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In warm and humid conditions at Darling St Oval, Hamilton Olympic took on neighbouring Adamstown Rosebud in the first pre-season match of 2016 and ran out comfortable winners by 5-0.

Olympic began proceedings with two consecutive corners which put the Adamstown defence under some pressure but without being able to open the score.

The opening 10 minutes were balanced with neither team taking control of the match.

By the 12th minute Adamstown fired a shot over the post of Danny Ireland’s goal from outside the box.

Five minutes later Leo Bertos received a good through ball from the right and the former Kiwi international had no problem finding the back of the net to make the score 1-0.

By the 20th minute Olympic have taken control of the midfield and keep testing the Adamstown defence particularly through the flanks. During this domination of play, Tommy Spencer received a lovely defence splitting pass which enabled him to nail the ball at the back of the net, 2-0!

One minute before half time, a through ball from Mason Campbell and a number of combinations in the midfield brought Rhys Cooper within firing range and he had no problem sending Olympic 3-0 at the break.

In these 45 minutes Olympic showed strength and composure at the back, domination in midfield and danger in attack.

In the opening 10 minutes of the 2nd half Adamstown dominated the midfield and visited the Olympic goal several times but did not trouble Danny Ireland.
After this period Olympic assumed supremacy in the midfield and enjoyed acres of possession. During one attack, Tommy Spencer received the ball outside the box, was not closed down by the Adamstown defence and he rifled a shot past the Adamstown goalie who was unable to deflect it, 4-0!

Ben Koina who joined play towards the end of the match closed goal scoring proceedings when he received a ball outside the box, was not closed down by the Adamstown defence, and he picked his spot and thundered the ball to the back of the net to record a 5-0 win.

Whilst this was no more than a pre-season friendly and Olympic supporters should not read too much into the result, one point which was very obvious is that Michael Bolch has an arsenal of weaponry at his disposal for the new season.

In other earlier matches, the U22s were defeated by Adamstown 2-1 and the U19s were also defeated by the same opponent by 1-0.

source: Tom Tsamouras

The new season kicks off this Saturday at Darling St Oval, with Olympic vs Adamstown Rosebud.

1st Grade kick off 6pm
Under 22s kick off 4.15pm
Under 19s kick off 2.30 pm

Full canteen operating!!

Join the players for a drink after the game at The Premier Hotel.

source: Con Gounis

HAMILTON Olympic coach Michael Bolch hopes the addition of Charlestown forward Daniel Bird is the final piece to their premiership puzzle for the 2016 Northern NSW National Premier League.

Bird, 24, signed with Olympic this week after five years and 100 games with Charlestown. The Central Coast product has been an integral part of the Blues attack and helped the club rise from the second-tier.
Bird said he “didn’t have the best year” in 2015 and was after a change. He will join former Blues teammates Kane Goodchild, Kyle Hodges and Joel Witherdin at Olympic, who finished third then runners-up to Edgeworth in the grand final.

Bolch believed Bird would complement the addition of former Kiwi international Leo Bertos in his squad, which has lost Jason Korotkich and Matt Harper.

“We lacked a bit of penetration in the final third last year,” Bolch said. “We had a good starting 11 but lacked a little bit off the bench, and Edgy showed last year that you need that depth.”

source:theherald.com.au

Hamilton Olympic FC is proud to formally announce that for the upcoming Football season, 2016  and beyond, THE PREMIER HOTEL, BROADMEADOW has become the venue that will host all functions held by the club. 

Situated less than 5 minutes’ drive from the club’s home base at Darling Street Oval, the partnership between one of Newcastle “premier” hotels with one of the heavyweight clubs in the Northern NSW National Premier League is one that sees both parties excited about the recently completed affiliation.

 Hamilton Olympic FC President, George Sofianos is certainly looking forward to the partnership. “All at the club are very excited to enter an agreement with such an iconic hotel that is one of the leaders in the Hunter in the entertainment field,  providing great atmosphere, fantastic food and a venue that our club can host all our functions and after match get together. Hamilton Olympic FC look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with The Premier Hotel.”

