Greek Domestic RL is back 🇬🇷

[Eddie]

Iirc things were progressing really nicely there before Covid, and their lockdown was harder than in a lot of places.
 

It looks like they’re back now, with a six team league and more clubs planning to enter once they’ve rebuilt. With Greek players already playing in Elite 2 and (I think) one in League One this could be great for the game in Europe. 
 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1008002583078561&id=357252468153579

[Eddie]

In case of interest you can also donate a few quid each month to help the newest club, the Perama Tigers.

https://www.patreon.com/peramatigers

[Perama Tigers]

Thank you for the mention Eddie!

If I could just introduce our club, in case anyone is interested.  We were founded in July 2020 as a brand new club on the outskirts of Athens.  Perama is where the cargo docks of Athens are and it is one of the lower socio-economic parts of Athens.

By October 2020 we had exactly 13 regular players on our roster and had booked a friendly match with the Athens Raiders club for the 23rd of November.  We had a lockdown ruin that though, which began on the 2nd of November.  When things re-opened, it was May, followed by the summer break, so we really only started up again in September of this year.  The pandemic took its toll as we only had 3 of the original 13 players left.  A few players went to do their mandatory stint in the army, some are now working evening jobs, while some just lost interest and/or moved onto other hobbies.  So we are rebuilding and have now built up to having 7-8 and are aiming to play our first match (most likely 9s) next month.  Exactly one year after we were meant to play our original first match.

It has been a tough ride for us but we are determined to keep on fighting and play that first match.  Once we play that first match, and our players finally get a real taste of rugby league, this will be a big turning point for us.  Of our current squad, only two of the players have previously played rugby league (for other Athens clubs).  

We set up the patreon members club as way of not only getting some financial support, but also getting people with a love for rugby league on board and becoming a part of the club.  Membership costs just £3 per month and it is quite no-frills.  Speaking completely honestly, all you really get are weekly (exclusive) updates from us.  We take you inside the locker room and the board room and show you exactly what is going on.  We do not sugarcoat anything either.  If things are going well, we will show you that side.  If things are not going well, we will show you that as well, and give you the raw, unfiltered version of events.

Our biggest challenge at the moment is financial, as we need to pay for our training field, and do not quite have enough players yet for their fees to be able to cover the costs - a vicious cycle that many new clubs often get caught up in during the early days and often leads to their demise.  We have not yet landed a sponsor yet either, but we are working on that too.  Again, this is one thing that we expect to become a bit easier for us once we start playing some actual matches.

We currently have 5 members signed up, which is a nice start, our goal is to reach 10 by the end of the year.

We always welcome members' suggestions, feedback, questions and ideas.  The more people we can get involved in this, the better.  We are a new club, but we plan on putting down firm foundations, to ensure that we are still here for years to come.  And all of us can look back at it and say "I was there from the start".

Look us up on social media too, to see some of our progress so far #PeramaTigers

And if any of you would like to join us on Patreon, like I say, it is £3 per month, no strings attached and you can leave at any time with no charge.  Thank you in advance, and of course, any questions, just let us know in the comments below!  https://www.patreon.com/peramatigers

[Eddie]

Far be it from me to spend other people’s money, but it would be great if a few other expansionists from the forum could spare three quid a month to support this new club in Athens.

[Niels]

Presumably Rhodes Knights are one of the sides?

Was there a second team fron Rhodes also?

[moorside roughyed]

Great news. Welcome back to Rugby league Greece. 

[Perama Tigers]

7 hours ago, Niels said:

Presumably Rhodes Knights are one of the sides?

Was there a second team fron Rhodes also?

Yes. Rhodes Knights, four teams from Athens, and one from western Greece (Patra).  There is only one team on Rhodes, they are the still the strongest team and have only ever had one defeat since RL began in Greece in 2012.

Plus another 6 teams that are rebuilding, one of those is us.  We are not included in the main championship for 2021/22, and will play only friendly matches and 9s tournaments.  Then hopefully next season, more teams can join the league, including us!