From the day he could walk, Chris Kalantzis either had a ball at his feet or was close by the side of his parents as they enjoyed their weekly ritual of catching up with friends at the soccer.
The passion of the Greeks for the game was matched only by their sense of community togetherness, a chance to catch up with old friends while watching the Pan Hellenic team through the 1950s to the mid 1970s, before they became Sydney Olympic. Off the back of the post-World War II migration boom - it is estimated almost 250,000 Greeks arrived in Australia between 1947 and 1982 - they helped provide part of the fabric of Australian soccer.
The Kalantzis family was typical of the Greek migrants who came to make a new life in a strange land - an opportunity that led to Chris, who was born in Sydney, becoming one of the best players produced in this country. 
After five seasons playing with Sydney Olympic in the National Soccer League, Kalantzis moved on to play with two of the biggest clubs in Greece - Panathinaikos (118 games) and Olympiacos (81) - while also representing the Socceroos more than a dozen times. He eventually returned home, winding up his career in 2000 after another 58 games with Olympic.
"Dad came here when he was in his early 20s and he had three bucks to his name," Kalantzis recalled yesterday.
"He loved the new life and it helped there was a huge Greek community already here.
"Church and football, they were always a huge part of our lives. I was pretty young at the time but I remember we would always go to Wentworth Park to watch Pan Hellenic play, and they used to get big crowds.
"My passion for the game was born there." The Greek influence in the Socceroos has been massive over the years. From the likes of Kalantzis, Peter Katholos, Peter Raskopoulos, Jim Patikas, Charlie Yankos, Stan Lazaridis and current Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, all the way to some of the current crop that includes Chris Ikonomidis and Apostolos Giannou.
Giannou has been the exception to the norm, however. While he played for Australia at junior level and didn't play in the A-League, he did play for Greece in a friendly late last year before Postecoglou stole him for Australia - without playing in any competitive games that would have tied him to the Greeks.
In terms of clubs, Sydney Olympic, South Melbourne Hellas and Heidelberg Alexandria formed a strong Greek nexus in the days of the NSL, often attracting the biggest crowds - and sometimes ugly headlines when there were crowd disturbances.
It was, of course, a different era. Few cared about comfort at the usually dilapidated grounds. The real joy was getting together with friends, watching the team play and eating souvlaki, often cooked on BBQs around the ground.
Tensions were always high whenever two of these clubs met in the Greek derby. The respective fans lived for the bragging rights.
These days, it is vastly different. The introduction of the A-League did not allow room for club's based on ethnicity. That was something that didn't go down well with fans, not just in the Greek communities, but also among the Italians and Croatians. While some have found their way to Sydney FC and Western Sydney, many were lost to the game, vowing never to come back.
These days, all three Greek-based clubs are playing in their state's National Premier League competitions, but are a pale shadow of their glory days.
They still harbour high hopes of returning to the spotlight, but the A-League is a closed shop because there is no promotion and relegation, and there is no way for these clubs to fight their way back to the top.
As a result, it would appear the Greek passion for football, in Australia at least, has disappeared. The second and third generations are not as obsessed or passionate about the sport or the community togetherness. It is a sign of the times. And that could be highlighted tonight when the Socceroos play Greece at ANZ Stadium in a friendly.
Ticket sales have been slow.
It's a long way from the amazing scenes of 2004 when the Greek community came out in their thousands and swamped Sans Souci waving flags, letting off flares and tooting car horns after Greece pulled off a stunning victory at Euro 2004.
Katholos, who owns a sporting apparel business near Belmore Sports Ground where Sydney Olympic now play, and who still goes to see them in action, says it is sad to see what is happening these days. At their height, Olympic would get more than 10,000 to matches in the NSL. On a good day in the NPL, they would struggle to get 1500.
"I think it is a combination of things. The Greek team is not as good as it used to be. Their results have been terrible ... I think they have won something like one of their last 12 games," Katholos said.
"The kids these days have other things to do. A lot of them can't be bothered going with their parents to the games."And the real tough part is that there is no promotion and relegation in the A-League. There's no incentives for the clubs, nothing to aim for."