Author: SMFC Media

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise that Mehmet Durakovic has stepped down from his role as Senior Technical Director to accept the position of Head Coach of Malaysian club Selangor.

Durakovic returns to Selangor where he enjoyed great success in his playing days. In total, he played 82 matches and was instrumental in the side winning three national championships.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Mehmet Durakovic said “leaving South Melbourne was a tough decision as I was enjoying my time overseeing the Club’s Youth Development Program. I have been offered a wonderful opportunity to coach in Malaysia, which made it so difficult to leave. I would like to thank South for the opportunity to come back, and wish Chris and the playing squad all the best for next season”.

SMFC Head Coach Chris Taylor will temporarily assume the responsibilities of the Senior Technical Director position in a caretaker capacity, as the Club considers its options moving forward.

SMFC President Leo Athanasakis told smfc.com.au “we are saddened by the news that Mehmet is leaving the club, but we are equally happy that he has been offered a fantastic opportunity in Malaysia. We wish Mehmet all the best, and look forward to seeing him back at South”.

For all media enquiries, please contact Andrew Mesourouni on 9645 9797.

Friday, 1 November 2013 9:09 AM

Back in June of this year, South Melbourne FC was proud to provide assistance to a wonderful charity, continuing its focus on community engagement and assisting those less fortunate. South Melbourne provided 100 SMFC footballs to the Footys4All Foundation through the great help of SMFC legend Jimmy Armstrong.

Recently, the SMFC footballs finally reached their destination, with a number of balls distributed to children in Rwanda. The children were ecstatic to receive the balls.

The Footys4All Foundation is a registered not for profit children’s sporting foundation, that supplies new sporting balls from all codes (footballs, basketballs, soccer balls etc.) to disadvantaged, underprivileged and socially displaced children from around Australia and the world, free of charge. The Foundation’s mission is to unite the world through the power of sport and physical activity. Many of the children who receive a ball have never had one, something most of us take for granted. Balls are distributed via existing registered community, sporting, educational and charity organisations.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Director Tom Kalas said “we are delighted to see the pictures and hear the stories of the children in Rwanda and we hope that they gain many hours of fun and enjoyment playing. We are proud of our association with Footys4all Foundation, as the club seeks to engage with a number of charities who carry out such terrific work. All this is possible with the tremendous support we receive from Nissan Motors and Essendon Nissan who are our Principal Community Program Partner”.

Saturday, 26 October 2013 10:17 PM

South Melbourne FC is excited to announce the next stage of its ambitious Youth Development Program.

Following the success of its first year with its association with the Fragata Academy in Brazil, its Under 18 side clinched the Victorian championship and both the Under12 and Under 17 sides losing in the State Championship Final, the club has reviewed the program seeking to improve and invest to attract the cream of young talented players.

Participants in the intensive SMFC Youth Development Program will be a part of the FFA youth development pathway.

As part of the changes to the Youth Development Program, players participating in the U16, U18, U20 age groups will train and play at no cost, with the Club waiving all training fees.

The following arrangements as part of the program will be offered for the 2014 season:

• three teams per age group in the sub-juniors.
• two teams per age groups in the U12, U13, U14, and U15 (Elite Team, Development Team).
• only one team in age groups in the U16, U18, and U20.
• Seeking to invest further resources into its Youth Development Program, strength and conditioning plus after game recovery will be
• introduced for age groups U16, U18, U20 which will be completed at AAMI Park.

South Melbourne FC has a proud tradition of producing over 50 Socceroo players and was instrumental in the creation of the first truly national football competition in the late 1970s. Its success in Australian football was recognised when it received the prestigious award Oceania Confederation Club of the Century.

To express your interest in reserving a place in the trial selection process, please contact Harry Gatsoulis at hgatsoulis@bigpond.com

To download a copy of the Youth Development Registration Form, please click here.

For all media enquiries, please contact Tom Kalas on (03) 9645 9797 or media@smfc.com.au

Wednesday, 23 October 2013 5:43 PM

South Melbourne FC is excited at the news that one of its favourite sons in Ange Postecoglou has been confirmed as the next Socceroo Head Coach.

Postecoglou had a distinguished and outstanding career with South Melbourne FC. In his playing days Postecoglou was at the Club for 10 seasons, playing 193 National Soccer League matches and scoring 19 League goals. He was a key member in the Club’s first NSL Championship in 1984 and captained the Clubs’ second NSL Championship side in the famous Grand Final win against the Melbourne Knights in 1991. One of the most recognised images of the Club’s 54 year history is that of Postecoglou and world football icon Ferenc Puskás (then the South coach) holding the Cup aloft in front of 23,318 fans after that dramatic penalty shootout win at Olympic Park on Sunday 5 May 1991.