 The Premier Hotel spokesman, Chris Hills, is also looking forward to the association. “Everyone at the pub are really excited to meet the players, staff included to ensure a warm welcome at their new home away from home. It gives great pleasure to know that we have such a huge club with great history associated with such an iconic hotel as The Prem.”

source:Kon Tandos

After many requests, Hamilton Olympic FC will be holding the club’s inaugural JUNIOR SUMMER COACHING CLINIC in January for boys and girls aged 5 years to 13 years.

 Sponsored by    REAL ESTATE

Please find details on the application form here. If you have any questions, please email Con at coachingclinic@hamiltonolympic.com.au or phone Con on M 0423221352.

Clinic Coaching co-coordinator is Reece Fellas, current Olympic FC Under 15 Youth NPL coach.

Assisting Reece will be Leo Bertos, ex- Kiwi International and A League player, plus other Senior Olympic NPL players.

Guest appearances will include Michael Bolch, current Olympic Senior Head Coach.

source: Con Gounis

Hamilton Olympic FC will be celebrating its 40th year as a sporting body with our 40th Anniversary Ball.

The Anniversary ball will be held in the Starlight Room at Wests New Lambton on:

SATURDAY – 12TH MARCH 2016

The club cordially invites all current and past players, current and past coaches, sponsors, supporters, family and friends to come along and celebrate the wonderful journey that has become Hamilton Olympic FC.

We encourage everyone to start organising their tables for what will be a fantastic night of celebrations.

For any information please contact Nikki Fellas on 0416 011837, Petty Sofianos on 0418 260211, or any member of the committee.

More details to follow soon.

source:Tom Tsamouras

AFTER a career taking in 162 A-League games and an unbeaten World Cup campaign for New Zealand, Leo Bertos believes he still has what it takes to play professional football at age 33.

But, for the sake of his young family, Bertos made the tough decision to transition to life after full-time football a little earlier than planned.

The former Wellington Phoenix and Perth Glory midfielder has signed to play with Hamilton Olympic in 2016 after leaving Indian Super League club East Bengal one year into a two-season deal.

The turning point for Bertos and his wife, Regan, was the birth of their first child, Zeno, eight months ago.

“My wife, my son and I found it really tough to live over in India,” Bertos said. “It’s a cool place to experience and visit, but to live there, it’s tough as a family, just compared to what we’re used to. We’re pretty spoilt this side of the world.

“You have to wash your teeth using bottled water, it’s hard to get good produce, just everyday stuff you take for granted here.”

The Bertoses moved in with Regan’s parents at Stockrington while Leo trained with the Jets in the winter and looked for another contract. Overseas opportunities came up, but not in places Bertos wanted to take his family.

Now Bertos, whose father, George, is Greek, is focused on starting his coaching career with the under-11 Emerging Jets side while staying on the pitch with Hamilton.

‘‘I decided to, I guess, call it quits on playing professionally and look to try to stay here and make a life here,’’ Bertos said.

‘‘It’s a tough decision because I can still play, I know that, and I want to, but it was more of a lifestyle decision.

‘‘I still want to play, though, and I’ve got some family friends who are affiliated with Olympic. I’ve got Greek in me as well, so it all comes together.’’

The 2008-09 Wellington player of the year is completing his C-licence coaching course with fellow former national league talent Daniel McBreen, Troy Halpin and Brad Porter.

He hopes it is the first step in a new career in the code.

‘‘I want to stay in the game. I love the game,’’ he said.

‘‘It will be hard for me to go and do another job.

‘‘Financially it will be a big difference, but it’s more about finding somewhere you are going to enjoy working, so I want to be qualified to work in the game.’’

Although coaching is his main focus, Bertos is keen to help Hamilton take the next step after their third place and grand final loss in 2015.

‘‘I don’t just want to play for the sake of playing,’’ he said.

‘‘I want to try to help, and if I’ve got some experience or professionalism I’ve gained that I can pass on to some of the players, that’s part of my role as well. But I guess the main one is to try and improve the team on the field.

‘‘They did really well last year, and generally the club is pretty successful, so it would be nice to go that step further.’’

Bertos’ signing is another coup for the NPL, which has also secured McBreen (Edgeworth) and kept the likes of Matt Thompson (Maitland) and Jobe Wheelhouse (Jaffas) for 2016.

