With just four games to go Sydney Olympic are rooted to the bottom of the NPL NSW table and look set to be relegated. With just one win in their past five games, there is little indication the club will be able to turn its form around in time.

It’s a harsh fall for the club which just last year finished 7^th in the league, however a new youth-focused strategy has appeared to impact results.

Despite this, the club has secured a presence on the national stage, with a surprise qualification to the Australia Cup Round of 32, as well as direct access to the Australian Championship as a foundation member.

This will be cold comfort to Olympic fans though if the club is relegated from its bread-and-butter league, the NPL.

In the NSW NPL, 16^th place is directly relegated and 15^th enters a relegation playoff. Chances for Olympic are slim, but with four games left there is hope.

However, it appears the club faces more challenges off-field, as highlighted by a poor crowd (c.1000) for the club’s recent Australia Cup match against Brisbane Roar. The Greek Herald has been reporting on fan concerns for a while now, with questions directed at the Olympic Board and its governance structure which allows for a unique ‘benefactor member’ that enjoys a different level of control over the club.

The episode exposes the fragility of football communities and the need for South fans to remain vigilant.

Like Olympic, South Melbourne is the big Greek heritage club of its city. And shares its ground with other sporting organisations. However, South has responded to these challenges more successfully.

South negotiated a stronger facility agreement, whereas Olympic have been forced at times to play games at Kogarah rather than their usual ground of Belmore. South has worked to improve crowds whereas, Olympic’s community appears disengaged.

Finally, when South faced relegation, last year they managed to stay up, Olympic may not be so lucky…

Pos.	Team	Pts.
13	NWS Spirit	31
14	St George City	31
15	St George FC	20
16	Sydney Olympic	19