Day: March 13, 2015

This weekend marks the start of the 2015 NPL Victoria season for our Youth teams. Our six teams from the Under 12s to Under 18s will travel to play the Springvale White Eagles on Sunday 15th March.

One of the coaches, Matthew Borowicz, took time out of his busy schedule to talk to smfc.com.au about the upcoming season.

“We went through quite a few organisational activities to set up this year from a footballing perspective. We feel that we are quite ready and organised. From the Under 18s down, we can see the consistency of what we want to achieve, striving for each side to have the same way of playing. We are definitely recognising that improvement slowly… of course, with the younger boys there is a long way to go, however it’s a very positive start.”

The Youth teams are sporting a number of new faces. There are a number of new coaches and new players who are pulling on the South Melbourne jersey for the first time. Every year is a balancing act between retaining a core group of players for each team, pushing talented players to the next age group to aid their development and finally identifying new players to bring into the Club.

Borowicz spoke of the changes the Youth program has experienced, saying that “on average we have about sixty to seventy percent of each squad being the same as last year. So there was not a big changeover of players, which is what we want so we can continue to develop them as a team and as individuals. We prefer to keep as many as possible and it was very positive for us that most of the guys we picked up came from community clubs. We recognise there is a lot of talent in the community clubs so we are giving opportunities to these players.”

The expansion of the National Premier League Victoria in 2015 has resulted in the introduction of a number of new teams at the Youth level. The League has been split into two conferences, being East and West. In the East conference, South Melbourne will participate in a very long season that comprises 34 rounds and a number of gala weekends, with matches on both the Saturday and the Sunday.

Talking about the changes purely from a football development perspective, Borowicz says that “there are definitely challenges for such a long season but the challenges are the same for all of the clubs. Personally, I am looking forward to it as I have been pushing for a longer season for the boys and now we’ve got it. The competition is improving in terms of the level and the opposition… I think its getting better and better.”

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise that the 2015 Jersey Presentation Night will be held at Principal Partner Beachcomber Cafe on Friday 27 March from 7pm. A two course meal will be provided inclusive of beer, wine and soft drink.

Fox Sports Football presenter and 2015 Logie nominee Tara Rushton will host the event, with a cast of football guests including Santo Cilauro and Kimon Taliadoros joining South Melbourne FC Head Coach Chris Taylor on stage to discuss the future landscape of Australian football. There will also be further guests that will be confirmed closer to the date as part of this discussion.

All players from the 2015 South Melbourne FC Senior Squad will be presented with their playing jersey, with all guests invited to bid for each player in the annual Player Auction. The winning bidder will be recognised as the player’s official sponsor for the 2015 season, with public acknowledgements throughout the season.

There will be also be prizes on the night as well as the opportunity for coaches, players, sponsors and supporters to enjoy a relaxed night ahead of the derby against traditional rivals Heidelberg United two days later on the Sunday.

For bookings email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au.

South Melbourne FC face State League 3 North West side Whittlesea United tomorrow in the Fourth Round of the 2015 Dockerty Cup / Westfield FFA Cup qualifying. In order to qualify for the FFA Cup Round of 32, South needs to win four matches against a variety of NPL and State League clubs, beginning with Whittlesea United tomorrow.

Last year saw South knocked out at the final stage of FFA Cup qualifying (the quarter final stage of the Dockerty Cup), following a 0-2 home loss against the Melbourne Knights. Chris Taylor’s men will be eager to ensure there is no complacency this weekend against a side that competes in the fifth tier of Victorian football.

Whittlesea United are captained by former South Melbourne player Tansel Baser, who is a member of the South Melbourne Hall of Fame and played a total of 106 matches across seven seasons for the Club. He played in the Club’s 1998 National Soccer League Championship as well as the 2006 Victorian Premier League Championship. His current side qualified to play against South on the back of a sensational 3-2 upset against FC Clifton Hill last Saturday.

South are coming off a bruising encounter with Werribee City last Sunday and will likely be forced into a number of changes for tomorrow’s match. Despite recording a 1-2 victory, there were injuries to Tim Mala (rolled ankle), Kristian Konstantinidis (ankle) and Nick Epifano (a minor knock), whilst 16 year old Andy Kecojevic succumbed to severe cramp late in the game with no substitutions left. Mala and Konstantinidis will miss this weekend’s match, whilst Epifano is likely to feature as a substitute.

Captain Michael Eagar could slot back into defence as he did last weekend, however there is the possibility that Ioannis Avramidis could be promoted from the Under 20s to fill in at the centre-half position. Kecojevic was tremendous in the first half against Werribee, delighting the South fans with several classy touches and a brilliant pass in the lead up to Epifano’s goal. The youngster could also feature in midfield if he is fit.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 3pm at Thomas Street Reserve in Thomastown. Those unable to make the game can follow it with live updates on the South Melbourne FC Facebook page and on the Club’s official Twitter @smfc with the hashtag #FFACUP.