Day: March 13, 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC’s 2014 National Premier League season begins tonight with a trip to Olympic Village to face old rivals Heidelberg United. It will be the first time that the two clubs have met each other in a proper competitive match since the final round of the 2012 Victorian Premier League season.

South Melbourne had a strong finish in 2013, ending the regular VPL season in fourth place before defeating Green Gully and Melbourne Knights (both 1-0) to reach the Preliminary Final. Unfortunately that was as close as Chris Taylor’s side came to the Championship, as Northcote defeated South before defeating the Bentleigh Greens in the Grand Final the following weekend. South finished the season in a respectable third place but Taylor wants (and expects) much better in 2014. Many players have departed from Lakeside Stadium in the off-season but have been adequately replaced, with new key signings including Jamie Reed (forward), Matthew Theodore (midfield), Andrew Mullet (defence) and Michael Eagar (defence). Eagar has impressed so much that Taylor has appointed him as Club Captain for the season, with Tyson Holmes and Brad Norton as his Vice Captains. With no finals series in 2014 and the League Champion determined by first past the post, South must get off to a winning start.

Heidelberg spent 2013 in State League One after being relegated from the VPL in 2012. They had an excellent season and won the Championship by finishing on 46 points after 22 rounds, four points ahead of Werribee City (42) and seven ahead of third-placed Sunshine George Cross (39). Key players for the Bergers in 2014 include former South Captain Luke Byles, former South midfielder Danny Vasilevski and goalkeeper Griffin McMaster. Coach George Katsakis will have his players ready for Thursday’s match as his Heidelberg sides have usually matched up well against South over the years.

Ironically, Heidelberg’s last match in Victoria’s top division was against South, at Olympic Village on Sunday 16 September 2012. There was little for both sides to play for on that day because South could not qualify for the VPL finals series and Heidelberg was already relegated. Goals from Matko Budimir (20’), Shaun Kelly (38’, 40’), Baggio Yousif (68’) and Tom Matthews (72’) sealed a very comfortable 5-2 away victory for South to end its season on a high.

Tonight’s match kicks off at 7:15PM at Olympic Village.

South Melbourne FC is pleased to launch its new-look official website ahead of the kick-off of the National Premier League season tonight.

The new website has been given a modern and fresh feel and was designed and implemented by George Kouroumalis, the Club’s digital media and marketing specialist. We would also like to thank John Kyrou and Con Dimitrakakis for assisting with the content throughout the changeover and redevelopment.

The SMFC Media Team of Paul Zarogiannis, David Henning, Kyrou, Cindy Nitsos, Michael Dimoudis and Steven Orchard have also contributed by producing much of the content (SMFC TV, southRadio, statistics and photographs) that features heavily on the new website.

South Melbourne FC wishes to thank everyone involved in the upgrade (especially George Kouroumalis) and hopes that everyone enjoys the new official website.

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that Plastamasta will be the new Major Sponsor of the Club for the 2014 National Premier League Victoria season. As part of the club wide partnership, the Plastamasta logo will prominently feature on the front of the playing shirts across all teams within the Club, including both Senior and Junior Teams.

Plastamasta is the national distribution network for its parent company Knauf, with over 47 outlets Australia wide. The parent company Knauf manufactures and distributes plasterboard, compounds, cornice and associated products and systems. Plastamasta seeks to establish lasting relationships with their customers by exceeding their expectations through exceptional service, quality innovative products and a commitment to over-deliver.

With two manufacturing facilities in Matraville (Sydney) and Altona (Melbourne), over 220 employees and a national franchise PlastaMasta network, Knauf is a major supplier of plasterboard and associated products to the light weight construction industry. A quality range of products and systems designed for performance provide solutions for fire, water, impact, acoustic and decorative applications for all construction projects – commercial and residential.

Knauf, a family owned company based in Germany, has a strong global presence in the construction materials industry. With more than 220 facilities, 70 quarrying operations and 23,000 employees in over 60 countries the company is one of the leading plasterboard manufacturers in the world producing more than 1 billion square metres of plasterboard per year. Furthermore, total consolidated revenue for the Knauf Group is over 8 billion euros per annum.

