In 1976, a group of refugees founded the Athletic Club ETHNIKOS. The founding members of the Club were Akis Iak. Papantoniou, Pieris Souroulas and Pampos Karoullas. According to Giorgos Poyiatzis, what is noteworthy is the fact that the Athletic Club was the first one to be established by refugees.
The club’s first Board of Directors consisted of the following members:
- Pieris Souroulla
- Pampos Karoullas
- Yiangos Hadjisergis
- Georgios D. Hadjidimitri
Today, the club’s Board of Directors consists of the following members:
- Varnavas Varnava - Chairman
- Georgios Ppekris – Vice-Chairman
- Yiannakis Felloukas – Member
- Giorgos Poyiatzis – Member
- Neophytos Makris – Member
- Gregoris Souroullas – Member
- Christodoulos Pallikaros – Member
- Andreas Michanikos – Member
- Michalis D. Ppekris – Member
- Andreas Kkoutas – Member
- Panikos Siamaris – Member
The Athletic Club ETHNIKOS was originally housed in the old Turkish-Cypriot coffee-shop, whereas today it is housed in a new private building. The efforts for the construction of the building began around the end of the 80s, during the presidency of Giorgos Ppekris. Friends, club members and the DISY members of the Parliament of the district of Ammochostos at the time, Mr. Nikos Makrides and Mr. Sophocles Hadjiyiannis, helped construct the new building, the inauguration ceremony of which was performed on March 31st 1991 by the former president of DYSI, Mr. Glafkos Clerides.
The year it was founded, assisted by S.E.K., the club created the football team of ETHNIKOS, which in fact participated in the championship of the youth federation of S.E.K. of Larnaca and Ammochostos. However, at the same time the club also developed cultural activity having Neophytos Makris, Kyriakos Christodoulou, Andreas Michanikos and Giorgos Savva as primary movers. As Giorgos Poyiatzis remarks, the club’s events were upgraded upon the completion of the new building, while they also established an annual literary memorial in honour of the E.O.K.A. hero Gregoris Afxentiou. The memorial is organised in cooperation with the hero’s family, the Club A.S.I.L. of Lysi and the youth of DYSI, NEDYSI of Ammochostos.
Parallel to upgrading the level of its events, the Club has reorganised the football team after an initiative by Varnavas Varnava and Gregoris Souroullas. Following below in chronological order are the achievements of the reorganised team:
- 2005: Runners up in the championship, Cup finalists and participation in the Championship of the Local Federations of Cyprus (S.T.O.K.) where the team fought for its induction to the Cyprus Football Association (C.F.A).
- 2006-7: Champions and participation in the championship of S.T.O.K, where the team managed to come 8th and to become one of the best teams of the agricultural championship. The team’s coach at the time was Andreas Afxenti.
ethnikos_athlitikos_syllogos
Source: Giorgos Poyiatzis, ETHNIKOS Athletic Club of Kalo Chorio, Kalo Chorio of Larnaca, (Vuda), Course through time..., September 2008. |