South Melbourne Football Club (SMFC) is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Sonali Pande, Sports Physician, as Head of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, further strengthening the Club’s commitment to excellence in athlete health, wellbeing and performance.
Dr Sonali is a Specialist Sport and Exercise Medicine Physician with a substantial background in orthopaedics and sports medicine. Her high-performance sporting experience includes appointments with Cricket Australia as a touring team and tournament doctor, including the Australia A Men’s team, Australian National Men’s Hard of Hearing Cricket Team and Australian National Women’s Blind Cricket Team, together with medical roles across cricket, basketball and netball. She is currently the Under 19 Men’s National Cricket Team Doctor for the 2026 series against India and has recently been appointed as the Doctor for the National Mixed Disability Program for Cricket Australia.
Dr Sonali brings considerable expertise in athlete health, injury prevention, rehabilitation and safe return to performance. Working alongside the Club’s medical, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, coaching and football departments, she will further strengthen South Melbourne’s integrated, multidisciplinary approach to player health and performance.
The appointment has been strongly supported by South Melbourne Football Club co-Presidents Mr Bill Papastergiadis OAM and Mr Andrew Messorouni, the Board, Professor Marinis Pirpiris, Board Member and Director of Sports Medicine, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Strati Xynas, General Manager and Mr Chalerm Tuantab, Head of Performance, reflecting the Club’s continuing investment in a high-quality, integrated medical and high-performance program.
Welcoming Dr Sonali to the Club, Mr Papastergiadis OAM said: “Dr Sonali’s experience and expertise will be an outstanding addition to our multidisciplinary team and reflects the standards of care we aspire to provide our players.”
Professor Pirpiris emphasised the importance of placing player welfare at the centre of high performance: “Elite performance must be underpinned by an equally strong commitment to athlete health, safety and wellbeing. Dr Sonali’s appointment further strengthens our ability to provide players with coordinated, evidence-based care across injury prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and return to performance.”
Mr Andrew Mesourouni and Mr Strati Xynas also welcomed the appointment, highlighting the importance of continuing to strengthen the professional infrastructure supporting the Club’s players and football program. Mr Chalerm Tuantab welcomed the opportunity to further integrate sports medicine, rehabilitation and performance within the Club’s multidisciplinary model.
The appointment reflects a shared commitment across the Board, football, medical and high-performance departments to providing South Melbourne players with the highest standards of care, wellbeing and performance support.
The SMFC Board, football department and entire South Melbourne family warmly welcome Dr Sonali and look forward to her contribution to the Club.
