Day: February 23, 2006

Thursday, 23 February 2006 11:56 PM

The Under 17 Australian squad for the World Cup Qualifiers selected by Ange Postecoglou contains two South Melbourne Juniors that have been drafted into the Victorian Institute Of Sport.

Paul Giannou was developed by the club from the Under 11s and was selected by the VIS upon the completion of his U14 2004 Super League season for SMFC. Paul currently stands at 194cm tall at 15 years of age and has already been trialling with Melbourne Victory. He is an exiting midfielder of the Zinedene mould.

The second player from the South Melbourne Junior structure to make the Australian Under 17 team is Milos Lujic, the son of Footscray JUST legend Zdravko Lujic and part of the SMFC U15 2005 Super League team. He is a tall and skilful striker that is very powerful in the air.

The boys will travel to Laos as Australia is drawn to play Indonesia and Laos and must win the group to progress to the later stages of the Asian qualifiers in Singapore in September. Four Asian nations will qualify for the Under 17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007.

South Melbourne FC wishes the team all the best success and is proud to again be a contributor to the future of football in Australia.

Thursday, 23 February 2006 3:45 PM

South Melbourne FC and Preston Lions FC have worked together to organise the inaugural game for ‘The Harmony Cup’. The first leg will be played on this Sunday, 26th February at Bob Jane Stadium and the return leg will be played at O’Connor Reserve in round two of the Vodafone Cup.

South Melbourne FC President, Greg Kaias proudly supported the initiative.

“I would like to thank my Board for initiating this event and I congratulate Preston Lions FC for welcoming our suggestion. South Melbourne is one of the biggest Club’s in Australian Football history and it is very important that the South Melbourne moves foward and starts to build bridges with other parties.

“In modern day Australia, there is no room for politics in sport. This is not a new concept. It is as old as the Olympics. We want the fans that come to Bob Jane, to support their Club with passion but also to be respectful of everyone else involved.”

With the assistance of Football Federation Victoria and the close cooperation of The Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC), the two Clubs have organised to play the game wearing orange armbands, which are a symbol of harmony. The VMC will present the Harmony Cup to the victorious team. In the case of a draw, both captains will be presented the Harmony Cup.

Children of more recently arrived immigrants fom the Horn Of Africa will be play a curtain raiser. Just as South Melbourne has been a cultural melting pot for so many migrant communities over the years, it is fitting that these children are involved and given the opportunity to pursue the spirit and ideals of sportmanship on the grand stage of Bob Jane Stadium.

South Melbourne boasts a playing list that is representative of multicultural Australia and wishes to extend a welcoming spirit to Melbourne’s football fraternity.

Mr Kaias expressed his optimism for the event. “I would like to think that the public will see that our Club’s are run by good hardworking volunteers that care for the sport. If South wants to be part of the A-League in the future we must show leadership to resolve bad behaviour of the past.”