The schedule of Olympiacos of course included a visit to the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles. The people of Olympiacos were welcomed in the Cathedral by the Center Director John Kopatsis who let them know that the church supports more than 1,000 families! Mr Nanos informed them that Olympiacos is more than a football club; it’s a living and huge organisation who, through its Schools, stands by the church and our fellow people in need.
As a gift, John Kopatsis was presented with a shirt of our side and informed us that the visit would be posted in the church’s Sunday publication. The newspaper is mainly read by the 100,000 Greeks in California and this information about the church’s activities, allows everyone to come closer.
The Olympiacos representatives of course also met with representatives of football clubs, such as the Los Angeles Football Club. The representatives met with Tom Penn, one of the 24 owners, as well as Carl Schloessman Chief Operating Officer, Mr Rich Orosco Culture και Community and Mrs Nikki Mark Development and Strategic Initiatives.
The association!
The people of Olympiacos also visited the offices of the Association for Youth and Adult Soccer in Southern California. The football association in Southern California numbers 170,000 footballers, 34,000 coaches, referees and volunteers, and over 12,000 football clubs. There was a meeting with the President of the Association Derek Barraza, Mr Johnnie W. Garza, Jr. Chief Executive Officer, and Mr Steven Hoffman – Director of Coaching Education and Player Development. During the conversation, there was exchange of information regarding the mode of operation of Olympiacos and the Schools in the States, whereas the topic of an official collaboration between the Association and our School is under consideration. Additionally, the representative of the Chicago School, Mrs Kosmas, analyzed the plan of operation and the means of development. The President said that the selection of the area for an Olympiacos School is very apt given the demographics.
During the visit, there was a meeting with the LA Galaxy representatives. The meeting was with the former player of the club Mr Pete Vagenas – Senior Director Youth Academy and Alumni Relations, the Director of Football Mr Jovan Kirovski, Mr Gordon Kljestan Director – Amateur Soccer and Fan Development and the Academy Director Mr William Bizzaro. During the meeting, there was a tour in all areas of the stadium, the offices, the locker room, the gym and the restaurants and inside the stadium. The facilities of the club host all United States National Teams and there is also a school for the children of the academy. There was an exchange of team memorabilia and the mode of operation was discussed!
The Olympiacos School has been scheduling this visit of the staff of the Academy for a long time and had of course arranged for a reception in their honour. The reception was held in a local golf club and all children of the Academy together with their parents were present, as well as many Greeks living in Los Angeles.
A video featuring Roberto sending his wishes was played during the event; Roberto donated his shirt and his gloves and Pulido donated his shirt. It is noteworthy that many children from Mexico train in the School and Pulido was the player that sparked their interest! Mr Amanatidis also donated a shirt from when he was playing for Olympiacos and the money collected during the event were donated to an organization for children with special needs using therapeutic horseback riding for their treatment.
The school…
The pitches of the School belong to local schools so the representatives of Olympiacos talked to Michael Conroy Ed. D. Deputy Superintendent administrative services and Cindy Pulfer Administrative Assistant at Ocean View School District. Both officials received an Olympiacos shirt and printed material as a gift whereas the two sides promised to have a good collaboration.
During our visit, there were of course training sessions in the divisions of our School, talks to the children and their parents, official and friendly matches (a minute’s silence was observed in memory of the victims of the Paris attacks), and many gifts were given to the children. The delegation also visited other training facilities since the number of children is quite big and there is need for more pitches. The people of Olympiacos were perfectly satisfied with these visits and the School’s organisation, and congratulated Mr Frousiakis!
