In 1978 a young boy born in South Africa to a Greek-Cypriot father and Australian mother, made the voyage to the lucky country with his parents and brother.
He is now serving as Football Victoria’s CEO.
Kimon Taliadoros has arguably one of the most versatile and colourful careers in Australia’s football scene and his relationship with the world game stretches back decades.
“My brother and I grew up playing football in South Africa and so that was the sport we knew and loved when we arrived in Victoria. Even though we experienced the immediate impact of AFL, both my brother and I continued playing football at our local club Box Hill,” he told Neos Kosmos.
Mr Taliadoros went from kicking the ball around the ovals of Box Hill, to playing in the National Soccer League with teams across Melbourne and Sydney and even made it to the Socceroos.
“As a young footballer I was aspiring to play at the highest level, it’s a natural progression. I was fortunate enough to have achieved that with the Socceroos,” he said.
“There were better players and some incredible Australian players at the time and I was never really able to establish a permanent position in the national team so I cherish those caps that I did earn.”
READ MORE: Kimon Taliadoros appointed CEO of Football Victoria
While all of his experiences on the field were of great value to him, his time with South Melbourne FC holds an extra special place in his heart.
“My fondest memories were my early years in the NSL at South Melbourne, and the reason for that is the emotional investment in the club and my teammates who were really good friends and of a similar age group,” Mr Taliadoros said.
Football is a language of its own which transcends cultural barriers. You can easily spot a fellow football fan in any one of the four corners of the planet, wearing their favourite jersey, giving you the opportunity to form a new friendship.
It is this power that reminds Mr Taliadoros why he loves the beautiful game.
“I think football exposed me to people from all walks of life, which otherwise wouldn’t have happened, particularly coming from a privileged private school environment. It introduced me to incredible people, cultures and the world. That’s the number one thing I’ve taken out of it,” he said.
“It’s the emotional relationship people have with our game and it’s not just unique to our little corner of the world. It’s ubiquitous.”
As his own life evolved, so did the relationships he formed along the way.
Mr Taliadoros met his wife Lisa at Monash University and found common ground having both grown up with football in their lives.
“It just so happens that Lisa was from an Italian immigrant family and her father used to play at the old Juventus and so she also grew up in a family that understood and loved football. So it was something we always shared,” he said.
READ MORE: Perfecting the juggling act: Q&A with Heidelberg forward Cleo Taliadoros
Their own love for football has transferred down a generation “by osmosis”, with their daughters taking up the game themselves.
Between spending his time spectating matches and facilitating the growth of the game from the office, there is no doubt Mr Taliadoros has a unique relationship with football.
He has seen Australia’s early days entering this particular sporting sphere, and now actively plays a part nurturing its prestige.
“Football in Australia has evolved from a cottage industry to probably a more professional industry, that’s probably the best way to describe it at the macro level in Australia,” Mr Taliadoros said.
While the game has become more popular on our green and golden shores, there is still a lot of headway to be made in order for Australia to catch up to the rest of the world. The Football Victoria CEO thinks the secret lies in some of our greatest homegrown talents.
“If Australia could follow the lead of someone like Ange Postecoglou for his absolute faith in Australian football and Australian footballers and his relentless commitment to achieving at the highest level and his ambition. He for me has captured the pathway for Australian football,” Mr Taliadoros said.
“The other part of it is the incredible achievements of the Matildas, that brand…Those are the two elements I think best encapsulate the future of Australian football; what the Matildas have achieved and represent and the ambition and tenacity of someone like Ange in an incredibly competitive environment.”
READ MORE: Victoria confirmed as the home of the Matildas
As he looks to the likes of Ange Postecoglou and the Matildas for inspiration, Mr Taliadoros hopes his efforts culminate to having “advanced the football movement” in Victoria and Australia.
“There’s that old saying about the sign of a wise society is when old men plant the seeds of trees whose shade they won’t sit under and enjoy, that’s really the essence of it. I’m just a custodian, that’s my role,” he said.
It’s wild to really think about the magnitude in which Mr Taliadoros’ life was shaped by football, but life might have been completely different had he pursued his other sporting love.
“My other great love is cricket. My father was an accomplished cricketer in South Africa and one of the few Greeks to have played cricket at the time and being a successful player in what was back then first class cricket. Both my brother and I grew up loving cricket and still do,” he said.
Thankfully for Victorian and perhaps even Australian footballers, Mr Taliadoros followed the bigger ball on the pitch and is now pushing boundaries and powering towards making the game more accessible for all.