches, despite the 2003 work, but it did serve as a training ground for the athletes. There is also a memory of a different kind of crowd: a concert by the Greek artist Anna Vissi attracted over 23,000 fans, a number that dwarfs the current capacity and reminds anyone who visits that the ground has seen other things.

MGS Apollon Kalamarias (also known as Apollon Pontou) operates the venue from their base in the Kalamaria district. The stadium is not a landmark in the city centre, but for the club it is a place where the team has grown and trained, and where the local community gathers. The website for the club is https://mgskapollon.gr/. The pitch is natural grass.