Oh What a Night

The 747 people who attended the Team of the Century Dinner were left delighted with the spectacular event that South Melbourne FC held at the Crown Palladium Ballroom.

Never before seen footage was shown on the night, as forty past and present South Melbourne FC players were inducted into the Hall of Champions and presented with honouree plaques. Steve Blair, John Margaritis, Oscar Crino and Jim Pyrgolios were a few of the legends present, but if celebrating a sixteen man Team of the Century squad was not enough, South unveiled a unique painting portraying the famous Middle Park Stadium with the sixteen selected players in the foreground.

The Palladium Ballroom was decorated in impressive fashion, with exceptional banners placed strategically around the room and the Team of the Century backdrop hanging from the covering of the stage. The black chairs were complimented with the blue and gold Team of the Century booklet, which beautifully blended with the colouring of the large room.

Each individual Team of the Century inductee was presented with a specially framed Team of the Century playing strip. An auction enabled supporters the chance to purchase the strip. Paul Trimboli’s strip was the most popular, selling for a mammoth $15,000.

After being honoured as the captain of the team, Ange Postecoglou made an emotional speech about the future of the club, while Manny Poulakakis was announced as the coach. To the delight of the supporters, the 36 players present on the night were more than happy to sign autographs and chat with the fans.

South Melbourne FC thanks all sponsors, players, supporters and fans of the world game for making the night a huge success and a night that will definitely go down in not only South Melbourne FC history but Australian Football history as well.