At the completion of his playing career, Postecoglou continued at the Club as Assistant Coach, working under the former Socceroo coach (then South Melbourne Head Coach) Frank Arok. When Arok departed the Club in April 1996, Postecoglou was promoted to Head Coach and oversaw one of the most successful eras in South Melbourne’s history. His teams won back-to-back NSL Championships in 1998 and 1999, with the 1999 Championship qualifying the Club for the Oceania Confederation Club Championship later that year. In Fiji, South Melbourne swept all before them and was crowned Oceania Confederation Club Champion. In January 2000, South Melbourne represented the Oceania Confederation in the FIFA World Club Championship in Brazil, taking on the might of Manchester United, Necaxa and Vasco Da Gama and performing admirably in all three matches.

Overall, Postecoglou was heavily involved in all four of South’s Australian Championships and also coached South on the world stage in Brazil in 2000. He coached South in 127 National League matches, winning 68, drawing 27 and losing 32 for a winning percentage of 54per cent.

South Melbourne FC wishes Ange Postecoglou the best of luck as he leads the Socceroos into the World Cup in Brazil next year.

Monday, 14 October 2013 2:13 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC’s 2013 season came to a disappointing end when it was defeated 5-0 by Northcote City in the Preliminary Final at SS Anderson Reserve on Sunday afternoon. A double from Milos Lujic and goals from James Kalifatidis and Evan Kounavelis – plus a controversial own goal given against Peter Gavalas – completed what was a miserable afternoon played in miserable conditions.

South came into the game on the back of consecutive 1-0 victories in both the Elimination Final and Minor Semi Final, whereas Northcote came into the match having lost 2-1 in extra time against the Bentleigh Greens in last weekend’s Major Semi Final. That gave the Greens a direct passage to next Saturday’s Grand Final and Northcote the right to use its double-chance in the game against South. Goran Lozanovski’s Northcote had been the most consistent team in 2013 and as a result won the Minor Premiership, so to bow out of the finals in straight sets was something they were not prepared to accept.

In wet and windy conditions at SS Anderson Reserve, Northcote put early pressure on South and opened the scoring after only five minutes. Former South player Marinos Gasparis fired in an excellent cross from a free kick on the right for Kalifatidis to head past Gavalas, the first time the South goalkeeper’s goal had been breached since – ironically – the League match against Northcote at Lakeside Stadium on Saturday 14 September. Northcote doubled their lead just after the half-hour in controversial circumstances, as Gavalas looked to have been pushed over the goal line by Lujic as he was catching Gasparis’ overhead shot; however referee Shaun Evans allowed the goal. South had a great chance to pull a goal back just before the halftime break after Tyson Holmes found some space in the box, however he did not get a proper connection to the ball and Northcote goalkeeper Chris Petropoulos pushed away the eventual shot for a corner.

Chris Taylor’s side began the second half more positively with more pressure on the Northcote defence but they were unable to breach Petropoulos’ goal. The sucker-punch third goal arrived against the run of play on 55 minutes when Lujic followed through to head home after Kalifatidis’ initial shot was saved by Gavalas. Things went from bad to worse five minutes later when the South defence mis-read Petropoulos’ long ball forward and allowed the ball to bounce over them for Kounavelis to slip in behind and tuck the ball past Gavalas. The rout was completed after 78 minutes when Lujic scored his second of the afternoon after playing a one-two with Gasparis before firing past a helpless Gavalas. South tried hard but it was never going to be their day as the effects and luck of the previous few weeks had finally caught up to them.

Post-match, Taylor was disappointed how “a few things went against us in the first half” but was proud of how his team had risen to an eventual third-placed finish after a horrible mid-season slump that saw the departure of former coach Peter Tsolakis as well as several players. Sunday’s result also proved how difficult it is to win the Championship without the benefit of a double-chance that comes by finishing in the top three at the end of the regular season, which is exactly where Taylor and his side will be looking to finish in 2014.

FINAL SCORE: NORTHCOTE CITY 5-0 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 2-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: James Kalifatidis (5′)
2-0: Peter Gavalas Own Goal (31′)
3-0: Milos Lujic (55′)
4-0: Evan Kounavelis (60′)
5-0: Milos Lujic (78′)

Northcote City:
22. Chris PETROPOULOS (GK), 2. Adrian CHIAPPETTA, 4. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 6. Bonel OBRADOVIC, 8. James KALIFATIDIS, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Alex ROJAS (14. Michael CATALANO 68’), 12. Hayden D’AGOSTINO (5. Nick TZOULIS 57’), 17. Marinos GASPARIS, 18. Michael EAGER (Rylan SADLER 82’), 20. Evan KOUNAVELIS

