Nea Smyrni and Panionios

Back when I was a lonely Amerikanaki, newly arrived in the Patrida, the first relative that came out to meet me was a second cousin named Haralambos, known affectionately as Harilaki.  My Aunt Eleni, his mother, adopted me as one of her own and I became a frequent fixture at their home where the extended family lived. Sunday dinner at Thia Eleni's was the highlight of my week surrounded by my boisterous relatives.  The family had established itself in a neighborhood that was known as Nea Smyrni or New Smyrna. My Uncle bought some land and moved there from Politsani before the war. Many of the residents were refugees from Asia Minor.  Nea Smyrni became a rather fashionable, affluent area of Athens and I spent many pleasant  summer nights sipping frappes in the plateia there with my cousin and his friends. Harilaki and I became close and we spent many good times together. Now and then he would straighten me out about the nuances of life in Greece and sometimes find it necessary to administer gentle rebukes aimed at my incompetent "friends" in the  American State Department. In turn,  I'd assure him I would call the Ambassador the next day, we would laugh and then plan our next trip to the soccer stadium situated in the middle of Nea Smyrni, to watch his favorite team, PANIONIOS.  Harilaki was crazy about his team. I have never seen anyone so enamored by an athletic team. No matter how awful his team performed Harilaki never seemed to lose heart and woe to him who dared offer an offending word about the team. His passion and enthusiasm were infectious.  Fact is, I developed a soft spot for this team and their Athenian neighborhood. I still wear the blue and red scarf my Aunt knitted me and remember fondly the days when Harilaki and I roared our approval when our team's ball sailed past the defending goalie: PANIONARA!!!

Comments

[Scruf]

Stavro,

Ironically enough, I have only watched two partisan Greek sporting events in my many years here in Elladitsa.

One was a Panionios basketball game.

One was a Panionios soccer game.

My good friend, Yiannis, a restaurant owner, enjoyed those teams immensely and encouraged me to attend those games, but it was in late 1980s.

Haven't been back to a game since and don't plan to. The fans are way too aggressive/violent for my taste. I prefer to watch on tv.

[Stavros]

Scruff,

It's ashame we let the hooligans destroy our appreciation of a great game. I was always a baseball fan but learned to love the game of soccer when I lived in Greece.

[Ted Laskaris]

And so, Stavros, you ended up in my neighborhood, after all. I grew up in Nea Smyrni. Our Phys Ed teacher insisted we all joined the Panionios track-and-field training program (I didn't do well as an 'athlete'). I used to spend endless hours in the main square with my buddies (now all disappeared). I rarely return to the old neighborhood, which has changed radically and now looks like any other ghetto in this godforsaken city...

[Stavros]

Ted,

You can't go home again, everything changes. My Theia Eleni, who is in her nineties, has lived in Nea Smyrni since the thirties. She had a chicken coop in her yard. She loved those chickens and loved to show their beautiful fresh eggs to everyone. Then they built a ten story apartment building next door and the neighbors called the police. Too bad.

I am already starting to sound like an old man.

[Hermes]

My uncle over here has supported Panionios all his life despite the jeers and insults from Panathinaikos, AEK, PAOK and Olympiakos fans ridiculing him for following such a pathetic team that has hardly won any silverware. He lived in Nea Smyrni when he first came from his village near Nafpaktos. Unfortunately, his politics was also influenced by the area. However, despite the ridicule he has always lived in the comfort that Panionios is one of the oldest teams from the lost city of Smyrna. He would trade trophies for this anyday.

[Stavros]

Panionios is the equivalent of the Boston Red Sox baseball team here in the US. A hard luck team if ever there was one. There is only one word that can adequately describe Panionios & Red Sox fans: DIEHARD. It stems from the forlorn hope that fans have for a team that seldom wins.

[stavros stavridis]

I am currently co-writing a book on the history of Greek-Australian soccer teams. The first official Greek-Australian sport club Apollon was founded in Melbourne in 1933.

The three young Apollo club members Martakis, Floros Dimitriadis and Basil Colligas were keen to establish a soccer team and already possessed some soccer experience from the old world. Martakis was an amateur wrestler in Constantinople but also played soccer, Floros played soccer in Cyprus and Colligas in Smyrna. The team was constituted in May 1934 so that it would be ready to compete in the Dockerty Cup competition. A cup competition open to all Victorian soccer clubs.
Colligas chose the name Apollon from the historic Apollon Club of Smyrna. On July 22, 1934 Apollo played its first unofficial soccer match against the Italian club Savoia at Middle Park, Melbourne. This is probably regarded as the first ‘ethnic’ soccer match played in Australia.

[Paul Mavroudis]

Hi Stavros,

In regards to your history of Greek-Australian soccer teams, is there any chance you can let me know what happened to that project? I was so looking forward to it, and had heard that it was close to completion, but dismayed that it never came out.

cheers,

Paul

[Stavros]

Paul,

Your question is for Stavros Stavridis. He is an Australian like yourself. I am not sure what his current email is. Perhaps you can google him, he is quite the historian.

Best wishes, Stavros the blogger ;)