Peter Katholos

Peter Katholos (Greek: Πέτρος Κάθολος; born 18 March 1961) is an Australian former soccer player. He was a member of the Socceroos, Australia's national soccer team, throughout the 1980s during which time he made 22 international appearances (14 ' A-matches'), scoring two goals. He is best known for his time as a midfielder with Sydney Olympic and later Marconi in the Australian National Soccer League, although he also played for the Greek team Larissa at one stage.

Peter Katholos

Personal information
Full name	Peter Katholos
Date of birth	(1961-03-18) 18 March 1961 (age 61)
Place of birth	Greece
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1979–1980	St George	35	(5)
1981–1985	Sydney Olympic	131	(33)
1985–1986	Larissa	3	(0)
1986	Sydney Olympic	10	(0)
1987	APIA Leichhardt	20	(3)
1988–1991	Marconi	92	(5)
1991–1993	Sydney Olympic	29	(2)
1993–1994	Parramatta Eagles	11	(1)
International career^‡
1981–1983	Australia	14	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 02:55, 13 September 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 02:55, 13 September 2022 (UTC)

Katholos emigrated from Greece to Australia with his parents as a nine-year-old.^[1][2]

Playing career

Club career

Katholos played for St George 35 times during the 1979 and 1980 National Soccer League seasons.^[3]

Katholos transferred from St George to the Sydney Olympians (as Sydney Olympic were branded in 1981), where he played under Scottish coach Tommy Docherty.^[4][5]

In 1985, Katholos signed a three-year contract to play in Greece for Larissa. He returned to Australia in mid-1986, having only played three times in the league, each time as a substitute.^[6][7]

After a disagreement with coach Peter Raskopoulos, Katholos transferred from Olympic to Parramatta Eagles part way though the 1992–93 National Soccer League season.^[8]

He was nicknamed "The Kat" by Sydney Olympic supporters.^[9]

International career

Katholos made his national team debut for Australia against Indonesia in Melbourne in May 1981. He played the last of his 14 full international appearances in December 1983 against Singapore.^[10]

Honours

Player

Sydney Olympic

• NSL Cup: 1983, 1985^[2]

APIA Leichhardt

• National Soccer League Championship: 1987^[2]

Marconi-Fairfield

• National Soccer League Championship: 1988, 1989^[2]

Individual

• National Soccer League Player of the Year: 1982^[11]

References

1. Curran, Brian (19 April 1981). "Poor play puts Pete on the mat—at home!". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 72. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
2. Micallef, Philip (21 August 2019). "Socceroos Greats - Where are they now: Peter Katholos". SBS Sport. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
3. "Aussie Footballers - Karl to Kemp". OzFootball. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
4. Curran, Brian (16 April 1981). "Katholos rockets into Socceroos' squad for NZ". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 32. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
5. Gatt, Ray (10 April 1981). "Docherty 'babe' gets his spurs". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 36. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
6. Schwab, Laurie (12 August 1985). "Olympic wins 2–1". The Age. p. 31. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
7. Gatt, Ray (12 June 1986). "'Nightmares' end for Katholos". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 42. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
8. Cockerill, Michael (16 January 1993). "Katholos returns to scene of war to battle his mates". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 69. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
9. Triadafillou, Takis (7 November 2020). "Peter Katholos (The Kat): Legend on the field and fighter in life". The Greek Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
10. Andrew Howe (12 October 2006). "The Australian Men's Football Team: Caps and Captains" (PDF). OzFootball. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
11. Schwab, Laurie (8 September 1982). "Katholos tops soccer award". The Age. p. 26. Retrieved 13 September 2022.

External links

• Peter Katholos at Aussie Footballers