Cypriot Community Youth Rep Team ready for Cyprus
Cypriot Community history will be made the end of this week when our community for the first time sends a Under 19 Youth representative team to play friendly games in Cyprus, the players all of Cypriot origin will be aged from 15 to 18.
The initiative was made by the Cyprus Sports Organisation (KOA) followed by the Cypriot Football league in the UK (KOPA). Reason being to try and find Cypriot players that are good enough to play for the Cyprus National Youth sides and to also play for club sides in Cyprus.
It began last season with players sourced through English Youth Leagues, Cypriot Youth Clubs and of Course the KOPA League.
A sub committee was formed consisting of Tony Antoniou, Nick Demetriades, Kokos Georgiou, Kypros Kyprianou, Mario Michael, Michalakis Michael, Andy Savva and Michael Yiakoumi.
Their first job was to appoint a management team and it was decided that Tom Loizou a former Leyton Orient manager and UEFA A coach would be manager, the coaches selected were David Cumberbatch UEFA B Licensed coach and ex West Ham School of Excellence Coach. John Fitsiou who has a University degree in Sport and Science is also on board he was the Leyton Orient first Team fitness coach and also a sports scientist at the Leyton Orient Centre of Excellence. John is also the head of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation Educational Programme at Southgate College. Peter Theori a UEFA B licensed coach who works at Leyton Orient centre of excellence and who also works as Head of the Sports Dept of The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London.Jack Demetriou is a chartered physiotherapist with a wealth of experience in professional sport. He has worked with Arsenal, West Ham United, Chelsea, Leyton Orient, and AC Milan. He is presently working with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, a lecturer in Anatomy and Physiology and owns a private practice. He is also the England U 23 Physiotherapist. Finally the goal keeping coach Nick Christofi who have all volunteered their services.
This management team then went through a period of of trials and games to select the final twenty players to go on this tour. One of the representative games was even played at a Football League Stadium when they drew with Bethnal Green 2-2 at the Barnet Fc Stadium.
They warmed up last week Wednesday when they defeated Winchmore Hill FC 7-0 at the Haringey Borough Stadium.
The team is Leaving London Saturday night the 27th of October 2012 arriving in Cyprus on Sunday morning and will be staying in Limassol on the Monday they will be playing the Cyprus Under 18 national team in Nicosia on Tuesday they will be training Wednesday they will play the AEL Under 18 team in Limassol. Thursday they will have a tour of Nicosia kindly funded by the Cyprus Tourist Board finishing with a welcoming visit to the Republic of Cyprus Presidential Palace.
Friday they will be playing New Salamis Under 18 team at the New Salamis Stadium in Larnaca.
During the team’s stay in Cyprus they have been invited to welcoming functions arranged by the Mayor of Limassol and Mayor of Larnaca and have also been invited to attend a League match to watch before they return to London Monday morning.
The squad selected to go to Cyprus is: Matthew Agapiou (Hatfield), Mario Aristidou (Anorthosis), Anastasi Manoli (Livadia), Phanos Chambi (Anorthosis), George Pascoulis( Headstone), Kyriacos Tiritanou (Aradippou), Andreas Komodikis (Omonia Youth), Nicholas Sage ( Headstone), Alex Anderson (Omonia), Stephan Stephanides (Wormley FC), Marino Hadjisavva( Wingate Finchley), Kyriacos Georgiou (Olympia), Jack Christodoulou (Wingate Finchley), Christopher Antoniou (Anorthosis), Nicholas Kyriacou(Omonia Youth), Christopher Elia (Enfield Town), Loukas Prokopiou (AEK Youth), Stavros Brown(KLN), Amerigo Sarno (Dynamo), and Aristides Savva (Wingate Finchley).Also present in Cyprus will be representatives from the Cypriot Football League in the UK (KOPA) Management Committee Michalakis Michael (Vice Chairman) and Michael Yiakoumi (General Secretary).
As well as the Cypriot Sports Organisation(KOA) and the Cypriot Football League in The UK (KOPA) funding this tour there is a special thank you for their financial support to Dino Ippocratous and Lighthouse Claims, Andy Savva and Brunswick Garage, Haringey Borough, YVA Solicitors, Cyprus Tourist Organisation, Cyprus Airways and the Cyprus High Commission.
This initiative between Cyprus and the Cypriot Community in the UK will be ongoing if there are any football players of Cypriot origin between the ages of fifteen and eighteen who like to attend the next trial please contact the
General Secretary of the Cypriot Football League UK (KOPA) Michael Yiakoumi Tel: 07958 207412 or email: [email protected].
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