South Melbourne FC

The Blue and White Forever

SMFC NPL Youth Program Update

SMFC NPL Youth Program Update

Having played a central role in the development of the NPL in Victoria, SMFC is proud of its implementation of the program to date, in its first year, while continuously looking to improve it in accordance with the club’s ethos in all areas.

We congratulate our Under 12, 13, 14, 16 and 18 teams for their qualification to the next round of their respective leagues. Our Under 15s unluckily just missed out but will, no doubt, be there next year. With the pending announcement by FFV of the final round fixtures, we wish our teams well in the final phase of the inaugural NPL season.

While everyone is aware of the success our senior team has experienced this year until now, we proudly recognise that together with the success of our junior teams, SMFC’s performance puts it among the most successful clubs in Victoria when measured under the ‘Whole of Club’ method applied by FFA and FFV. Youth development and the transition of players from junior and youth programs to senior football is a key aim of the NPL and SMFC. While we are still at the dawn of the NPL and as a club, we have still much to do, we have started well with the average age of our senior squad at 22 years of age.

After the difficult off-season experienced by many clubs with their much-publicised fight to implement a strong and viable NPL, SMFC has re-focused and settled down to the difficult but primary task of implementation of the program. Together with other NPL Clubs, SMFC is involved in the review and improvement of the NPL as a whole. With its own program, SMFC is continuously seeking to develop and improve every element of its programs and operations including their effective communication. To that end, the club values the constructive input of many of its members which will assist us to achieve our objectives.

In addition to its ongoing monitoring and development of its programs, the club will conduct a comprehensive review of all its departments, including its junior and youth programs, at the end of the season. This will satisfy not only its NPL obligations but also its own aims of identifying what it has done well and how it can improve so that we not only meet our objectives but exceed them and consolidate the club’s tradition of being a leader in football throughout the country.

The transition of our Junior Program from that of a Community Club to an elite NPL Club program is exacting and has consumed significant effort and resources from the club and our members. So we thank all our coaches, players, parents, members, administrators and staff for their dedication, support and feedback to help us build an enviable and successful elite Youth Program.

SMFC Board

Privacy Preference Center