Words: Matt Dorman
Image: Alannah Pearson/Olympic FC

Olympic FC have retained another first-team star with PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Supporters’ Team of the Year selection Kazuya Ito confirmed for a third season at the club.

Ito caught the eye in his first year at Olympic in 2013 with his versatility and backed up his efforts with a highly impressive sophomore season - scoring twice in 21 PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland appearances.

The Japanese import confirmed his quality with a starring role in the club’s run to the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 16 and says he has formed close ties with the club during his time at Goodwin Park.

“I love this club. The people here are like family to me,” said Ito, who is affectionately known around the club as 'Kazoo'.

The Osaka-born 28-year-old is also a regular fixture behind the scenes at the club, working as a coach in Olympic’s junior development system.

Ito sees coaching in his long-term future, which he hopes will also be in Brisbane with his wife and newborn baby set to join him in the Queensland capital in the new year.

“They are coming in the middle of February,” he said.

“I want to study coaching more because it is a different culture. Australia is so different to Japan.”

“I like this country, Australia, and I think Brisbane is number one,” Ito added. 

This season Olympic lost the silverare collected in the competition's inaugural year, finishing third on the ladder and being narrowly beaten by Palm Beach SC in the PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Grand Final at Mallawa Complex.

However, asked if his club would reclaim the title in 2015, Ito didn’t hestitate in his response.

“Of course,” he smiled.

Ito's commitment brings Olympic FC's confirmed senior squad to 17 ahead of a return to pre-season training in December.