South Melbourne FC wishes to signal its intention to open formal dialogue with the Australian Professional Leagues and relevant stakeholders regarding the prospect of securing future A-League Men’s and A-League Women’s licences.
The club believes the time is right to explore a return to the highest level of domestic football, building on the significant progress South Melbourne has made both on and off the pitch.
South Melbourne won the inaugural Australian Championship in 2025 and currently represents Australia in the Oceania Professional League, a competition that has received support from both the Federal and Victorian Governments.
Participation in the OFC competition has seen South Melbourne become Australia’s 13th professional football club and accelerate its transition towards a full time professional football environment.
On the pitch, the club continues to compete strongly across multiple competitions and is currently a Quarter Finalist in the 2026 Australia Cup.
Importantly, South Melbourne does not see participation in the A-Leagues as replacing its existing football commitments.
The club’s ambition is to maintain its presence in the Oceania Professional League, Australian Championship and NPL Victoria while exploring the opportunity to add A-League Men’s and A-League Women’s teams to its football structure.
Co-President Bill Papastergiadis said South Melbourne had always been an aspirational football club and should continue looking for opportunities to compete at the highest possible level.
“South Melbourne has always been an ambitious and aspirational club. That has been part of our DNA throughout our history and it remains the case today,” Papastergiadis said.
“Winning the Australian Championship, representing Australia in Oceania as a professional club and competing on the national stage through the Australia Cup have demonstrated what this club is capable of.
“We are incredibly proud of where we have come from, but we are equally excited about where we can go.
“Our ambition is not to leave behind the competitions that have been important to our journey. We want to continue competing in the NPL, Australian Championship and Oceania Professional League while exploring whether South Melbourne can also have a place in the A-Leagues. This will open up even more opportunities for players across Victoria to play at a higher level.
“We believe South Melbourne should always aspire to compete at the highest level available to us, and we believe the time is right to begin that conversation.”
The club enters that conversation from a position of significant strength.
More than 150 businesses are supporting South Melbourne in 2026, providing strong financial and commercial backing and demonstrating confidence in the club’s long term direction.
South Melbourne also operates from Lakeside Stadium under a long term lease arrangement, providing an established professional home, strong matchday infrastructure and a highly profitable operating model.
Co-President Andrew Mesourouni said the club’s passionate and established supporter base was central to its ambitions.
“Our supporters have continually shown up in significant numbers for our biggest matches, creating an atmosphere at Lakeside that demonstrates the appetite that already exists around this club,” Mesourouni said.
“South Melbourne is ready made. We know who we are, we know our identity and we have generations of supporters who have grown up with this club.
“We are proud of our history, but equally proud of what we are building today. Through our growing network of partner clubs, schools and community programs, we are connecting with more young people, families and communities across Melbourne.
“We believe there is a genuine opportunity to bring that history, identity, supporter base and growing community to the A-Leagues. Through our history and location, there is an opportunity for ready-made derby matches, and we also believe there will be strong commercial interest in our participation, including via broadcast.”
The women’s game would be integral to any future A-Leagues discussions.
South Melbourne has invested significantly in its female football program and believes any future professional licence should encompass both A-League Men and A-League Women, providing genuine pathways from junior football through to the highest levels of the Australian game, regardless of gender.
With more than six decades of history, an established supporter base, significant commercial backing, professional football operations, an expanding community footprint and a long term home at Lakeside Stadium, South Melbourne believes it has a compelling foundation from which to explore the opportunity.
The club acknowledges that any future expansion or licensing process would require extensive consultation with the Australian Professional Leagues, Football Australia and other relevant stakeholders.
At this stage, South Melbourne is signalling its intention to commence that dialogue and formally explore what a future pathway into the A-Leagues could look like.
The club looks forward to engaging constructively with all relevant parties about what role South Melbourne can play in the future of professional football in Australia.
For all media enquiries, please contact George Kouroumalis at media@smfc.com.au.
– ENDS –
