The Greek Community Cup of Melbourne is adding a women’s soccer tournament to the event for the first time, the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria confirmed on its Facebook fan page.
The women’s soccer tournament will commence on Sunday 2nd of February, after the conclusion of the men’s soccer competition, and will be hosted by Northcote City FC (aka Iraklis) at the John Cain reserve.
Entries have surpassed every expectation, according to the organisers.
Several women’s soccer teams will take part in the event: Bentleigh United, Box Hill United, East Kew, Heidelberg United, Keon Park, Chisolm United, Malvern City, Mill Park, Northcote, Sth Melbourne & Sth Springvale.
Thanks to the plethora of diversified teams, the tournament promises to be a great event.
A new soccer event
The Greek Community Melbourne Cup is a relatively new sports event, launched in 2023.
Now in its third year, the men’s soccer competition launched on January 10, presented by the city’s vibrant Greek community in association with Australian Football Skool and supported by LV Furniture, Accountancy Group, and Active Orthopaedic Centre.
Each team plays group games with the top two teams in each group to progress to the Cup Finals, while the other two teams in each group will progress to the Shield Finals.
Each team is guaranteed a minimum of four games in the competition.
Greek community’s contribution to Australian soccer
Melbourne, now Australia’s largest city, is also home to the largest population of Greeks outside of Greece.
After World War II, Greek migrants arrived to Australia in the tens of thousands, creating a populous local community that left a distinct cultural mark. Suburban milk bars and fish and chips shops in Melbourne’s Greek Precinct up to the 1980s were mostly owned by Greeks, and restaurants serving Greek food can be found throughout the city.
Over the decades, Greek immigrants played an important part in all facets of Melbourne’s cultural and social life, politics, and sport.
The Greek community contributed greatly to Australian soccer in specific, as numberous soccer clubs were founded by Greek migrant communities.
The Northcote City FC, which will be hosting the women’s soccer tournament, is the third oldest Greek club in Victoria behind South Melbourne FC and Heidelberg United FC.
John Cain Memorial Park, where the club moved in 1979, is still considered one of the state’s best soccer venues.
