NY Pancyprian Freedoms are one of these clubs we always wanted to speak to - a storied organization who are founded on the basic needs of humanity; community, mental and physical wellness. Through our recent conversation with the amazing folks at EV Loves NY and NY International FC, we were fortunate enough to be put in touch with NYPF and both Paul Kontonis and Panayiotis Onisiforou were kind enough to fill me in on the heritage as well as current happenings of NY Pancyprian Freedoms.

New York is home to hundreds of clubs at various levels - tell us about the origins of NY Pancyprian. Who founded the club and for what purpose?
Founded in 1974 as a response to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the NY Pancyprian Freedoms (NYPF) were formed to promote the educational and career growth of Cypriot and Greek soccer players in the United States. The NYPF combines professionalism with community, sportsmanship, and a love for the game. Our Hellenic ideals of sound body, mind and spirit are at the heart of our success regionally and nationally. The NYPF have lifted the US Open Cup three times and have won numerous state and regional cups. Since our founding, some of the greatest Greek soccer players have word our shirt–Dimitrios “Mimis” Domazos, George Koudas and there recently departed Dimitrios “Mimis” Papaionnaou.

Where in NY does the club play and in what league or other competitions does it participate?
The NYPF call New York City home and Belson Stadium in Queens, New York is our home field. In addition, you can find our teams training at Queens College and Astoria Park. Our NYPF program has three teams: NYPF (First Team), NYPF II (Reserves) and the NYPF Over 30. The NYPF compete in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Premier Soccer League (EPSL), Eastern New York State Cups and the US Open Cup. The NYPF II compete Third Division of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League (CSL), Eastern New York State and CSL League Cups. The NYPF Over-30 compete in the O-30 Division of the Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL), Eastern New York State and LISFL League Cups.

Is this the same NY Pancyprian club who has won the US Open Cup three times? What other silverware would people find in the trophy case?
The NYPF’s commitment to soccer excellence has brought many trophies to our clubhouse.In addition to our US Open Cup victories in 1980, 1982 and 1983, The NYPF has won league titles in the EPSL and the CSL. We have won the the USASA Open Cup in 2008, 2010, 2011 and the ENYSSA Dr. Manning State Cup in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and just a few weeks ago we won the 2022 Cup. We display our trophies at the Pancyprian clubhouse in Astoria, Queens.

Has the club made any partnerships with local youth programs- either to create a direct development pathway or simply to get connected to the community?
In 1981, Eleftheria Pancyprian Soccer Club was established to build youth soccer programs for all young players in our diverse New York City community. We give every players the opportunity to play soccer within a safe and enriching environment and we actively help them go to high school, college and to our men’s program. All our Men’s teams have former Eleftheria youth players on their rosters. As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, our youth programs provide an accessible, financially affordable and equitable soccer development program for boys and girls. Our youth and men’s programs are aligned in soccer philosophy, coaching curriculum and playing style. We want our youth players to be able to walk on any team and contribute both on and off the field.

2020 US Open Cup Qualifier vs Brockton FC in an absolute deluge.

Where does the club draw its players from; is it entirely local athletes who are connected to the community or are there players from other colleges or programs as well?
Our NYPF program is sought after by knowledgable and experienced players and you will find only the best players on our teams. Our first focus is to identify soccer, educational and career opportunities for Cypriot and Greek players. We provide scholarships and job search support to ensure our players have a clear path for their life goals in the United States and Europe. Our NYPF program is fueled by our youth players that aspire to continue their soccer while in college and beyond. For these players, we also encourage them to giveback to the community by becoming youth coaches. Since we are a well establish professional soccer program, we have a great relationship with many of our local and regional college soccer programs. We regularly invite players from these soccer programs to join our teams as we support them on their soccer journey.

When does your next season begin and what are your goals for the year?
Our spring season is well under way and the NYPF with Coach Panos Onisiforou have already won the ENYSSA Dr. Manning State Cup 2022-2 so all eyes are focused on winning the Metropolitan Conference of the EPSL and advancing in the USASA Amateur Cup on the way to the US Open Cup. For the NYPF II and coach Paul Kontonis, they have already won the CSL Harry Saunders Cup and the next target is winning promotion to the Second Division of the CSL. Lastly, the NYPF Over-30 with Coach Billy Antoniou will easily win the LSIFL Over-30 division and look to win the ENYSSA Marth Cup as well.

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