A different Apollon story

Behind the photo there is a hidden and beautiful story.
 
It shows a person who belongs neither to the roster nor to the staff of our team. But it is a part of Apollon.
 
Kenneth Schröder is a loyal fan of our team, who comes from Germany, grew up in Denmark and is currently studying in Vienna.
 
The day before the last friendly of our team in Austria (which was finally canceled) he asked us for details about the place and the time of its holding because he wanted to come and see the match live.
 
Kenneth arranged the details and visited our team at Bad Hall. He didn’t see a friendly but he was present in the last training session before our team left for Cyprus.
 
He talked to the footballers, took pictures with them and enjoyed the experience of being with the team of his heart for an entire afternoon.
 
His whole attitude and love for Apollo, aroused our curiosity to learn how and why he supports Apollo. Where did this passion for our team come from?
 
His relationship with Apollo started from scratch, one might say. Kenneth often comes with his father to Cyprus on vacation and they love football. As he told us, they loved Cyprus, the residents and the hospitality of our country.
 
His first contact with the “Legend” was in 2015 when he was in Ayia Napa and wanted to watch a championship match. In those days, Apollon’s match with the local team at “Tassos Markou” coincided.
He and his father bought their tickets for our team’s stand and what he experienced was unbelievable.
 
“All the fans were so good and the atmosphere was unreal, I remember the Apollon fans singing non-stop and finally winning the match. From that moment on, Apollon became my passion “, the German fan confided to us.
 
His father often bought products from our team such as key-chains, scarves and T-shirts. For the record, in this match our team won 0-3 against Ayia Napa.
 
Kenneth admires atractive football and believes that Apollon is a great team and that was the reason that led him to support our team.
 
He was not lucky enough to see other championship games as Cyprus is far from Germany and finds it difficult to visit our country.
 
Since 2015, he has not come to our island again. In August 2017, when we drew with Midtjylland, Kenneth was thrilled to have the opportunity to watch our team play live again.
 
Herning is relatively close to Hamburg where he lived and the chances of him coming to the pitch and supporting Apollon’s favorite were very high.
 
He would not miss the opportunity to describe his experience in Denmark.
“I traveled to Herning with my father. I will never forget this match, the celebrations and the happiness we experienced in the end. Before the game I spent a lot of time with other Apollonians in the city center and this experience was beautiful. From that day on, friendships were formed that continue to this day. I often communicate with the guys and I feel that I am close to what is going on with our team “.
 
The German friend of our team is finding it difficult to learn the our team’s news and the only way to be informed is through the social networks of our team but also from our official website on the internet.
 
We asked Kenneth to describe for us the procedure to get to the training center and his experience in team training.
 
“Upon hearing the news that Apollon would be coming to Austria for the main stage of his preparation, I would not let the opportunity pass unexploited. I would do whatever it took to visit the team and watch at least one friendly or one training session. ”
 
Kenneth was unlucky, as he told us, because all the friendly matches that were scheduled coincided with the university exams.
 
“On Thursday (3/7), I went to university in the morning and sat down for my last exam. I immediately left for the train station in Vienna with a final destination in Bad Hall. After a trip of about two and a half hours, I arrived at the training center where I received a warm welcome and welcome from the team “.
 
He was guided to the center by the staff of the group who showed him the places where they worked for the last 15 days, the locker rooms and described how it works.
 
“When the players arrived, I shook hands with everyone and we started talking. It was funny because we spoke English, Spanish and even a little German with some people. They were all so good and kind. In the end we took the wonderful photo on the field.
 
In the end we asked Kenneth to tell us who his team’s favorite footballer is. He struggled a little at first but then revealed his weaknesses.
 
“It’s difficult to choose one from the team. Apollon is above all and every footballer is an important part of the team. But if I had to choose, I would say I like Emilio Zelaya, Joao Pedro, but also Hector Juste and Sasha Markovic. ”
 
The German fan thanked us for the incredible experience he had at BadHall, but we want to thank him for supporting our team and showing it at every opportunity.
 
We hope to have him with us in one of our next races.
 
** Located in the center of the main photo of the report.
 
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Apollon Football (Public) Ltd.