George Tsamouras Football Journey

Newcastle Olympic returned with 6 points from Lisle Carr Oval! Reserve Grade defeated Azzurri by 3-0 and First Grade by 2-1.

Maximum points after Round 2 and equal first on the ladder for last season’s Premiers Newcastle Olympic after goals by Walshe (24’, 67’) and Fitzgerald (56’). This is in stark contrast to the two home defeats in the opening two rounds of last season’s competition!

Olympic Reserve Grade defeated their opponents in auto-pilot, dominating possession and having an incredible 24 shots at goal to 7 from their counter parts! The Olympic goalie was rarely tested and had it not been for our poor finishing, the score line should have been much higher.

The two teams which appear will battle it out for the Premiership this season are Olympic and Cooks Hill and both already occupy equal 1^st spot on the Reserve Grade table.

Newcastle Olympic 1^st Grade were rewarded with their first 3 points of the season with goals from Southcombe (12) and Yuhei Sato (75). After conceding 4 goals in round 1 at Weston Olympic kept a clean sheet until the 82^nd minute when Azzurri were able to score a consolation goal. The strength of the side was it’s ability to close down spaces and to stop the opposition from threatening their goal.

Next week Newcastle Olympic face Adamstown at Darling St Oval in their first home fixture of the season.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

NNSW 2025 NPL Reserve Garde Premiers began the new season with a 1-0 win away to Weston on Saturday afternoon.

The match was played in cool conditions after a downpour of rain prior to the game. It had all the characteristics of a Round 1 match at the start of a new season. Both teams played at a slow pace and despite the game not rating very high as a spectacle, it is obvious that both teams will play with greater intensity as fitness and momentum develops over the next few weeks.

Olympic had strength all over the field but lacked the ability to shoot on target and put away the opportunities created. Shots by Fitzgerald, Tsamouras and Steinerts which would normally end in the back of the net, didn’t in this game. The boys in blue had a total of 23 attempts on goal but only five of these were on target compared to 8 from Weston and only 2 on target.

The goal that decided the game came 9 minutes from the end when the Weston goalie decided to save a shot with a two-fisted punch several metres outside his box! The referee showed him a red card and from the ensuing free kick, Fitzgerald fired a shot which deflected into the top left-hand corner.

Olympic spent the remaining minutes in complete control of possession to secure 3 away points. Although they didn’t dominate and pressure the opponent like we were accustomed last season, they were never threatened throughout the game.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade crash 4-1 at Weston

Olympic and Weston played out a physical and high intensity game which was even until the end of the first half. In the 41^st minute Beveridge opened the score for the home team.

With the start of the 2^nd half Olympic found themselves 2-0 down from a goal by Hatfield in the 46^th minute and by the 53^rd 3-0 through a goal by Buettner. In the 68^th minute Beveridge increased the score to 4-0 and the game was effectively over. Ten minutes from time Bradbery scored a consolation goal for Olympic but it was too little too late.

This was not the start everyone was expecting but next week the team will have an opportunity to make amends away to Charlestown Azzurri.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Preparations for season 2026 which marks 50 years since the club’s inception is complete and Newcastle Olympic are ready for their first game of the season!

With many new faces strengthening both Reserve Grade and First Grade squads Newcastle Olympic begin their 2026 quest with an away fixture at Weston Bears FC on Saturday 21^st February!

The 2025 Reserve Grade Minor Premiers kick off at 5:00pm at Rockwell Automation Park while their First Grade counter parts at 7:00pm.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

The senior men’s team of Newcastle Olympic begin pre-season training on Monday 10^th November at Darling St Oval!

Michael Bolch will be the head coach of First Grade for the 2025-26 season and will hope the team will improve on their 6^th position last season.

Payton Tagaroulias will oversee the 2025 Premier Reserve Grade team and will hope to repeat the achievement of last season, winning the Premiership by 9 points difference!

Players will begin training at Darling St Oval on Monday night and at the University of Newcastle on Wednesday night.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic bowed out of the 2025 Reserve Grade NPL Finals after being defeated 3-0 by Cooks Hill United on Sunday. This brings their season to an end after they won the Premiership 9 points clear from second placed Cooks Hill and Maitland FC.

