How does a podcast go from a bunch of mates having a chinwag about their favorite Greek football club to being a global movement nominated for an esteemed award by an elite organization celebrating the best in online football media at one of the biggest Premier League stadiums in the world?
Well, let's take it from the top:
Between 2007 and 2020, I had no Olympiacos friends - and the ones before that were never really pals. Don't ask me how that happened because - to this day - I am more capable of explaining the meaning of life than that unique predicament I found myself in. But for 13 years, none of my friends supported Thrylos - not even the Greeks. Chatting football was never difficult with the English crew as I always had a passion for the Premier League, but the same didn't apply with Greek friends as all of them were Panathinaikos or AEK friendly - until of course they all realised how poor both clubs got that they suddenly switched allegiance to safer bets, such as Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid etc. So Greek football talk soon left the table...
That was until 2020 when the world came to a standstill, while mine suddenly started moving. I've been a sports journalist since 2010 but my career didn't take off until four years ago. However, there was one incident that truly changed my life both on a professional as well as a personal level.
That was when my Twitter homepage suggested a new podcast to follow called "Gate 7 International". I immediately fell in love with the channel before I even clicked on it. The idea that a group of Greeks from the diaspora would get together to spread the word about Olympiacos globally and bring fans together from around the world sounded like a calling from above. These sorts of initiatives are usually saved for the already established clubs with an already massive global fanbase that has existed since the 1970s, such as Barcelona, Arsenal, Bayern Munich etc. - you know, the sure things...
But founders Ari Bouloubassis, Lambros Syrmos and Peter Thompson had a different idea once they met at the University of Maryland. Ari and Lambros have a deep bond with Olympiacos due to their Greek heritage. Peter, on the other hand, learned to love the team as he watched it slowly getting established as a respectable European force.
This was supposed to be a pastime between three pals that would get together once a week or so to shoot the breeze like anyone does at their local bar. But the attraction was too fast and too intense to ignore as people from all over the world started following this brilliant initiative. This couldn't just be a hobby, this was now a movement.
Shows started to multiply and so did exclusive interviews with some of the club's biggest legends, such as Antonis Nikopolidis, Par Zetterberg, Ze Elias, Nery Castillo and many more. As the pod grew, so did the group of friends as Costas Levoyannis (or Costas with a C) soon jumped on board. And so with Ari's stunning mind, Lambros' strong personality, Costas' undying passion and Peter's newfound love the rise of Thrylos 7 International was in full force .
I, Kostas Lianos or (Kostas with a K), soon followed as did fellow professional journalists Martial Debeaux as well as Dimitris Kouimtsidis; and we were off to the races. And how could we not? Martial, a French football genius with zero ties to Greece or Olympiacos, fell in love with the club by simply watching it in action week in and week out. And Dimitris, one of the brightest journalists I have ever met, added his much-needed and expert basketball knowledge as Thrylos transformed into a global superpower under manager Giorgos Bartzokas and the ownership of the Angelopoulos brothers.
Soon enough, Thrylos 7 International amassed 10,000 followers on Instagram alone and almost 30,000 fans across all social media platforms. A partnership with One Football soon followed as did a vibrant Patreon community with one of the most energetic WhatsApp groups out there. More exclusive interviews with superstars from the past took place with the likes of Jose Holebas, Omar Elabdellaoui, Luciano de Souza and of course Olympiacos VP Kostas Karapappas gracing us with their presence.
Thrylos 7 International also became members of the media at Olympiacos' stadium Georgios Karaiskakis. With closer access to the club, T7I began live coverage of matches including derbies against Panathinaikos and PAOK as well as European megaclashes against the likes of West Ham, Atalanta and Aston Villa. But of course none of them compare to last season's Europa Conference League final that saw us all attending OPAP Arena in Athens to watch Olympiacos beat Fiorentina and become the first and only Greek club to win a European trophy.
Four years of hard work and dedication have led us here, to this nomination and presence as finalists in The Football Content Awards, with the ceremony taking place on November 21 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The growth of this initiative across the world proves that Olympiacos deserve to be recognized on the global stage. It has proven to Olympiacos as well as the other clubs and football figures in Greece that there is an audience outside of the country for its football.
But how did that all really happen? Well, of course that's down to YOU! The Olympiacos fans from around the world! We have had the honour of being viewed by supporters from 100 different countries and all continents, bar Antarctica, since starting out in 2020. Your unwavering support, productive feedback and of course your active participation is what led us to this remarkable recognition.
The podcast isn't run by Ari, Lambro, Costa, Martial, Dimitri and myself, instead it's being run by Olympiacos' global community that proves what a great club this truly is. This guy that had no Olympiacos friends for almost 15 years can tell you that living away from Greece or Cyprus as a Thrylos fan can be very lonely, but this group that we have all created has ended that isolation once and for all as thanks to everyone's contribution we have all managed to form a haven for all supporters around the world.
It's going to be hard to win the award as we are up against some incredible fellow nominees. But as last season's triumph proves, when Olympiacos fans come together then everything is possible. So let's spread the word and bring this home for all Olympiacos fans and of course our beloved club that continues to make us proud both in Greece and Europe. Visit the link below and vote for Thrylos 7 International Under Best Podcast Category, International.
Remember, voting closes on Sunday October 13th!
And, at the end of the day, even if we lose then that's just fine because... Είμαστε άρρωστοι με τον Ολυμπιακό!!!
Thank you for everything! Πάμε Ολυμπιακάρα!!!
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