The Greek Community Cup, organised by the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), commenced in a splendid manner on Friday, January 10 at the home of Aris Springvale.
The strong crowd that followed the opening two matches would have thought they were in a town in Greece.
President of the GCM, Bill Papastergiadis OAM expressed his pride on how the event was managed.
“With the blaring Greek music of artists like Kazantzidis, through to the nourishing souvlaki, the Hellenic beers along with the Greek language dominating the stands, the evening symbolised an important part of the historic cultural impact of Hellenism on sports in Australia,” Mr Papastergiadis said.
“Football played a critical role in how our community came together and our organisation is a proud custodian of this tradition through this tournament.
“Many thanks go to Jorge Menidis, Michael Karamitos, Michael Profiris, Rolando and Jim Simos of the Aris Springvale Football Club for this year’s event.”
On the first night, Port Melbourne Hellas defeated Heidelberg 3 goals to 2. In the other match, Bentleigh Greens won 4 nil against Keon Park.
Jim Simos, President of Aris Springvale, noted, “As a proud member of the Greek-Australian community, nothing makes me happier than seeing the Greek Community come together to enjoy this great sport. To see a dozen clubs from all levels compete for this year’s Greek Community of Melbourne competition shows the impact that the Greek Community has had on this sport, and with Victorian Football in general.”
“As someone who grew up watching the Hellenic Cup, it fills me with immense joy, that Aris Springvale have been chosen to host this event,” Jim added.
“We promise everyone that comes down will have a great experience and this will hopefully be the catalyst for the Greek Community of Melbourne to grow from strength to strength.”
George Katsakis, after Bentleigh Greens’ win against Keon Park, said, “It’s great to see the traditional Hellenic cup reinvented. As a community, it symbolises our strength in Victorian football.”
“The club and I feel proud to be competing in this tournament and gives us an avenue to further develop our youth, in particular those of Greek heritage with an understanding of the significance of being competitive like true Greek warriors,” Mr Katsakis added.
“We will be taking every measure to field the strongest possible team, giving us every opportunity to win as many games as possible. Our appreciation for putting this event together goes to the Greek Community of Melbourne and in particular Michael Karamitos.”
Full fixtures, scores, and updates can be found at: www.greekcup.com.au
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