Apollon Smyrnis with Deligiannis and the new season

by

At his wheel Apollo of Smyrna continues o Nikos Deligiannis! The experienced coach who guided her Light Brigade in the first European title in the club’s history, he extended his partnership with the team for one more season.

The announcement in detail:

The man who guided the… amphibious “light brigade” to the peak moment of its 9-year modern history, while also signing coaching and the biggest moment in the Club’s 132-year history remains in place to continue creating!

GS Apollon Smyrnis is very happy to announce the extension of its partnership with Nikos Deligiannis for the 2023-2024 season as well.

The 47-year-old coach took over the technical guidance of the “blue and white” in November 2020, leading them to win the Challenger Cup this year, putting the name of Apollon Smyrni on the list of (only) three Greek men’s water polo teams that have won a European title!

Of course, last April’s European triumph in Terrace is the greatest success, but it is not the only one. It came on the back of partial success, especially after the almost total renewal of the roster in both faces and age in the summer of 2021, with the body essentially unchanged from last year’s transfer window, so few and targeted additions were made.

During the days of Nikos Deligiannis, in these 2.5 years that he is in technical leadership, Apollon – of the very young average age of players – achieved in the summer of 2021 the historic first (for the team) qualification from 1st to 2nd round of the Champions League in a group with very strong opponents, losing the second in the same summer in a three-way tie on 6 points with Mladost and Red Star.

Even Apollon, who in Greece finished 3rd in 2021, 4th in 2022 and 3rd again this year, became last year (2021-2022) the only team to defeat Olympiacos inside the walls (and indeed in the 2nd Semi-Final in Serafio), a victory that was and the first in the 9-year history of the department on the “red and whites”.

Also, this year, Apollon achieved its first double in the championship in Laimos (9-8 in the 1st Semi-Final over NOB) in its 6-year presence in A1, claiming its qualification to the Finals, while by winning the 3rd place, it secured his exit to Europe for the 5th year in a row and specifically in the Champions League qualifiers.

Most importantly, the progress is continuous and the aim consistently higher each season, based on a solid foundation and the kind cooperation of all involved.

The architect of the competition building of Apollon Smyrna, Nikos Deligiannis, speaking on the department’s official website www.apollonwaterpolo.gr, expressed his great joy that he will continue his work in the “light brigade” for the 4th season in a row, showing with a modest reference and the road to the next day:

“I am very happy that the people at Apollo were pleased with all the work that was done. I am satisfied that I continue in a team where we all created something great together and I hope that with enough work we can take it further. What I can only say is that I’m very happy, I like it, I feel very good here and I’m very happy to continue”!

By his side, Nikos Deligiannis will have Dimitris Miteloudis as his direct partner in the new season, with whom the collaboration is excellent. Dimitris Miteloudis enters his 5th year at Apollo with his contribution to the successes of the previous years also being decisive.

The “construction” for the new season has already begun in collaboration with Nikos Deligiannis and the appointed administrative leader of the department, Giorgos Afroudakis. Captain Manolis Solanakis and Nikola Bogdanovic have remained on the roster, with the next dynamic moves expected in the near future.

You May Also Like

Recommended for you