KEY POINTS
- The organisation has a long history of helping to shape children's lives in a positive way
- Aims to develop children's self-confidence beyond their football skills
- Steve Papadopoulos, CEO of the organisation, stresses the importance of children's psychological development
Olympiacos Melbourne is a football organisation unlike any other.
Based in Dandenong, Victoria, it has a long history of helping to shape the lives of hundreds of children in a positive way.
Having made a shift to philanthropy in the last two years, it helps children from families from low socio-economic backgrounds to pursue their dream of a professional football career.
After almost 20 years of operation, the organisation, as Steve Papadopoulos, the CEO of Olympiacos Melbourne, says in an interview with SBS Greek, found that children, youngsters and adults alike were looking for a place of peace, without relying on their football career.
As he points out, the children were able to develop their confidence beyond their football skills with the help of the organisation.
"The kids when they come to the schools see that the coaches and all of us who are there invite the kids to come to training, they see that we show love for the kids and we are not looking for the best talent. Parents come and they see that their kids who don't have courage and they are looking for the kids' courage to come out and somewhere to make the kid less anti-social," he said
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