South Melbourne FC confirms that Senior Women’s captain, dual Championship winner and Hall of Fame member Jamie Pollock will be returning home to the USA in order to be with her family.
Pollock grew up in Georgia, USA and first experienced football at Harrison High School. She also played youth football at Tophat 08 Gold and was part of the Georgia State Olympic Development Program. Accolades followed the midfielder throughout her youth football, being part of and captaining teams to the Georgia State Championship and the Olympic Development Program National Championship.
Her success continued at the University of Georgia, where she started every game she played over the course of three years, scoring 8 goals and providing 12 assists. As her time with the Georgia Bulldogs came to a close, she was offered a contract with Atlanta Beat in the Women’s Professional Soccer League, however the league folded before she graced the pitch. In 2013, Pollock joined the Florida Atlantic Owls as a coach before moving north to join the Boston Breakers setup in the National Women’s Soccer League.
A year later, Pollock was back in her native Georgia, this time playing for the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Silverbacks were her last US-based team as she then made the long journey downunder to play in Victoria.
South Melbourne senior coach (at the time) Socrates Nicolaidis had extensive experience in the USA, having coached at club and college level for some fifteen years. His network enabled him to identify Pollock to join his squad at Lakeside.
Pollock’s debut for SMFC was in June 2015 against the Senior NTC, followed by her Lakeside debut a week later against Casey Comets. A successful 2015 campaign saw SMFC finish fourth and qualify for the finals, where Pollock played a crucial role. In week two of the finals she scored a 90th-minute goal to down Heidelberg in a thrilling match at Lakeside. The following week she scored a brace at Kingston Health to help eliminate Ashburton United and book a place in the Grand Final.
Pollock played a critical role throughout the Grand Final and was awarded the honour of being the best player in the game. She was also front and centre as club captain Alex Cheal raised the WPL championship trophy following victory.
Pollock continued to be a key part of SMFC’s success, capturing the NPLW Premiers Plate in the 2017 and 2018 seasons as well as winning the 2017 NPLW Grand Final against Geelong Galaxy. Her leadership and work ethic saw her named as club captain in 2019 and she was formally inducted into the SMFC Hall of Fame at the club’s event in February 2020.
Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Giuliano paid tribute to Pollock. “Since arriving in 2015, Jamie has been a huge part of the club, our culture and family. She has not only been a superstar on the park as a key member to our success, but the time she has dedicated to being a role model for our younger players is something that will be greatly missed. We wish her all the best for her move back home and hope that the next chapter in her life is an enjoyable one. She is forever part of our family and the history of our club.”
SMFC senior coach Samuel Young also paid tribute to Pollock. “I want to thank Jamie for her years of service to SMFC. Jamie embodies what it means to be a South player; determined, professional and a winner. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get the chance to work with her on a match day but we understand her decision to head home in these uncertain times. Jamie leaves as an SMFC legend and the door will always be open to her in any capacity at the club. I want to wish her all the success in her future endeavours.”
The entire SMFC family wishes Jamie all the best in the next phase of her life and we thank her for her service to the club over the years.