{{Short description|Australian soccer player (born 1989)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Andreas Govas | image = Govas Andreas.png | upright = 1.1 | caption = Govas in 2012 | full_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1989|7|21|df=y}} | birth_place = Melbourne, Australia | height = 1.82 m | position = Midfielder | currentclub = | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Heidelberg United | youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = Fawkner Blues | youthyears3 = 2006 | youthclubs3 = VIS | youthyears4 = 2007–2008 | youthclubs4 = Portsmouth | years1 = 2008 | clubs1 = Portsmouth | caps1 = 0 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2008 | clubs2 = Apollon Kalamarias | caps2 = 7 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 2009 | clubs3 = Kozani | caps3 = 4 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 2010–2011 | clubs4 = Kavala | caps4 = 0 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2010–2011 | clubs5 = → Kozani (loan) | caps5 = 27 | goals5 = 7 | years6 = 2012 | clubs6 = Troyes | caps6 = 0 | goals6 = 0 | years7 = 2012–2013 | clubs7 = AEL Kalloni | caps7 = 25 | goals7 = 1 | years8 = 2014 | clubs8 = Oakleigh Cannons | caps8 = 20 | goals8 = 1 | years9 = 2015–2016 | clubs9 = Heidelberg United | caps9 = 43 | goals9 = 7 | years10 = 2016 | clubs10 = Bulleen Lions | caps10 = 8 | goals10 = 1 | years11 = 2017 | clubs11 = Port Melbourne | caps11 = 26 | goals11 = 9 | years12 = 2017–2018 | clubs12 = Heidelberg United | caps12 = 4 | goals12 = 0 | nationalyears1 = 2008 | nationalteam1 = Greece U19 | nationalcaps1 = 2 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 2008 | nationalteam2 = Australia U20 | nationalcaps2 = 3 | nationalgoals2 = 0 | club-update = 24 September 2018 }}
'''Andreas Govas''' (born 21 July 1989) is an Australian former soccer player who played as a midfielder.
==Club career== Govas trained at the Victorian Institute of Sport alongside Paul Giannou, Matthew Spiranovic, Adrian Leijer, Leigh Broxham, Milos Lujic, Dimitri Hatzimouratis and Matthew Theodore, where he was coached by Ernie Merrick.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web | url=https://www.cornerflag.com.au/football-journey-andreas-govas/ | title=My Football Journey: Andreas Govas – Corner Flag }}</ref> Following his apprenticeship at the Victorian Institute of Sport, Govas was invited for a one-day trial with the Australian Institute of Sport and was not ultimately not selected, however, this followed by earning a contract with Portsmouth's Academy and Reserves.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web | url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/the-lost-boys-20080711-gdslpl.html | title=The lost boys? | date=11 July 2008 }}</ref>
===Portsmouth=== Govas signed his first professional contract with Premier League outfit Portsmouth F.C. for the 2007–08 season, joining the club's Academy and Reserves teams under director Paul Hart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/frattonlatest/academy-keeper-jordan-fails-to.3892529.jp |title=Academy keeper Jordan fails to win Pompey contract - Pompey Past - Portsmouth News |publisher=Portsmouth.co.uk |date=19 March 2008 |accessdate=21 September 2012}}</ref> On 27 October 2007, he appeared in a game for the Academy.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2007-10.html | title=Surname }}</ref> On 12 November 2007, Govas appeared for the Academy team in another game.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2007-11.html|title=SURNAME|website=www.ozfootball.net|accessdate=26 March 2023}}</ref> On 17 December 2007, Govas made his last appearance of the year in a game for Portsmouth's Academy.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2007-12.html | title=Surname }}</ref> On 23 January 2008, he was an unused substitute in a 1–0 home loss for Portsmouth's reserves against West Ham United.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.whufc.com/es/node/14374 | title=Bellamy back as reserves win | West Ham United F.C. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2008-01.html | title=Surname }}</ref> On 19 February 2008, he appeared again for the reserves.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2008-02.html | title=Surname }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2008-03.html | title=Surname }}</ref> On 21 April 2008, Govas appeared for the Academy team and made his last appearance for the club.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2008-04.html | title=Surname }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2008-05.html | title=Surname }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2008-06.html | title=Surname }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2008-07.html | title=Surname }}</ref> In July 2008, he departed Portsmouth to join Greek club Apollon Kalamarias.<ref name="auto">{{cite web | url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Abroad/2008-08.html | title=Surname }}</ref>
====Greece==== In July 2008, Govas transferred to Greek club Apollon Kalamarias.<ref name="auto"/> where he and Australian Apostolos Giannou played together in the Greek Football League, a year which saw Govas gain 7 appearances before transferring to FS Kozani.
In January 2010 Govas signed for Greek Super League Greece Club Kavala, where he joined fellow Australians; Zeljko Kalac, Apostolos Giannou, Craig Moore and Robert Stambolziev.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/teams/greece/ao-kavala/ |title=Greece - AO Kavala - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos and news |publisher=Soccerway |date=11 January 2012 |accessdate=21 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/andreas-govas/70359/ |title=Australia - A. Govas - Profile with news, career statistics and history |publisher=Soccerway |date=27 October 2010 |accessdate=21 September 2012}}</ref>
====France==== In January 2012, he signed a six-month contract with French Ligue 2 side Troyes AC who were promoted in the same season to Ligue 1.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.estac.fr/newsite/news/4249/211/Andreas-Govas-est-Troyen.htm |title=ESTAC - Site Officiel - Archives des fils info |publisher=Estac.fr |accessdate=21 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505123824/http://www.estac.fr/newsite/news/4249/211/Andreas-Govas-est-Troyen.htm |archive-date=5 May 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
====Return to Greece==== In September 2012, he signed a two-year contract with AEL Kalloni in the Greek Football League. He played an important role throughout the season helping Kalloni FC gain automatic promotion to the Greek Super League Greece for the first time in the club's history.
