Karyes Pafsanias

Sports Club "O Karyatis"


The Sports Club "O Karyatis" was founded in 1926 and its purpose is "the harmonic growth of physical, moral and spiritual tendencies and properties of the Arahovas' (Karyes') youth".

The Club owns a football field in the site "Pinigoura", visible when someone enters the village from the rural road. In the same site there is a basketball, tennis and volleyball court, with modern standards.


Historic Facts

Founding and early years

The S.C. "Karyatis" was founded in 1926 by G. T. Skiouris, Κ. Ν. Charakas, Ε. G. Kostalas, Κ. Μ. Pitsios, T. G. Stathakis, T. V. Leventakis, Ι. Ν. Charakas, Ι. Κ. Diamantouros and Ι. S. Mahairas, which by then enrolled in middle education schools, and it was officially recognized by the first-degree court of Sparti in 1928.

Its first presence was at the athletic games that took place at Vlachokerasia in 1928 and 1929, in which many inhabitants accompanied the club's athletes by car or riding horses. The athletes at these games distinguished by wining first places at the events of long jump, shot put, javelin, drive, stone throwing and race. In 1929 the club's athletes won in Sparti first places in races of 5km, 1500m jumps and high jump. Also in 1930 and in 1931 it participated in football games with clubs from Sparti and Levetsova (Krokees).

Every Sunday if there weren't any marriages or baptisms at Rahi Square, it was converted as a football field. Then late benefactor G. T. Skiouris dropped the idea of making a football field at Pinigoura, where there was level ground. Indeed in 1929 a fundraising took place and with the gathered amount a small field, owned by Panagiotis Papadogiannis, was purchased at Pinigoura and rearranged as a gymnasium. In 1951, under the S.C. "Karyatis" presidency of Paraskevas G. Koutsogeorgas, membership of Konstantinos Mich. Pitsios, along with payment ($ 518) of the Brotherhood in America and of company LEVENTIS, they purchased part of a neighboring area, owned by Michael Melehes in order to complete the relevant area of the pitch. The final extension, shaping and fencing with stone fence held in 1954 at the expense of the Sports Club great benefactors: Paraskevas P. Leventis, Christos P. Leventis, Andreas S. Trakas and Konstantinos M. Pitsios.

Since then, the activities of the sports club were numerous in sports, culture and social life. Every year during the summer, the club hosts football games, but especially in the 60ies the athletic team used to organize athletic games three times every year.

Improvements in the Sports Center

In 1958, with the expense of G. T. Skiouris, the first changing rooms of the club were built, and in 1981, with the donation of D. T. Kakkaris, they were constructed and their spaces were expanded and now there are athletes' locker rooms for both teams. In 1995 the S.C. "Karyatis", with its annual grant from Skiouris Foundation, donated by the children of Efstratios Kostalas, but also by joining a European program, it also built an open-air sports court for basketball, volleyball and tennis, with modern specifications.

In 2013, the existing changing rooms were renovated and in 2018 the electrification of the changing rooms, the basketball court and the football stadium in front of the stands with the headlight installation were completed. The Karyes Sports Center is now able to offer modern sports conditions to residents and visitors of Karyes.

Football/Soccer Team

The football team of "Karyatis" participated for first time in 1970-72 in an official championship in Lakonia, it stopped but came back in 1983 in the third local division. The next year (1984 -1985) the team became champion of the third local division and for the next three years participated at the second division. Since then the team participates unfailingly in the local championships, giving the chance to local boys to become football players and enjoy sports.

Skiouris Foundation


Historic Records

The late testator G.Th. Skiouris died on 11/07/1980 at age 75 and he left a self-writen will (a/1-2-1979), which was published in the Athens Court on 05/03/1981. After many bureaucratic and lengthy procedures involving liquidation of assets such as his paternal house who passed to the Community of Karyes, third party liability, etc., the establishment of the Foundation was published in the Government Gazette by Presidential Decree on 04/02/1993.

During that period, amounts have been deposited for various puroposes: 200.000 GRD to build a Caryatid statue in that monument, 200.000 GRD for S.C. "O KARYATIS" and 200.000 GRD for completion of the St. Demetrios Church near testator's paternal house. Among the first actions of the administration was to use land in Alimos, in which an apartment building was erected and delivered to the Foundation of six (6) new apartments. These together with other two (2) existing in Ano Patisia in and a one commercial building(1) in Athens, are the real estate property of the institution.

Headquarters and Purpose

Headquarters are in Karyes and its purpose is the distribution of the foundation's annual income:

  • 1/3 to commit football games,
  • 1/3 award prices for the three most excellent and ethical students from the last grade of primary school of Karyes and
  • 1/3 to commit every four years the Athletics games «TA KARYATEIA».

Up to now, there have been 42 prices awarded to excellent students, large ammounts given for the operation of the S.C." O KARYATIS", the organization of the "1st KARYATEIA" while the paternal residence of the testatort has been renovated and today serves as the of the S.C. "O KARYATIS", the Cultural Club of Karyes and its courtyard forms a playground for children.

House of G. Skiouris, home of Sports Club "O Karyatis"

Management

The Foundation is governed by a seven (7) board members, which consists of:

  • The mayor/president of the Community of Karyes,
  • The Vicar of Karyes,
  • The president of "S.C. Karyatis", of which the testator was also a founding member,
  • The administrator of Primary School of Karyes,
  • allong with three other members elected by the rest of the board.

Based on the above, the current board consists of: Koutsogiorgas Ioannis (President-representative of local community), Stathopoulos Efstratios Vice president-vicar), Mentis Theodoros (Secretary-president of the sports club), Voukidis Vasileios (cashier) and members Mahairas Panagiotis, Matalas Aggelos and Diamantouros Georgios (administrator of Primary School).