This Sunday the 8th of August @ 4pm Original Melbourne 21 is throwing a BBQ in conjunction with the AEK Supporters Group of Melbourne. The BBQ will be held at the Social Club of Waverley AEK Soccer Club which is located at Carlsson Reserve on Clayton Road, Clayton.
Why?
As most of you know, PAE AEK is in a major transitional period. Unfortunately due to past mis-managements and with the wrong people at the helm, AEK have suffered in recent years, and the result is our beloved club being in millions and millions of dollars in debt.
The magnitude of the debt is so extreme that our own future has been taken out of our hands. A government-led debt reducer has been implored into our club to see if we deserve the right to have these debts minimized (as many other clubs have received).
While we are confident now of our future, the reality remains that the club was extremely close to being relegated back to Division 4. We have seen a number of players ask for their outstanding match payments and to be frank, AEK were a mere shadow of the team we know.
Things have changed with Demis Nikolaidis at the helm. He has set up the right structure and eased pressure by reaching agreements with players and ensuring that we will be playing in the UEFA Cup next season. But the job is half done.....AEK's financial problems have not dissappeared and our debt-reduction has not been approved. Demis has now asked for everyone in the AEK family to stand up and help now so that this club doesn't find itself ever again in this position.
How?
The only way we (the supporters) can help at this stage is to buy Season Tickets. There has been a big push in Greece for all supporters to get behind Demis and the new committee to ensure that we return to our rightful position as Queen of Greece.
As it stands 3.000 season tickets have been sold, with another 5.000 being allocated to Original 21 and 1.200 to the other organised groups. We at OM21 are proud to announce that being part of the Original family we too have been given a chance to purchase Season Tickets and help out our club in its hour of need.
Season Tickets
The price of Season Tickets are 150Eu (approx. $259). OM21 is hoping that everyone here is able to help out our club in some way. We have set the goal of reaching 21 season tickets and feel that this would be our best way to show our support from thousands and thousands of kilometres away.
We understand that we get virtually nothing in return for this membership since we will not be attending any matches @ OAKA this season BUT the fact remains that without this football club, we (OM21) would cease to exist, the friendships created would cease to exist, the memories that AEK has given us are irreplaceable and with the current situation we are given a chance to show that we are grateful and that we are here when the club needs us most.
So with all that, OM21 has decided to call on the AEK Supporters Club of Melbourne to help us reach our goals.
We will be holding a free BBQ this Sunday in the hope of reaching 21 season tickets. We understand the price may be expensive for some and with that we are asking everyone to help as much as they can. If that means buying one on their own, great; or it could mean splitting one between two friends or just making a contribution towards one.
We hope to see everyone there and we hope that we can get as many people there as possible helping out our great club, because we know that in Demis' hands we are going in the right direction.
If you require further information regarding the day, call Private Message me or John21.
Original Melbourne 21
