President of Lavrion: “Opportunity to re-reigns-we hope in a Basket League with 14 teams”

Lavrion Owner Yiannis Fradellos spoke for the first time since the day he took over the team two years ago about what the next day for the club after relegation. As he said, this development is an opportunity to restart, although he expressed hope for a Basket League with 14 teams. At the same time he expressed his complaint about the small support of the world and said that his support would show what category the team wants to be.

You are the owner of the Lavrion DHI from 2023, but you have so far preferred to never place you publicly. Why do you do it now?

I have been close to the team all these years and before taking over as a big shareholder of the company. Two years ago, with the approval of the Professional Sports Committee, I took over the team, 90% of the OEM shares, the other 10% belong to the amateur under law. Then I was the only solution for the team and the company to have a steady continuity. I didn’t know about basketball team management. In my mind was to buy the team, to complete the process of restoring the name of Lavrion – because we were playing as Kymi as you know that no longer exists. I was essentially in my mind to help the team settle and then continue its people who were in it. My involvement was more auxiliary. I had never thought that I would ever take up normal duties owner of an OEM. So as things came, I have to help as an institution, as an owner, the one who will “run” the functioning of the OEM.

What conclusions have you drawn in this two years for the team of which you are the owner?

I’m still looking, I’m still learning. Every day I try to understand exactly what is happening to such an organization. I think she had the bases, she worked on her basic pieces well. I’m not discussing the race because this is a different conversation and there are results. He had principles as an organization, but he wanted several improvements. This is my picture for the two years. I consider the first year to be successful and the second satisfactory, because in the end things didn’t go as we all would like. If we were told in the summer of 2024 that we would have seven (7) wins in February 2025, we would get it right away. We were successful to that point. In the end it happened. We needed another victory in the essence, but we didn’t.

How did you get the team’s relegation after 10 years?

As an opportunity. With one pain is the truth, but I think it will be for good. We will restart. We will fix things we couldn’t as long as we were in the battle of Stoiximan GBL. Now it is purely our part, it will be our work. This failure I think … needed.

Lavrio DHI starts next year in the Elite League with the aim of returning to Stoiximan GBL?

Yes, right. I have talked to my partners and we have decided that we will try to make a team that will lead. Of course, I have to say that we are awaiting with great interest what will be discussed in ESAKE for our request to have 14 teams in the Stoiximan GBL from the new period. We believe that most – if not all – the other teams in ESAKE see this request positively.

The difficulties in the Elite League can be bigger due to the significant difference in category revenue…

I have thought about it, but I think since we have financially afforded the Stoiximan GBL for two years and the team has neither debts nor debts, it will continue with the same logic in the Elite League. I believe we have the potential to do something very good and competitive. The city of Lavrion is involved in covering the budget at a rate of 10-15% and we want this to continue, because not to grow. In the coming days we will also announce the prices of the tickets for the new season and it is a good opportunity from this process to… re -establish, re -count and find us all together.

Exogenous agents played a role in the relegation of the team?

I can understand some things, but I’m not going to get into this process. I will stay in what we could control and these were about the interior of the team. We made our efforts to change some things, the coach also tried with his partners and players, but in the end we failed to do so.

What is your vision and goal for Lavrio?

What I had and have in my mind is to make the citizens of Lavreotiki feel “a city, a group”. The whole city is next to the team and rejoice for it. The previous two years I felt a disappointment is the truth and I thought it was the “introversion” of the team. I have tried with my partners to make the team more extroverted, to come out more in the society of our city and we will continue to do the same with even greater intensity. We have made the team club, the kiosk that is in the central part of the city and they will start operating next time. Obviously I have been wrong with something I still do not know exactly what this is. But we will find it. My vision is still the basketball team to become a team of all Lavreotiki fans and be together in the joys and as regrets. As an organization I want to become self -sufficient and live from its revenue and do so, without always having my own help. The team will be where the city wants. If the city wants the team at Stoiximan GBL, it will try to be in Stoiximan GBL…

Do you complain about the response of the fans?

I think the sign is negative. Maybe I have made mistakes and there is a response from the world, which the team does not receive as it should. I do not know … I hope this relationship next year will improve, smooth out, change for the better.

Does the Municipality of Lavreotiki support the effort as you would like?

Certainly there is a great deal of disposition from the Municipality of Lavreotiki to help. The mayor is close to the team, this year he came in several matches. Of course, for a professional team that exceeds one million euros and has the lowest budget than all its opponents, it is not only good mood, they need actions. Our municipality had financial problems but I think that once this is settled, then the mood will become a practice. However, the people of the municipality have helped to improve the facilities of the stadium that the OEM has mostly taken over and with the contribution of the technical service the Lavrion KG has changed quite a bit for the better.

Do you think the team should do opening out of the city’s boundaries?

We want the Lavrion team to become a team of Proppos and a pole of attraction for all Mediterranean. First, however, I want to find those ways to have as many Lavriots as possible next to us, on the pitch, to support our efforts.

Are you satisfied with the effort made at a sponsorship level?

I am completely satisfied and I am given the opportunity to publicly thank all those who supported the team’s efforts last year and this year. Compared to the size of the team compared to its opponents a very important job was done and it will continue to do.

There are two people who in previous years were the “pillars” of the effort of Lavrion DHI, Christos Serelis and Vangelis Vodina …

Both are people of my absolute confidence, we know decades, I know them and they know me very well. Christos is in Panathinaikos and we are proud of what he has accomplished and obviously we talk about Lavrio very often. Vangelis remains in the team and is one of the people who contribute in many ways to the operation of the OEM, it has a key role. They are both children who have offered to the team, they are my friends and people I fully trust.