For seven years, Atletico has been one of the most famous minifootball teams in Athens due to its history, even if the teams has not achieved the championship crown until now. The captain of the team gave us a great interview where he spoke about his minifootball experiences and about the “company of friends” that was created through the team. He also spoke about miniEURO which was held in Rethymno and he didn’t miss telling that they have not stopped dreaming of participating in a such great tournament as the European Minifootball Championship.
Which was your motivation when you founded Atletico?
The love for our team started seven years ago, in 2007 when we decided to found the team. Back then we were all students in High School and we were playing Minifootball every week with other teams in the neighbourhood and that was the first activity that pushed us in officialising the team. Our first target was to dominate in the general neighbourhood of Ampelokipoi (which is actually a very historical suburb for football in general because Panathinaikos was born there back in 1908). So, in July 2nd 2007 our ideas became true by beginning our history officially which is now taking place on Pan-Hellenic level.
How important is N’JOY UNI-League for you? What does it offer to you?
The reason why we decided to participate in the N’JOY UNI-League was the opportunity that was given to us to play minifootball at top level and actually to forget our small day-to-day problems. The existing level of competition excites us and this is one of the reasons why we take it so seriously. In addition to this, the N’JOY UNI-League gives us the chance to test our capacity against some of the strongest Minifootball teams in Greece.
Which are your goals for the current season? Your comments about the N’JOY UNI-League 2013-14.
Atletico’s goal for this year is to make one step further than the best position that the team achieved in the past years. Until now, our best achievements is one qualification in 32 of the Cup (knock outs – 3rd round) and one qualification in the 1st League in 2nd round Groups Phase. Given that this year we have already qualified in the Cup (2nd round), our goal is to qualify in the 4th round (knock outs – Phase 16). Until now, I can say that we are satisfied by the results. The lack of good physical condition and the injuries are 2 problems that we have to face. However, the N’JOY UNI-League is very competitive and there are some very strong teams that take part.
Did you watch miniEURO in Rethymno on TV last year? Which is your impression? Is it a dream for Atletico’s players to represent their team in the Greek National Team?
Yes, of course we watched it on TV. The participation of the Greek National Team in miniEURO and the tournament being held in Greece, in Rethymno were two factors that made us want to watch all of the tournament. It was an outstanding organization, with some state-of-the art facilities (pitch, tribunes etc) and extremely high level of Minifootball by most of the teams. Indeed, the possibility of representing our team in the Greek National Team is a great dream for us, but not only for us, but for every single player that plays in the N’JOY UNI-League and in any other National Championship in Europe. We have to admit that our level is not too close to the level of the National Team Players, however we always have the right to dream!