FC Abalos: “The most powerful moment is just before the game starts, when we all get together, hug each other and say ‘good game’”
Eleni and Semeli compete in the FC Abalos. They participate in the ETERON project FootballON: More Than Goals, talking about how the team was set up, the femininity that self-organizes and enjoys football, about the importance of teamwork.
Why “Abalos”? What is the story behind the name and the team?
Eleni: Because we were really clumsy. Totally clumsy with the ball on our feet.
It all started when Thomas, one of our three coaches, sent a message in November 2021: “Let’s build this football team, girls.” There were four of us women in the group at the time: Ifigenia, Hara, Marina and me. All of us with no football background but we all said let’s go!
And so, a few months later, we put up an open call on Instagram. The date: February 13, 2022. The place: a 5×5 field in Nea Smyrni. The result: 30 women (!!!), some completely unrelated with the game, some a little less, but all with extreme energy and appetite. Let’s learn, play, run on the pitch like little children. Let’s make room for ourselves on the field too.
Since then, twice a week 20 women are trained together, some come and some go, always having Alex and Christos with us. And so we are no longer so clumsy, but the name remains FC Abalos.
What football means for the team, for you, beyond training and matches?
Semeli: It will definitely mean something different to each “Abali” if you ask them. For me, it started from a need for play, joy, carefreeness and interaction with other people. The small meetings for play twice a week, evolved into a group where over 20 different personalities meet and try to communicate, connect, collaborate, organize and have a good time. This slowly unlocked various things both on an individual and collective level. Now there is care and concern on and off the pitch. We are here for each other and it is a beautiful feeling to feel comfortable with yourself, visible and accepted. I think the impatience we often feel for the next training session says it all.
When was your first game and how did it unfold? And then, what is that match that is engraved in your memory, the match that for some reason is “unforgettable” since 2022?
Eleni: I missed the first game of Ábalos. I wasn’t there. And that, besides being incredibly sad, will also be my eternal FOMO (i.e. Fear of missing out).
It was against Adespotos, in April 2023. As Eleni told me, everyone was incredibly excited. Friends had come to watch and support, the atmosphere was fantastic. Some had even made a banner that instead of ABALOS said ABOLOS (i.e. not feeling at ease) – not on purpose! It was funny.
It was our first match, and instead of losing – as we all expected – we won! And 3-0 in fact. And we lost our minds! Unbelievable joy, we couldn’t believe it.
Which game has remained unforgettable to us? I’m sure, if I were there, even if I didn’t play, I would say that’s what it is. Think: a team of clumsy girls, seeing a year’s worth of training become chances on the pitch and bring victory.
But beyond every score, for me, the most powerful moment is that one just before the game starts. There, near the center, when we all gather, hug and say “good game”. That sense of team is a tremendous gift. I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Who was the person who introduced you to football? A relative, a friend, a partner? Was it perhaps a personal experience?
Semeli: When I was little, I used to go to football games with my little brother and my father. My brother started playing on a team and often went with my dad for ”extra training”.
I really liked it so I would sometimes go with them, until the beginning of high school when I unfortunately started to feel a bit ashamed because I was a girl. Now my brother has stopped playing on a team, I started playing in Abalos and my dad never lost his appetite for playing, so it’s something the three of us still do together from time to time.
What is the element that makes it most difficult for a woman to get involved in football as a sport?
Semeli: I would say that on one hand it is the social pressure that it receives and on the other hand the fact that there is no real space given to women’s football. There is a deep-rooted image of masculinity that accompanies the sport. Stereotypically, football is considered a sport played by men and addressed to men, both as a participant and as a spectator. A woman’s involvement in football, whether at an amateur or professional level, is often accompanied by obstacles such as questioning her ability, sexist comments, negative and biased staring, but also by a systematic devaluation of women’s football as a whole. From minimal media coverage, inequalities in pay, the absence of representation, to the frequent incidents of gender-based violence and harassment in the field of sports. Consequently, the dominant culture of masculinity in football makes it difficult for different identities to be present and expressed.
However, it is particularly encouraging that in recent years we have seen more and more femininity self-organizing, claiming space, creating safe, caring and inclusive environments. A community is formed gradually and this in itself is a “quiet” but meaningful advancement.
What are your plans for the next period?
Eleni: Right now all our attention is on the UFA Champions League, which starts on May 4th, and will be hosted by Minotavros Soccer Club, which has also been Abalos’ home for the past few years.
UFA stands for United Football Amateurs and it is the first championship in which we participate – but also the first one we organize. I think it will go great! The most important thing is that it is an open, inclusive championship, with teams that play for the joy of the game, but also with passion. I believe that it will strengthen the community of women’s amateur football even more.
Just before the championship ends, in mid-June, Alex and Thomas are preparing a three-day surprise tournament, with teams from all over Europe who will come to Athens for football matches!
I can’t wait to go down to the field with my friends and play football. I hope to see you there!
