By Ilias Karagiannis.
Unlike Homer’s hero, Stuart McLennan does not tie himself to a mast but rather indulges in the enjoyment of a Freddo Espresso in his favourite neighbourhood in Athens – Koukaki.
“From the first moment I tried it I was excited and since then it is the first thing I do every time I come to Athens,” the Australian coach of Greece’s women’s rugby league team tells The Greek Herald.
Rugby is a sport now developed in Greece and recently recognised by the Greek Ministry of Sports. Under the guidance of the Canberra-grown coach and journalist, the newly-formed women’s rugby team recently achieved the first two victories in its history against Turkey and Serbia.
The year 2023 will also see the team play its first qualifying games for the Women’s Rugby League World Cup. So the future of the team is bright in the hands of McLennan, who first arrived in Greece in 2016.
“In 2016, my wife, who is a diplomatic official, was transferred to the Australian Embassy in Athens,” McLennan says.
“We both stayed in Athens for about 3.5 years and during this time I was looking for permanent employment. The fact that I didn’t speak Greek made it more difficult, of course.
“I was lucky at the time because the President of the Greek Rugby Federation, George Stylianos contacted me. I was following the news of the group on its Facebook page and I was noticed by George, who realised my base was in Athens.
“He asked me if I wanted to watch some of the team’s matches, which I gladly accepted. So I started to get to know people who are involved in rugby in Greece and especially the Greek Australian community.
“I started to promote the sport, I was writing texts about the effort that is being made in Greece and I started to become better known.”
The difficulties of persuading women to play rugby:
Although McLennan had coaching experience in Australia, his daily life in Greece with the Federation gave him an important opportunity.
“I was asked to help the Aris Eagles team. I had previously coached teams in Australia and it was something familiar to me. So I immediately accepted the challenge,” McLennan said.
“At first I coached the men’s team but soon I suggested the idea of creating a women’s team as well. It was the time when women’s rugby was becoming very popular in Australia. So it happened.”
But how difficult was it for women to compete in a sport that wasn’t popular in Greece?
“The first women who came were the companions of the players of the men’s team. Then they brought their friends and so we managed to create a full team,” the coach explains.
“At first there was a fear that they would get injured but when we started talking about the sport, they started playing, then we found that they enjoyed it. Some of those women who first came to the team are now members of the national team. They are very brave, they play with their hearts and they are excellent.”
Optimism for the future of the sport:
In Greece, the dominant sport is football. Rugby league is at the frontier of fans’ desires. How difficult does McLennan think developing the sport will be?
“The Federation was recognised by the Greek government and this was a very important step in the development of the sport. This practically means that there will be government funding, which can be channelled into making the sport better known to the general public,” he says.
“But you know what? I see people watching the sport and enjoying it. A few weeks ago the women’s team played in Aspropyrgos and we had about 700 spectators. Some of them watched a rugby match for the first time and I think they enjoyed it.
“The biggest challenge is funding. It is difficult to develop the sport in Greece but nevertheless, I am quite optimistic.”
These days the men’s team will compete in the World Cup for the first time and this fact makes the sport better known. McLennan will be there as communications officer.
“The best teams in the world are competing in the World Cup. The biggest success was that they qualified for the final stage. The games at the World Cup will be very difficult. Qualifying was very important for us,” McLennan says.
“The games will be enjoyed by the players. They will go out on the field, they will hear the national anthem, it will be a very proud moment for them.”
The coach currently lives in Seoul with his wife. However, he has created a technical staff in Greece and coaches the team with videos and messages. New technologies play an important role in improving the female national team.
‘I’m living a dream in Greece’:
Growing up in Canberra, Greek voices were familiar to McLennan.
“As you know, there are many Greeks in Australia. I grew up with Greek Australians but I can’t say that I knew so much until I came to Greece in 2016,” he sayd.
“Here, I loved the people, the food, everything. My attempt to learn Greek has not been very successful so far but I feel a special intimacy with the Greeks and I love kleftiko.”
Many Greek Australians are involved with the Rugby Federation in Greece, such as the President, George Stylianos. He and McLennan will try to bring success to the women’s team.
“In the middle of next year it will be the next match of the women’s team and in October the World Cup qualifiers, where we will try to succeed,” McLennan concludes.
“It is a great honour for me to coach the women’s national team. Rugby is my passion and I’m lucky to work with these people. I think I’m living a dream in Greece.”
