In the summer of 1967, a 12-year-old son of Greek immigrants arrived in Halifax. At the time no one knew that young George Athanasiou would one day become known as one of the most important figures in Nova Scotia soccer history.

During the past three decades, Athanasiou has been a player, coach, manager, administrator, promoter and volunteer. In fact, since the early 1980s, little of any consequence regarding the sport in this province has occurred without Athanasiou’s involvement including the formation of the Nova Scotia Senior Soccer League, the arrival of professional soccer in Nova Scotia, high-profile exhibitions and more.

The accomplishments are so many it’s hard to know where to start. “Being part of the team, along with Bruce Henderson and Capt. Peter Hutchings, that dreamed up the concept the Nova Scotia Soccer League in 1983 is one of the highlights for me,” said Athanasiou, a Dalhousie University graduate who received his master’s in psychology at California State in Los Angeles.

“It created a vehicle for player development as well as a training ground for the most promising referees.” Athanasiou served as the NSSL’s commissioner from 1988 to 1996, during which time the league grew from over 40 teams to over 100 teams. “The only regret I have is that I didn’t see one of our teams win a national gold medal, although many came close.” One team that almost broke the jinx was Halifax King of Donair, the province’s most successful soccer team and one which was founded by Athanasiou in 1983. He also managed and coached King of Donair, winning Soccer Nova Scotia’s coach of the year award in 1984 and 1992. Not limited to men’s teams, Athanasiou coached the Halifax City Samos women’s team in the mid-90s and, more recently, has coached at the youth level.

Three of the most memorable soccer games played in Halifax during the 1980s were all promoted by Athanasiou. In 1985, the Canadian under-19 team took on the Nova Scotia all-stars. Nova Scotia’s top amateurs then took on the professional Toronto Blizzard in 1988 and Vancouver 86ers in 1989.

“The night we lost 2-1 to the Blizzard in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Saint Mary’s was special. Nova Scotia’s all-stars battled step for step against one of the better teams in Canada at that time.”

When Nova Scotia pursued and landed a franchise in the Canadian Soccer League in the early 1990’s, one of the original backers was, who else, Athanasiou. But it’s been in his role as executive director of Soccer Nova Scotia that Athanasiou has made his most significant impact. Since he took over in 1988, membership has sky-rocketed from 6,777 to 22,300 in 1997. In addition, Athanasiou’s leadership skills helped SNS win Sport Nova Scotia’s first-ever Association of the Year award in 1996.

This year, in an evaluation conducted by the provincial sport and recreation commission, Soccer Nova Scotia finished first overall in all categories evaluated, leadership development, athletic development and organization effectiveness. “That was the number one highlight of my involvement in the game, to finally see soccer as the number one sport in Nova Scotia,” said Athanasiou, as he reflected upon his many contributions.

Married to Litsa, Athanasiou is becoming increasingly involved with the soccer development of his four children. But his induction into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame isn’t likely to be the final chapter to his overall contribution to the sport.

“For as long as there are challenges to improve the game, I’ll be here,” he promised. The kid from the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea wouldn’t have it any other way.

Bio Courtesy of Carl Fleming