Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I open my front door and look out across the fields opposite my house, I get a lovely view of the Olympic Kingsway soccer club. My husband and I were honoured just a few weeks ago to be at the club to celebrate their 65th birthday. The club truly does provide a vital community service. They're truly a community sports club. They represent all parts of our community with social soccer and elite soccer, and they also have bingo and darts. They're now focusing on women's teams, like netball, and supporting more programs for young African soccer players.

It was founded in 1953 by Greek immigrants, and they've been playing at the Kingsway sporting complex since 1973. Over the years, the Olympic Kingsway club have nurtured thousands of young aspiring soccer stars, including players who have gone on to play for the Perth Glory. This year, they won the state league division 2 title, having been unbeaten all season. That's a pretty great achievement there. They beat all other teams, including another local team, Wanneroo City, on goal difference. This year, their win marks 40 years since their first win in 1978.

Steve Nelkovski became the president in 2016—he and I started our new jobs at the same time—and I've been captured by Steve's passion and his vision for the Olympic Kingsway soccer club, starting a five-year plan to get the club up to National Premier Leagues level in WA. To be eligible to do that, the club has to undergo certain facility upgrades and certain renovations. Just last weekend, I was proud to announce that, if elected, a Labor government would commit $283,000 towards that goal of making Olympic Kingsway soccer club a premiership-level club. A lot of that was due to a petition that many members of the Cowan community signed. And I would like to also express my appreciation for their support in making this happen.

In closing, I would like to mention a few very influential and critical people in the history of Olympic Kingsway soccer club, particularly Nick Trandos and the Trandos family, who have devoted generations to making this club and building it up to what it is today. To them, I say congratulations on your win, happy 65th birthday, and thank you for all you do.