Oakleigh Cannons FC is not only making waves on the field with recent success, but also building a strong foundation off it, with major developments, dedicated leadership, and growing community support.
But while the club has enjoyed significant success on the pitch in recent times, it’s off-the-field business dealings are where exciting progress has taken place.
In episode eight of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch podcast, Oakleigh Cannons General Manager & Director of Football Aki Ionnas credited the club’s progress and upcoming “state-of-the-art stadium” to the hard work and leadership of its board, particularly chairman Kon Kavalakis and president Stan Papayianneris.
“We’ve got our vice president Chris Konstantinidis, we’ve got board members like George Babatsias, Bill Kosmopoulos, Jim Leventakis. We’ve got a very good board,” he said on the podcast.
“I suppose, the most influential people who have been lobbying and working very hard to get the club to what it is now, and on another level, have been our chairman, Kon Kavalakis, and our president, Stan Papayianneris, they’ve been very instrumental in getting the club to where it is now.
“So, it’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of lobbying, but now you can see the rewards in a couple of months when the new grandstand will be finished, it will be a state-of-the-art stadium.”
Additionally, Ionnas highlighted the vital role of a loyal, growing group of sponsors whose ongoing support, driven by the club’s on-field success, continues to fuel its development.
“We’ve got a very good core of sponsors, that’s basically our number one income, is sponsors,” he said.
“I can’t thank enough all our sponsors that come along and support the club year in, year out, and it’s just growing every year, every year it gets bigger and bigger.
“We’ve got very loyal sponsors that have been there for a very long time.
“You can see the interest is there, and look, it always makes it a lot easier when you’ve got success on the park, people want to come, sponsors want to come, it’s important.
To hear and learn more about the Oakleigh Cannons, you can listen to the full interview with Aki Ionnas on episode nine of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast, available on all major podcasting apps and here.