The match was played in dry and warm conditions at the Rockwell Automation Park in Weston. Olympic began the game with a cautious approach paying more attention to their defence than being adventurous in attack. The pattern that developed was a midfield battle with occasional Cooks Hill attacks which were repelled by the Olympic defence.

The first goal came in the 42^nd minute when Kobe Bailey lobbed in a high ball from the left which caught the Olympic goalkeeper off his line and despite back peddling to reach the ball, he was unable to keep it out. While the boys in blue were recovering from the shock of falling behind a corner kick by Cooks Hill resulted in Jemila Oko winning a header under pressure and making the score 2-0!

In the second half Olympic began to dictate play and pressed Cooks Hill for an equaliser that never came. Cooks Hill were almost content to give Olympic possession of the ball but with every attack they were quick to counter. During one such occasion they were able to score a third goal in the 61^st minute!

The Olympic bench tried to help by introducing fresh legs but to no avail. The Olympic attack didn’t even have luck on their side and the score remained 3-0 until the end.

Despite the disappointment of missing out from playing in the Grand Final at Darling St Oval, the Newcastle Olympic reserve grade team had a very successful season. They won the Premiership with 9 points difference from the second placed team and were the most consistent side of the season.

Congratulations to the players and coaching staff once again and happy holidays.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

After conquering the Premiership with nine points to spare, Newcastle Olympic take on Cooks Hill on Sunday for a place in the 2025 Preliminary Reserve Grade NPL Final! They missed the opportunity of qualifying for the Grand Final last week after sustaining a 2-1 defeat by Maitland FC in the Major Semi-Final of the competition.

As in the case with the game between Olympic and Maitland, very little separates the two teams and the result of the match will be determined by small details or flashes of brilliance by the players of both teams.

During the season the teams met twice and Cooks Hill were victorious on each occasion. In Round 1 of the competition Olympic were defeated at Darling St Oval by 2-0. The two teams crossed swords again in Round 12 at Speers Point. In torrential rain Olympic lead 2-0 in the first half only to lose 3-2 by the end of the match.

The strength in both teams is their midfield with some outstanding players in attack as well as defence. Cooks Hill finished the season in 2^nd place on the table, 9 points behind the Premiers Newcastle Olympic. To reach the Preliminary Final they were beaten by Maitland FC 3-1 in the Qualifying Final but a week later were able to defeat Broadmeadow Magic 3-1 in the Minor Semi Final. Newcastle Olympic, as Premiers, faced Maitland FC in the Major Semi Final last Sunday and despite taking the lead, were defeated 2-1.

The Preliminary Final at Rockwell Automation Park, Weston on Sunday will determine which of the two teams will face Maitland FC in the Grand Final on 7^th September.

Kick-off is at 11:30am.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic will have to battle it out with Cooks Hill United to make the 2025 NPL Reserve Grade Grand Final after going down 2-1 to Maitland FC at the LMRFF on Sunday.

Playing in warm and dry conditions both teams put on a good display for the healthy crowd in attendance. The deciding factor which led to all three goals were slight defensive errors and luck!

Olympic drew first blood in the 19^th minute when Aswin Gurung of Maitland slipped inside the edge of his box when attempting to receive a pass. Oliver Steinerts from Olympic seized the opportunity and upon controlling the ball, unleased a curling shot to the far post which left the Maitland goalkeeper without any chance of saving.

Leading 1-0 Olympic played with confidence but could not find free channels for the attacking moves they are used to enjoying against other teams. Maitland, who usually play a 4-4-2 formation were playing 4-5-1 against Olympic. They overloaded the midfield, outnumbering Olympic 5 to 3, and in doing so reducing their time and space on the ball. Added to this was a consistent movement of the ball and the use of the full width of the field and the match was balanced in both possession and shots on goal.

Four minutes before half time Maitland won a free kick between the half-way line and the Olympic box. Harrison Swan floated a free kick which was deflected back to him and finding no one to challenge him, he lined up a curling drive that ended in the top corner of the Olympic goal!

Both teams went into the half time interval locked at 1-1 and with Maitland having 5 shots at goal to Olympics’ 4.

With the start of the second half Pharrell Trainnor fired a shot from just outside the box on the left which caught everyone by surprise. The ball hit the bar and rebounded back into the six-yard box and to Maitland’s luck, at the feet of Jayden Ritchie who just tapped it over the line!