Andrew and Harry Mesourouni, Managing Directors of Global Gypsum trading as PlastaMasta in Victoria, told smfc.com.au “it is a quite a coup for the Club to forge a relationship with the Plastamasta brand and the Knauf Group. The parent group Knauf is one of the world’s largest producer of plasterboard and associated products. Both South Melbourne FC and Plastamasta/Knauf share similar core values, and we look forward to an enduring and successful partnership. With the establishment of the National Premier League Victoria competition and the introduction of the FFA Cup, it promises to be an exciting year at South Melbourne”.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC President Leo Athanasakis said “we are both delighted and excited to welcome a national brand such a Plastamasta to the Club. This represents one of the largest sponsorship deals the Club has secured since its return to state football. Plastamasta’s parent company Knauf is one of the world’s largest producers of plaster related products, and it is an example of the strong growth in corporate sponsorship the Club has achieved over the preseason.”

By John Kyrou

Click here to view the full squad

The 2014 pre-season has certainly been a busy one for South Melbourne FC. With National Premier League rules requiring each squad to have a mandatory 20 players on its roster, Coach Chris Taylor has spent the summer re-signing key players and welcoming former familiar faces to the Club, whilst also overseeing a number of departures as well.

Key losses have been Bryan Bran, Luke Hopper and Nick Soolsma (all gone overseas) whilst Alan Kearney, Carl Recchia and Trent Rixon decided to join other NPL clubs. Rhys Meredith returned home to Queensland and goalkeeper Peter Gavalas retired, as did Club champion Fernando De Moraes.

Centre-half Shaun Kelly suffered a lengthy leg injury over the summer and will miss most – if not all – of 2014. He is not included in the 20 man roster; however the Club wishes to confirm that Shaun remains with the Club and is in Chris Taylor’s plans for the future. Kelly’s absence at centre-half has been filled with the arrivals of Andrew Mullett and James Musa, with both players able to switch between playing centre-half and left-back. Former SMFC players returning to Lakeside Stadium include Jason Saldaris, Leigh Minopoulos, Andy Kecojevic (juniors) and Slaven Vranesevic (juniors). The two visa players (the maximum number allowed in each NPL squad) for South in 2014 are Musa and Englishman Jamie Reed, who joins the Club from Chester but formerly played at Dandenong Thunder on loan in 2010 and scored seven goals in five matches. Musa will join the club after his commitments with Team Wellington finish.

Taylor has managed to put together a playing squad that is a good mixture of youth and experience, with the youngest player being Andy Kecojevic (15) and the oldest being Dimi Tsiaras (29). Only three players – Tsiaras (29), Holmes (26) and Reed (26) – are 25 years of age or older. Despite the uncertainty throughout the summer regarding the introduction of the NPL in 2014, South has managed to get on the front foot and put together a playing squad that will hopefully be a contender in all competitions in 2014. With four trophies on offer (NPL Victoria Championship, National Premier League Championship, Dockerty Cup and FFA Cup), there is plenty to look forward to this upcoming season.

Captaining the squad this season will be Michael Eagar, while his deputies will be Tyson Holmes and Brad Norton who have both been named Vice Captain.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Football Director Nicholas Maikousis said “Chris Taylor has put together a formidable squad that is a blend of youth and experience. With the introduction of the National Premier League and FFA Cup, there is much excitement at Lakeside as we have much to play for this season.”

Departures
Alan Kearney (Dandenong Thunder), Bryan Bran (Netherlands), Carl Recchia (Pascoe Vale), Fernando De Moraes (retired), Luke Hopper (UK), Rhys Meredith (Queensland), Nick Soolsma (Canada), Peter Gavalas (retired), Trent Rixon (Northcote City)

Arrivals
Andrew Mullett (Oakleigh Cannons), Andy Kecojevic (Springvale White Eagles), James Musa (Team Wellington, NZ), Jamie Reed (Chester, UK), Jason Saldaris (Perth SC), Kobbie Boahene (AIS), Leigh Minopoulos (Werribee City), Michael Eagar (Northcote City, Milos Lujic (Northcote City), Slaven Vranesevic (Springvale White Eagles), Graham Hockless (Port Melbourne Sharks), Joshua Meaker (SMFC Youth).