Hellenic Athletic Club, a generally Greek supported soccer club in Darwin, has achieved a remarkable feat in the 2021 Norzone Football competition.
The club won an unprecedented five Premierships (League Championships); the Men’s Premier League, Women’s Premiers League, Men’s Premier Reserve League, Women’s Premier Reserve League and the Men’s Division one.
Since the inception of the Norzone Soccer League in the Northern Territory, the Darwin competition has slowly grown to now boast five senior men’s and women’s divisions. This is the first time any club has succeeded to win all five divisions in the one year.
The successful coaches are Dimitri Galanopoulos (Men’s Premier League), Matt Hajdic (Women’s Premiers League), Matthew McNab (Men’s Premier Reserve League), Nicki Skartardos (Women’s Premier Reserve League) and Mihali Taktikos (Men’s Division One). Each team has built up strong team bonds, ably supported by the playing groups, their managers and the Club’s committee.
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The Hellenic Athletic Club was formed by a group of Greek immigrants in early 1958 who loved soccer and wanted to play as a way of socialising and to keep company with fellow migrants who could not speak English and, the Darwin sporting society. The fledging club found immediate success by winning its first League Championship that year. The first of approximately 25 Championship trophies in the Men’s top division.
Current Club President, Kosta Boubaris, following a strong family tradition in the club, is very proud and stoked with this achievement: “I would like to thank all the coaches, players, managers and of course my committee for driving the club and the teams to this success”.
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“When the club started preseason training in January this year, never in our wildest dreams did we think of this level of success. Going into next week’s finals series, I believe that we are in a good position to add to this success. I wish all our teams good wishes for the finals and hope that all involved in the club, past and present, are proud of what the club has achieved”.