It's official from AEL!

Kalia Papadopoulou will remain with the team she loves for the next 3 years.

The coach who put AEL back on Cyprus’s basketball map after 15 years was rewarded by the “Lions” management following APOEL’s Cup victory, as well as her team’s successes in recent years.

The announcement in detail:

“TRIA EKA AEL BC is pleased to announce the extension of its partnership for the next three (3) seasons with the head coach of the men’s team, *Kalia Papadopoulou. *

This renewal is a natural continuation of a relationship based on mutual trust, a shared mindset, and a common vision for the team’s future. At the same time, it reaffirms the management’s steadfast commitment to continuing to invest in consistency, stability, and long-term growth.

Over the past four years, Kalia Papadopoulou has written her own unique chapter in AEL’s history, leading the team through one of its most successful periods in the last fifteen years.

Under her coaching, the team:

1) Advanced to the final of the BIBL Balkan League.
2) Returned, after 15 years, to two consecutive Championship Playoffs, finishing in 3rd place.
3) Advanced to two Cup Final Fours.
4) Won the Cyprus Cup for the 2025–2026 season, bringing AEL back to the title-winning ranks after 17 full years.

But beyond the accolades and results, his greatest legacy is the mindset he has instilled in the team. Through hard work, professionalism, discipline, and boundless passion, she has built a team with character, a competitive identity, and a winning mentality, earning the respect of the entire Cypriot basketball community.

The extension of our partnership through the summer of 2029 marks yet another important step in the implementation of our strategic plan. With faith in our capabilities and clear goals, we continue to build a team that will be a force to be reckoned with in Cyprus and Europe, keeping AEL where it belongs: at the top.

Kalia, we wish you good health and even greater success. We are certain that the best is yet to come.

Together we move forward.
Together we build the future of the Queen.”