The match continued with Olympic trying to break the stalemate but finding all the channels blocked by a well-structured Maitland team. Frustration resulted in a total of 8 yellow cards, four for each team but the 2-1 scoreline remained until the end.

Maitland booked themselves into the Grand Final which is scheduled on 7^th September at Darling St Oval while Olympic will have to beat Cooks Hill United next Sunday at Rockwell Automation Park Weston to be able to join them.                

Source: Tom Tsamouras

After a difficult start to the season, Newcastle Olympic are your NPL Men’s Reserve Grade Premiers.

Kicking off the year with two consecutive losses, this young squad showed plenty of grit and resilience to get their season back on track with a 10-match win streak.

The season had it all – goals galore, comeback wins, first grade debuts, youth players stepping up amidst an injury crisis. It’s a testament to the squad’s unwavering commitment to the cause that once they found themselves at the top, they never gave in.

They now set their sights on the Championship and a potential home Grand Final. We wish them all the best in their finals quest.

Source: NOFC

Newcastle Olympic FC will meet Maitland FC next Sunday for a place in the 2025 Νorthern NSW NPL Grand – Final! Broadmeadow Magic eliminated Weston in the Elimination Final by 2-0 on Sunday while Maitland FC defeated Cooks Hill United 3-1 on Saturday. 

Cooks Hill United took on Maitland FC at Jack McLaughlan Oval in Edgeworth and hit the lead in the 38^th minute from a goal scored by Jemila Oko. By the 40^th minute Maitland drew level through midfielder Jayden Ritchie.

Upon the start of the second half the same player increased the score to 2-1 for Maitland and Tatenda Goora put it beyond reach in the 61^st minute. Ten minutes before full time and while Maitland were leading 3-1 the game was abandoned due lightening caused by a huge storm.

Cooks Hill didn’t appear to be in the game and Maitland were deserved winners on the day.

The following day at Arthur Eden Oval Broadmeadow Magic put Weston to the sword 2-0 with the goals being scored by Jesse Hill in the 2^nd and 14^th minutes of the game. Magic dominated the match and were deserved winners.

Broadmeadow Magic will face Cooks Hill United at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday 23^rd of August while the Premiers, Newcastle Olympic will take on Maitland FC at Magic Park on the Sunday.

Olympic defeated Maitland in Round 5 of the competition 1-0 at Cook Square Park in Maitland and were defeated by them 1-0 at Darling St Oval in a controversial game during which the home side had a player sent off!

Both teams are very strong and only minor details will probably determine the result of the match. The winner will qualify for the Grand Final which will be played at Darling St Oval on the 7 September. The loser will player the winner of the fixture between Broadmeadow Magic and Cooks Hill the following week. The winner of this game will be the second team to qualify for the final.

Minor Semi-Final:

Cooks Hill Utd vs Broadmeadow Magic kick off 11:30am on Saturday 23^rd August 2025 at Jack McLaughlan Oval, Edgeworth. If the match is affected by wet weather, it will be transferred to the LMRFF at Speers Point.

Major Semi-Final:

Newcastle Olympic FC vs Maitland FC kick off at 11:30am on Sunday 24^th August 2025 at Magic Park, Broadmeadow. If the match is affected by wet weather, it will be transferred to the LMRFF at Speers Point.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade Men, as 2025 Northern NSW Premiers, have a bye in the first week of the Finals series. There will be action however for the other four teams that made the top 5, Cooks Hill United, Maitland FC, Broadmeadow Magic FC, and Weston Bears FC.

The Qualifying Final will be held at Jack McLaughlan Oval at Edgeworth and will be contested between 2^nd placed Cooks Hill United and 3^rd placed Maitland FC.

The Elimination Final will be held at Arthur Edden Oval in Lambton and will be contested between 4^th placed Broadmeadow Magic FC and 5^th placed Weston Bears FC.

The winner of the Qualifying Final will play Newcastle Olympic the following weekend for a place in the Grand Final! The loser will play the winner of the Elimination Final.

QUALIFYING FINAL:

Cooks Hill United FC vs Maitland FC kick off 1:00pm on Saturday 16^th August 2025 at Jack McLaughlan Oval at Edgeworth.

ELIMINATION FINAL:

Broadmeadow Magic FC vs Weston Bears FC kick off 12:00pm on Sunday 17^th August at Arthur Edden Oval in Lambton.

Source: Tom Tsamouras