Interview | Giota Papaioannou
Argyle Women take on Exeter City at Home Park on Wednesday, 9 October, with a 7.45pm kick-off.
Captain Giota Papaioannou gave an exclusive interview to the match-day programme, discussing her roots in football, and journey to leading Argyle out at the Theatre of Greens.
Below, you can get a preview of the interview with Papaioannou, which is featured in full in the programme itself and can be purchased from Home Park on Wednesday night.
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“Argyle is my second home now.”
When people think of Argyle Women, one of the first names on the tip of their tongues is our captain, Giota Papaioannou. However, if it wasn’t for a university venture to the South West, the Greek Green would not be leading the side out at Home Park but might be playing in a different shade of green, in Greece.
A member of the 100 Club and the leader for Ryan Perks’ side, Giota’s early love for football started on the playground in school nearly 20 years ago.
“I remember I was at school; I was about six, seven years old, and during PE sessions, I always used to play football,” Giota said. “My best friend and I were the two only girls that used to play. I remember that out of all the guys, there'd be two captains and we used to be the first ones to get picked, even though we were the two girls in the team.
“In terms of watching football, I support a team in Greece called Panathinaikos, and I watched them against a local team in a cup game, and that stands out quite a lot, I'd say as one of my first loves.
“I remember the derby against AEK Athens. I went and watched the game, and it was at their stadium and we won 4-1. My dad and I sat next to each other trying not to celebrate because we were surrounded by AEK Athens fans. That was a good day.”
The move from Greece to the UK came with its challenges for the defender. As an 18-year-old who had not spent more than 10 days away from her family, Papaioannou’s university choice worked out in the end, but the change of culture, lifestyle and people was something she adapted to over time. Initially completing her foundation year in Bradford, a move to Plymouth came with much joy, and soon enough she was sporting green once again, but this time for Argyle.
“I did move here mostly for university, but in the back of my mind I did also know that football in the UK is a lot better than it is in Greece and that's still the case, unfortunately,” she said. “It was always serious to me, but at the same time, I knew that school and university would be my top priority.
“Football has always been more than just a hobby for me. It's been something that I've been chasing for a few years.
“Things have changed in my time here. Looking back now, six years ago, we used to train in Ivybridge and I remember that my first training was a freezing evening. I was really stressed because I was nervous, and it was like a trial. It wasn't formally a trial, but you do have to prove yourself at first training sessions!
“I’ve now found my second home and I never thought I'd be able to do that, be attached to another team, but here we are!”
