Author: George Kouroumalis

SMFC welcome Bank of Sydney as 2021 Principal Partner

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that Bank of Sydney has joined the Club as a Principal Partner and as the Club’s official Bank Partner for the 2021 National Premier League Victoria season.

Bank of Sydney has local branches in Melbourne CBD, Oakleigh and Northcote and offers its customers true and personal relationship banking as well as competitive products and services to help them reach their financial goals.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Club President Nicholas Maikousis welcomed Bank of Sydney back to the SMFC family for the upcoming season. “Bank of Sydney have been tremendous partners of our club throughout the past decade and we are thrilled to have them back on board for this season. We thank Miltos Michaelas (CEO), Theo Kelidis (State Manager – Vic) and their team for their continued support.”

We are very proud to renew our support and partnership with SMFC for another year. We cherish the Club’s history that brought the community together for over 50 years and we are pleased to support them as they continue to grow. We wish them best of luck for this year’s National Premier League Victoria,’ said Miltos Michaelas, CEO of Bank of Sydney.

South Melbourne FC is pleased to confirm that forward Josh Barresi will be joining the club in the upcoming registration window for the 2021 NPL Victoria season.

He joins the club following a stint with Campbelltown in the South Australian NPL, where he played a pivotal role in the club reaching and winning the championship in 2020. This included scoring the opening goal in the Grand Final

Prior to this, he would be well known to South fans having played for both Bentleigh and Green Gully, including being part of the 2019 Championship winning squad for the Greens.

Barresi is a player who will add another versatile option anywhere in the front third. He can play as a striker, winger or in the creative midfield role just behind the attackers.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Senior Football Director Andrew Mesourouni was thrilled to have Josh on board for 2021. “Josh is an outstanding footballer who we hope can add creativity and another attacking threat to our front half. He has tasted success in the last two seasons and with that experience and wining mentality we are excited to welcome him to our squad.”

We look forward to seeing Josh in his new colours in a few weeks once the transfer period opens up.

South Melbourne FC can confirm that young gun Sasha Murphy has been elevated to the senior roster following an outstanding pre-season campaign.

The versatile wingback / winger has been a prominent member of the Under 20s championship winning squads and has impressed everyone through our extensive
pre-season campaign.

The youngster is joined by Yianni Panakos, Esad Saglam and Jayden Iliovski who have been added to an extended senior squad as train ons. The quartet have been with the senior squad for a large part of the pre-season and have played in numerous matches in that period.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Senior Football Director Andrew Mesourouni was excited at adding more youth to the squad. ‘Firstly I would like to welcome Sasha as a senior footballer. His work rate, attitude and willingness to push himself has been noticed by the coaching staff and his efforts in pre-season have been rewarded with this opportunity. He is a versatile player that can assist on either wing both in a defensive and attacking aspect, so we look forward to seeing him continue his development in a senior environment throughout the year.

We are also thrilled to add three more boys from our Under 20s to our extended squad who have also impressed throughout the pre-season in their time at training and matches for our senior team.”

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce the signing of Candela Ferreyra Bas for the 2021 NPLW Victoria season.

Ferreyra Bas returns to football after a season playing footy, with the former Gold Medal Winner keen to make her mark at Lakeside.

Candela is a hard-working and versatile attacking player, who can dominate matches in the midfield, as well as create and score in the front third.

As a former captain of Southern United and one of the finest players in the NPLW Victoria competition, we are also looking forward to seeing her link up with our exciting squad.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Senior Coach Samuel Young was excited with his latest acquisition. “Candy has been with us throughout pre-season and she has impressed everyone with her energy and work rate. She will add a different dimension to our midfield and we’re excited to have her in our squad.”

Also speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Giuliano also welcomed Candela to the club. “It is always great to bring talented footballers into the club and Candela is no exception. We have seen her play some outstanding football in the NPLW and are keen to see her emulate that form in a South shirt.

South Melbourne FC is pleased to confirm that Matildas legend Melissa Barbieri will join the club for the 2021 NPLW Victoria season.

Barbieri is an iconic name in Australian football, having featured for the Matildas in 86 competitive matches. During her time in the green and gold, Barbieri captained the Matildas to the 2010 Asian Cup triumph and into the 2011 World Cup, with Australia making the Quarter Finals. She represented our nation at four World Cups, including the 2015 tournament in Canada, where the Matildas once again made the Quarter Finals.

At the peak of her game, Barbieri was one of the finest goalkeepers in the world and has been a role model for Australian female footballers for over a decade.

Barbieri has played a prominent role in the W-League, winning the goalkeeper of the year on numerous occasions and most recently was part of the Melbourne City championship sides of 2017, 2018 and 2020.

Interestingly, Melissa began her career at Middle Park in 1994 as part of the South Melbourne women’s side. Having played that season in the outfield, nobody back then would have predicted that “Bubs” would go on to become a legendary goalkeeper in Australian football.

Melissa is also a proud member of the Football Victoria Hall of Fame.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Senior Coach Samuel Young expressed his excitement. “Melissa is a born leader and an icon of the game, so we are naturally very pleased to have her join the squad in 2021. As well as being a huge asset for us on the park, she will use her vast experience to work with and assist our younger players to continually improve.”

SMFC Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Giuliano was also elated with the signing. “South Melbourne always strives to have the best people involved in the club and when it comes to women’s football. We are thrilled to welcome Melissa back into our family for the 2021 season and cannot wait to see the immediate impact that she will make to our women’s program. The club strives to be at the top of the women’s game in this country, so to have a person of this quality around the club is something that excites us all.”

We wish her all the best in 2021 and cannot wait to see her back in SMFC colours once again.