Greece’s squad gives up payments ahead of Rugby League World Cup

·

Staff and players of Greece’s squad have given up payment for appearing in the imminent Rugby League World Cup, Zero Tackle has reported.

Head coach, Steve Georgallis, said a decision was made squad-wide to forego any tournament allowances or payments and reinvest them into the Greek Rugby League Federation (GRLF).

The majority of players in the squad are part-time footballers and part-time workers, and have taken leave without pay just to don the blue-and-white jersey ahead of Greece’s debut at the World Cup on Tuesday, October 18.

“It’s actually costing a lot of the guys to play but they understand what we are trying to achieve,” Georgallis told AAP.

“Even the professional guys like Lachlan Ilias and Peter Mamouzelos (Rabbitohs), you’d think they would get paid but they said ‘no, we get what you’re trying to build’.”

Rugby league was outlawed in Greece until August when the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports officially declared that rugby league has the right to be played in the country.

This decision came after a ten-year battle with the GRLF to have rugby league recognised as a unique and separate sport in the Greece.

The GRLF can now legally play, advertise and promote matches and are hopeful the decision will improve access to better fields and government funding, and lead to the creation of youth teams, school programs and future government funding.

In the meantime, Georgallis said the squad’s focus remains on their upcoming match against France at Eco-Power Stadium in Doncaster, UK, followed by matches against Samoa and England on October 23 and October 29 respectively.

Source: Zero Tackle.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Jon Adgemis’ pub buyback plan collapses after missed $6.7m payment

Bankrupt dealmaker Jon Adgemis has lost his bid to regain five Sydney pubs after missing a $6.7 million payment to administrators.

Monash Mayor Paul Klisaris slams voluntary gambling trial as ‘missed opportunity’

City of Monash Mayor Paul Klisaris criticised the Victorian government’s gambling reform trial for failing to include mandatory loss limits.

Greece and Australia among world’s most powerful passports as US drops out of top 10

Greece and Australia have both secured top spots in the latest Henley Passport Index, which ranks global passports.

IMF projects steady debt decline and budget surpluses for Greece through 2030

Greece is on track to maintain primary budget surpluses and continue reducing its public debt through the end of the decade.

Hamas hands over two more hostage bodies as Israel presses for full return

The Red Cross has received the bodies of two additional hostages from Hamas, bringing the total number of remains returned to nine out of 28.

You May Also Like

Greece’s Olympic men’s basketball and women’s water polo teams defeated

Greece's men's basketball and women's water polo teams fought hard at the Paris Olympics, but it wasn't enough to secure a medal spot.

Natalie Kringoudis fined almost $70,000 for withholding parental leave entitlements

Natalie Kringoudis has been fined almost $70,000 for withholding thousands of dollars in parental leave entitlements from an employee.

97-year-old Greek WWII veteran, Iakovos Tsounis, passes away

A descendant of the heroes of the revolution of 1821, Tsounis fought at the age of 16 in the Greek-Italian War of 1940.