But the addition of Bertos, a World Cup player, is a rarity for the region’s top division.

He played in all three of New Zealand’s games at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where the All Whites drew 1-1 with Slovakia and Italy, and 0-0 with Paraguay.

Adamstown legend Col Curran is the only Newcastle product to have played at a World Cup, and Bertos could be the only other to experience the tournament then turn out in the NNSW competition.

Bertos, who played 56 games for New Zealand, hopes to carry his World Cup experiences into the next phase of his football career.

‘‘It was a dream, a childhood dream,’’ he said.

‘‘I remember growing up, getting up in the early hours of the morning to watch the World Cup finals on telly and hanging out for the next ones to come around.

‘‘I never thought  I would get anywhere close to that, coming from New Zealand.

‘‘It was a great experience, and hopefully I can stay involved in the game and maybe help develop some players and, who knows, maybe get there in  a coaching capacity in the future.’’

source:theherald.com.au

Hamilton Olympic FC would like to congratulate the following boys who trialed and were successful in making the Newcastle Football U 10 SAP Programme for 2016:  

Jamie Lloyd, George Tsamouras, Kayde Wise, Charlie Stevens and Lucas Walshe

We hope the boys enjoy their time with Newcastle Football and  are soon back in the Hamilton Olympic FC colours.

Con Gounis

Squads for Under 10s, Under 11s and Under 12s named
2016 SKILL ACQUISITION PROGRAM
BOYS SQUADS ANNOUNCED

Well done to all the boys who trialled for our SAP squads at the beginning of the month, it is with great pleasure we announce the following boys who were successful in gaining a position…

–UNDER 10S–
Matt Brain
Max Bryant
Joel Bucci
Connor Chapman
Connor Clarke
Bryce Duggan
Levi Foster
Toby Gallagher
Charlie Halls
Giles Harrison
Jarrod Hogan
Samuel Holmes
Ethan Lewis
Jamie Lloyd
Lorcan McCallum
Dejan Nikic
Harry Phillips
Cooper Radley
Kalen Routley
Noah Schuberth
Charlie Stevenson
Max Temelkovski
Oliver Tobin
George Tsamouras
Lucas Walshe
Kurtis White
Kayde Wise

–UNDER 11S–
Byron Bennett
Luis Bardetta
Sam Carroll
Blake Carter
Oscar Cathcart
Dylan Christoffersen
Mitchell Connors
Cameron Davies
Linus Deeming
Jack Donovan-Schultz
Ryan Duchemin
Liam Endicott
Max Fallon
Remi Flood
Jordie Fuller
Lachlan Graham
Sam Jackson
Matt Kacev
Bailey Kacev
Mason King
Jack Kirk
Jack Knowles
Cael Mowbray
Jack Murphy
Cody Nancarrow
Bailey Newton
Matt Novak
Ben Pearce
Charlie Phillips
Ethan Pichardo
Oliver Rasser
Nate Robertson
Byron Waddell

–UNDER 12S–
Ned Amidy
Max Bailey
Marco Baker
Christian Bracco
Sam Brain
Michael Byrnes
Hallam Carlson
Cooper Clark
Jay Coffey
Seb Darney
Will De Vitis
Adrian Delmoni
Kai Evans
Pat Farrell
Myles Gaffney
Lachlan Griffiths
Max Hatton
Oliver Hilton
Matt Honnery
Declan Hughes
Daniel Kacev
Zaik Luck
Daniel Martinelli
Kilian McCarthy
Zac McShane
Tom O’Connor
Riley Parker
Scott Philpotts
Xavier Radley
Jai Rodway
Oscar Ward
Flynn Watson
Corey Winiarczyk

source: newcastlefootball.com.au

Hamilton Olympic FC congratulate the following players who have been selected to play in our YOUTH NPL SQUADS for 2016. We would also like to thank all the trialist who participated for places in these teams.

UNDER 13 Youth NPL Hamilton Olympic FC Squad- 2016

UNDER 14 Youth NPL Hamilton Olympic FC Squad- 2016

UNDER 15 Youth NPL Hamilton Olympic FC Squad- 2016

UNDER 17 Youth NPL Hamilton Olympic FC Squad- 2016

         For more information:                              

source: Con Gounis