===Return to Australia=== In February 2014, Govas signed for National Premier League club Oakleigh Cannons FC under coach Miron Bleiberg. The Cannons finished league runners up in Govas' only season with the club. In November 2014, Govas signed for his childhood football club Heidelberg United in the National Premier League. Govas scored an incredible long-range goal in April 2015 as Heidelberg beat Green Gully by a scoreline of 8–2.<ref name="Govas nets NPL goal worthy of global praise">{{cite web|last1=Forage|first1=Toby|title=Andreas Govas nets NPL goal worthy of global praise|url=http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2015/04/15/andreas-govas-nets-npl-goal-worthy-global-praise|website=The World Game|date=15 April 2015 |accessdate=15 June 2016}}</ref> On 15 June 2016 Govas left the Bergers mid-season for league counterparts FC Bulleen Lions. In 2017 Govas signed for National Premier League club Port Melbourne SC and was one of the best players throughout the 2017 season scoring numerous long bombs along the way. In round 2 he was in the NPL Victoria Team of the Week.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cornerflag.com.au/npl-victoria-team-of-the-week-round-2-2017/|title=NPL Victoria Team of the Week: Round 2 - The Corner Flag|date=23 February 2017|newspaper=The Corner Flag|access-date=23 February 2017}}</ref> In 2018 Govas signed for National Premier League club Heidelberg United.
==International career== In July 2008, Govas was listed in a group of Australian footballers aged between 16 and 22 known as "the lost boys", including Paul Giannou, Robert Stambolziev and Dean Bouzanis, who were likely to play for or had played for national teams of the country of their heritage.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/804777/the-lost-boys/ | title=The lost boys? | date=10 July 2008 }}</ref><ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto3"/>
He was a part of the Australia U-20 team that participated in and won the 2008 ASEAN Youth Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.melbournevictory.net/forum/showthread.php?t=49243 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804142556/http://www.melbournevictory.net/forum/showthread.php?t=49243 |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 August 2012 |title=Lujic scores twice for Young Socceroo's |publisher=Melbournevictory.net |accessdate=21 September 2012 }}</ref>
He was also a part of the Australia U-20 team that competed at the AFC U-19 Championship 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/85604,joeys-defeat-uzbekistan.aspx |title=Joeys Defeat Uzbekistan - Australia News - Australian FourFourTwo - The Ultimate Football Website |work=FourFourTwo Australia |publisher=Au.fourfourtwo.com |date=29 September 2008 |accessdate=21 September 2012}}</ref>
In 2008, he had also represented Greece's national U-19 squad with Apostolos Giannou and Dean Bouzanis.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://cityjournal.dsc.rmit.edu.au/category/secondary-stories/page/6/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305090430/http://cityjournal.dsc.rmit.edu.au/category/secondary-stories/page/6/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 March 2011 |title=City Journal Online |publisher=Cityjournal.dsc.rmit.edu.au |accessdate=21 September 2012 }}</ref> It had been reported that Govas, Giannou and Bouzanis chose to represent Greece as they had been snubbed by Australian national selectors.
<blockquote> "I represented the Victorian squad at Under 15 and Under 16 levels and I was lucky enough to have been selected for the VIS to be part of a development program aimed at producing players for the national team. As I came towards the end of my time at VIS I was hoping to get an international call-up or an invitation to the AIS. I was invited up to the AIS for a trial, but unfortunately I was not in the (selected) 18 and was sent home. I thought I was really good while on trial there and was surprised not to have been picked. I was also then told that I would not be in the mix for AIS selection, so I looked overseas." – Govas speaking with Melbourne's Greek newspaper ''Neos Kosmos''<ref name="autogenerated1"/> </blockquote>
==Honours== '''Australia U19''' * AFF U-19 Youth Championship: 2008
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Players/G/GO.html Australian Football Database Profile]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Govas, Andreas}} Category:1989 births Category:Greek men's footballers Category:Australian people of Greek descent Category:Sportspeople of Greek descent Category:Greek expatriate men's footballers Category:Kavala F.C. players Category:Soccer players from Melbourne Category:Super League Greece players Category:Victorian Institute of Sport alumni Category:Living people Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Port Melbourne SC players Category:Oakleigh Cannons FC players Category:Heidelberg United FC players Category:AEL Kalloni F.C. players Category:Kozani F.C. players Category:Australian expatriate sportspeople in France Category:Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Category:Greek expatriate sportspeople in England Category:Greek expatriate sportspeople in France Category:Australian men's soccer players Category:Australian expatriate men's soccer players Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England Category:Expatriate men's footballers in France Category:Greece men's youth international footballers Category:Australia men's under-20 international soccer players Category:21st-century Australian sportsmen Category:21st-century Greek sportsmen