“A new chapter” – Australian Championship launches in Sydney

The inaugural variation of the Australian Championship has completed different milestone with its authoritative motorboat successful Sydney, wherein the participating clubs came together to people the dawn of a caller section successful Australian football.

Coaches, players and different officials of the 16 teams attended the motorboat lawsuit organised by Football Australia and held astatine APIA Leichhardt’s location crushed of Lambert Park connected Tuesday evening (23 September).

Neos Kosmos was capable to speak straight with the Hellenic inheritance nine representatives and Greek Australian coaches that will diagnostic successful the coming tournament, who shared the corporate excitement felt by everyone contiguous for the opening of the competition.

The Hellenic spectacle

The representatives of South Melbourne and Sydney Olympic (who are successful Group A) expressed large enthusiasm astatine being portion of the launch, while besides sharing anticipation for their upcoming conflict connected 10 October astatine Lakeside Stadium that will footwear disconnected the caller competition.

“It has been an breathtaking day. Obviously, it is something we person been looking guardant to and something we want to beryllium portion of connected a nationalist stage,” said South Melbourne manager Sinisa Cohadzic, who was successful Sydney alongside General Manager Strati Xynas and skipper Marco Jankovic.

“This is the opening of the caller section for us.”

Addressing the opening crippled against Olympic, Cohadzic noted:

“It is simply a rivalry that goes backmost galore years. There is nary amended way to start this caller competition.”

Jankovic highlighted the joyousness felt by the players contiguous successful getting to cognize everyone up of the tournament, while saying it is “an breathtaking time” for them all.

He admitted that the honour of being portion of the competition’s archetypal crippled has not been mislaid connected the players, saying it is simply a surreal infinitesimal and a monolithic privilege.

“The nine has done a batch of work down the scenes to laic these foundations for the contention so for them it is simply a reward and for us it is very exciting. As a player, you want to play connected this stage and to person each the eyes connected us for circular 1 is going to beryllium very exciting,” Jankovic said.

“We are looking guardant to it, looking guardant to hosting their fans and to person our fans travel out. We are going to person tons of Greek music, food, each that ταξινόμηση of stuff. A very breathtaking clip for some clubs.”

The youngsters representing the participating clubs. Photo: Dimitri Kallos

Full Circle moment

Olympic manager Labinot Haliti emphasised the excitement astatine the motorboat is simply a small taste of what is coming up, including the opening crippled spectacle against South Melbourne which represents a afloat ellipse infinitesimal for him.

“It is rather unique. I think games similar this don’t travel very often and there is decidedly something connected the enactment for the supporters and everyone involved,” Haliti said.

“Funny enough, I made my debut for Olympic arsenic a subordinate against South Melbourne backmost successful 2002,” helium said, adding his pridefulness to beryllium capable to correspond the nine erstwhile much against “Hellas” arsenic a manager this time.

Olympic skipper Ziggy Gordon stated his immense joyousness the contention is close astir the corner, and his heavy involvement to yet get it kicked disconnected connected the pitch.

“When you travel here, you person to pinch yourself. It has been a existent agelong clip planning, a agelong clip coming, but it is coming and it is real,” Gordon said.

Regarding the opening lucifer with South Melbourne, Gordon noted:

“It is an honour, it is simply a privilege. It is pressure, but I bask unit so bring it on.”

The Olympic skipper stressed that they will try to not fto the historical quality of the lucifer interfere with their preparations.

“I’m trying not to think astir it. I’m sure hours earlier the crippled is when it is going to start ramping up, but I’m conscionable looking guardant to the archetypal whistle…We implore everyone to travel spot a fantastic spectacle.”

Battle of the Greek Aussie coaches

A chiseled Hellenic flavour besides characterises Group B with two of the premier Greek Australian coaches successful John Anastasiadis and Peter Tsekenis to look disconnected done their respective sides of Heidelberg United and Marconi Stallions.

Anastasiadis called it a “privilege and an honour” to correspond “Alexandros” and motorboat the caller contention astatine Lambert Park, a crushed helium has large past arsenic a subordinate and coach.

“To beryllium present again and, I suppose, being connected centre stage again, it is truly an honour for each of us and we can’t wait for this tournament to start,” helium said.

“I played present successful the precocious 80s, adjacent coached present against Sydney Olympic backmost successful the 2014 Australia Cup. It’s large to beryllium here. A batch of fond memories from the playing days, makes maine consciousness similar putting connected the boots again adjacent though my back’s gone,” helium said.

Tsekenis highlighted the large pleasance with the competition, which has brought together galore clubs and individuals who were portion of the aged National Soccer League (of which helium besides played).

“Seeing radical today I haven’t seen for years, who are progressive with interstate clubs, I think it is fantastic. I conscionable anticipation we get the support. SBS covering it is going to beryllium great. We are conscionable each looking guardant to it,” the Marconi manager said.

The SBS origin and tournament expectations

SBS’s engagement was universally praised by everyone present, with the corporate sentiment being that shot is returning to its spiritual home.

“I don’t think there is simply a single shot instrumentality who saw that and wasn’t excited astir it,” Haliti said.

“SBS is known everlastingly successful our crippled and the radical that person travel done there and the passion, the cognition they have…you can’t enactment it into words.”

Jankovic and Gordon some agreed that it is simply a large improvement that will assistance bring nationalist attraction to the competition.

“It’s the spiritual location of shot present successful Australia and for them to backmost these clubs and this competition, it is 2nd to none,” Jankovic said.

“Hopefully they will beryllium present for galore years to come,” Gordon said.

The coaches each expressed their extremity is to get the players acceptable for the contention and guarantee they admit it.

The players representing the 16 participating teams. Photo: Dimitri Kallos

“This is happening for the archetypal clip and to beryllium portion of it, you person conscionable got to clasp it and bask it. Hopefully they look backmost when they decorativeness their vocation and accidental to themselves ‘this was a special moment’,” Haliti said.

Speaking straight connected however they will attack it from a competitory standpoint, the Olympic manager said:

“These are one-off games and that is however you person to treat them. In a one-off game, anyone tin win it. We will conscionable absorption connected 1 crippled astatine a time. Every crippled will beryllium similar a final.”

Cohadzic explained that instrumentality enjoyment will beryllium the cardinal absorption for them.

“We want to excite our supporters. We want to marque everyone travel and watch us and thrust the wave with us,” the “Hellas” manager said.

“We want everyone to judge successful this crippled going guardant that it tin bring joyousness to everyone and astatine the aforesaid time, excite everyone astir and statesman a caller section of the crippled successful the country.”

Tsekenis stressed the assurance helium has successful his players who person tons of acquisition successful large games, noting his relation will beryllium to support them prepared and acceptable to onslaught the competition.

“My absorption will beryllium to marque sure to get them organised and acceptable to springiness it a bully crack, arsenic well arsenic ensuring they bask it,” the Marconi manager said.

“I won’t spell into immoderate contention and accidental ‘we’ll try our champion and spot however we go’. We person to scope for the sky, and we will beryllium aiming to win it.”