The Hristodoulou legacy lives on at Sydney Olympic
Playing for Sydney Olympic is extra special for Angelique Hristodoulou, as she continues the family legacy that her father Eric Hristodoulou began in the 1990s playing for the club during the days of the National Soccer League (NSL).
Now in her sixth season with Sydney Olympic, Hristodoulou loves playing for a club that feels so much like a home.
“It’s a family club, and we play for the badge on the front, which means a lot to the girls in the team.”
Nobody represents the idea of a family club more than Hristodoulou, who proudly referred to her father Eric as a ‘club legend.’
“He’s always around the club, he coaches the under 15-boys at [Sydney] Olympic.
“It’s always good when Dad’s around and watching me play, he gives me feedback on how I can be better and what I can improve on.”
Hristodoulou is also making a strong impact for Sydney Olympic in her own right, something her father is sure to be proud of.
The 21-year-old also has a wealth of professional experience under her belt, debuting in the A-League Womens for the Western Sydney Wanderers when she was just 15.
Since then, she won multiple premierships while playing for Sydney FC, before making the cross-town switch back to the Wanderers for the most recent season.
Hristodoulou is relishing her role as a leader within the Sydney Olympic team, and says she loves being able to mentor and provide advice to the younger girls within the squad.
“It’s always nice, especially when you have younger girls coming through in the position that I was five or six years ago.
“It’s good to be someone that they look up to and help them in any aspect of the game that you can.
“I always say, if you need any advice to come ask me or if they ever need any help, I’m always there.”
Although previously playing as a wing-back, Hristodoulou has made a very successful move into the midfield this season.
“When I was playing as a defender, I always liked to dribble up the field and get as high as possible.
“Playing in the midfield, getting that opportunity to be high up the park and getting involved in scoring goals, I’m really really enjoying it.”
It’s clearly been a great move for Hristodoulou, who already has 6 goals in 2023.
Sydney Olympic had a strong 3-0 win over Northern Tigers last weekend but have another big game coming up against Bulls FC Academy this Sunday.
Currently sitting in 4th spot on the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s Ladder, Sydney Olympic is eagerly competing to secure a semi-final spot.
Hristodoulou believes that if the team sticks to their style of play, they will continue their winning ways and feature in the competition finals.
“We are a very strong football team with a lot of good players, and a lot of depth in the squad as well.
“We just have to stick to our game and the way we train and do all the one-percenters right.”
With the Hristodoulou history at Sydney Olympic and Angelique’s own strong form this season, she is sure to have a big future at this proud family club.
-By Annabelle Banfield
