Sydney Olympic veteran Will Angel has climbed into the top five appearance makers for the team, cementing his place among an illustrious list of club icons.
Angel grew up surrounded by Olympic, featuring in the junior ranks and even serving as ballboy for the team during its NSL days.
He joined the first-grade team in 2011, going on to win three premierships and two championships, though it is his longevity that has truly etched his name among the Olympic immortals, something he is immensely proud of.
“It’s very surreal, especially when some of these players up there I watched when I was a ballboy. Some of them became teammates, some of them became my coaches,” Angel told Neos Kosmos.
The Greek-Australian is among esteemed company, sitting fifth in games played behind only the likes of Gary Meier (412), Gary Phillips (312), David Barrett (281) and Peter Raskopoulos (259).
“It’s something I set my sights on when I joined the club. My coaches knew I grew up playing for Olympic and they told me that this was something I could achieve if I stayed loyal and put in the hard work and it happened. It’s a really good moment to be honest,” Angel said.
The 34-year-old takes great joy in his position as a modern-day legend to contrast with the endless list of icons from the NSL era.
“We’re always talking about the ex-Olympic stars which we all respect but I guess being the first modern-day footballer to hit 250 is a big thing as well…I’ve missed a lot of events and commitments because of football but when you see your name up there among the greats, it makes it all worth it.”
The veteran wide player recalled when he first joined the club, playing for the U11s side with Peter Katholos as his coach and acting as a ballboy for the men’s team.
“I remember sitting on the scoreboard a few times. Belmore used to be packed and the club had players like Pablo Cardozo, Ante Juric, Clint Bolton, Troy Halpin, Brett Emerton,” Angel said.
“I walked out with guys Anthony Doumanis and Scott Thomas who then became my teammates, and then also with Ante Juric and Peter Tsekenis who became my coaches. Those are the sort of surreal moments for me when I look back.”
He recalled a time in primary school when he put in a time capsule a note stating his dream to one day play for Olympic in the then-NSL.
“Obviously things didn’t go exactly to plan because the A-League came in but to say that I played 250+ games and won all these titles, I never would have thought that would happen to be honest.”
Angel has become a huge fan favourite during his time with Olympic, building a strong rapport with the community and fans, as well as serving as a symbol of the club’s rich history for his teammates.
“I’m always instilling that history and stressing that the badge is bigger than anything for all the newcomers that come to the club or the youngsters that come through the ranks,” the legend stressed.
Angel has been well-known for his versatility, playing as a winger and defender on the right and left flanks, noting his strong ability with his weaker left foot as the main factor for this.
“My favourite position when in my prime was left winger but I’m just happy to play wherever,” he told Neos Kosmos.
“For me, as long as you’re in that starting 11, as long as you’re giving 110 per cent, it doesn’t really matter where you play.”
Angel signalled out two matches in his senior career with the Blues, both coming from his debut season in 2011, that stick out the most: his starting debut and the victorious Grand Final in front of a packed-out home crowd.
“When I first started in first-grade for Olympic, I was coming in off the bench. I think around round 6 or 7 into the league, I got my starting debut at Belmore. We won the game and I got man of the match,” he said.
“That kind of kickstarted my minutes on the park in first-grade for Olympic and I went through a purple patch for the next 12 or so rounds which then led into the Grand Final where we played in front of probably 12,500 people at Belmore against rivals Sydney United.”
The strong Greek following of Olympic has certainly not been lost on Angel, a fellow Greek-Australian whose grandparents came from the town, Akrata, and the island Lefkada, with his paternal grandfather Leonidas even serving in World War II for Australia.
“My grandpa Leonidas came to Australia and first migrated to a town near Dubbo called Warren. He fought for the Australians in World War II. He was captured and got shot but he made it out and got back to Australia.”
Angel is eager to stay involved with the club in some capacity following his playing career.
“We had this Supporters’ Forum around three weeks ago and I’m going to be the Ambassador for the Supporters group so that’s the sort of role I am very passionate about.”