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Bryan BRAN, 5. Nick EPIFANO (12. Rhys MEREDITH 57′), 7. Luke HOPPER, 9. Trent RIXON (C), 10. Tyson HOLMES, 13. Iqi JAWADI, 16. Alan KEARNEY (11. Brad NORTON 57′), 17. Nick SOOLSMA, 19. Shaun KELLY

SMFC Man of the Match: Iqi Jawadi
Venue: SS Anderson Reserve
Date: Sunday 13 October 2013

Friday, 11 October 2013 9:35 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC plays in its first Victorian Premier League Preliminary Final since 2005 when it travels to SS Anderson Reserve to play Northcote City on Sunday afternoon. The winning side will book itself a spot in the 2013 VPL Grand Final to be played against the Bentleigh Greens at AAMI Park next Saturday 19 October.

South qualified for the Preliminary Final thanks to the hard-fought 0-1 victory against their old rivals Melbourne Knights in the Minor Semi Final at Somers Street last Friday night. Trent Rixon’s goal after 67 minutes proved to be the difference between the two sides as Peter Gavalas and his defence managed to claim a third successive clean sheet. The following evening, Northcote played Bentleigh in the Major Semi Final at SS Anderson Reserve and lost 1-2 in extra time following a 1-1 draw after normal time. The win ensured Bentleigh a straight passage through to the Grand Final, whilst allowing Northcote a second chance to qualify for the Grand Final by playing South on Sunday.

Northcote City and South have faced each other three times in 2013 in both League and Cup competitions with mixed results. Their first meeting was in the Fifth Round of the State Knockout Cup on Monday 10 June as South defeated Northcote 3-2 (Brad Norton scoring the winning goal in extra time following a 2-2 draw after normal time) to progress to the Quarter Final stage. Just under two weeks later the two sides met in the League (Sunday 23 June) as Northcote smashed an extremely disappointing South side 3-0 at John Cain Memorial Park. The reverse League fixture at Lakeside Stadium was played on Saturday 14 September, when Trent Rixon’s late header cancelled Evan Kounavelis’ earlier goal to make the final score 1-1.

The last time South Melbourne played in the VPL Preliminary Final was on Sunday 11 September 2005 when it lost 1-0 against Heidelberg United at the Olympic Village in front of over 8,000 fans. South qualified for the 2006 VPL Grand Final the following season by defeating Altona Magic at Somers Street in the Major Semi Final, therefore earning the right to bypass the Preliminary Final and automatically confirm a spot in the Grand Final (like Bentleigh last weekend). Since 2006, South has not progressed further than the Minor Semi Final, when it was defeated 1-0 by Oakleigh Cannons on Sunday 21 August 2011.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3pm at SS Anderson Reserve.

Last time we met

Monday, 7 October 2013 10:46 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC is through to the 2013 Victorian Premier League Preliminary Final following the hard-fought 0-1 victory against the Melbourne Knights at Somers Street in the Minor Semi Final on Friday night. Trent Rixon’s goal after 67 minutes was the difference as the crowd of 4750 saw South prevail and the Knights exit the finals series in straight sets.

Both sides came into the match in contrasting form, with the Knights having lost consecutive home matches (2-4 against Oakleigh Cannons on the final day of the regular season and 2-4 against Bentleigh Greens in the Qualifying Final), whilst South had won two in a row (4-0 against Port Melbourne on the final day and 1-0 against Green Gully in the Elimination Final). It was also the first time that the Knights and South had faced each other in a finals match since Sunday 4 May 1997, when South defeated the Knights 3-0 at Lakeside Stadium in the 1996/97 Elimination Final second leg. In the previous week of that finals series, South travelled to Somers Street on Sunday 27 April 1997 and defeated the Knights 1-4 in the first leg.

The first half of Friday night’s game was largely dominated by the Melbourne Knights, as the home side created several chances to score but could not do so. Shayan Alinejad caused South’s defence all sorts of problems on the right side and he almost had an assist when his pinpoint cross was headed over South goalkeeper Peter Gavalas’ crossbar by Andrew Barisic. Alinejad then held the ball up and laid it off for Anthony Colosimo to shoot but Gavalas made an important block at his near post to deny the Knights again. South left-back Alan Kearney then accidently allowed the ball to slip past him, putting Alinejad through on goal, however the South defence recovered and scrambled Alinejad’s shot over the crossbar for a corner. Luke Hopper wasted the away side’s best chance of the half when he turned his defender and fired just wide of Knights goalkeeper Chris May’s far post.

Tim Mala almost gifted the Knights the lead early in the second half when his mis-timed header back to his goalkeeper was intercepted by Barisic, however once again Gavalas denied the Knights by blocking Barisic’s shot to keep the score locked at 0-0. Since arriving at the Club in early July, South coach Chris Taylor had been stressing the importance of clean sheets and Gavalas’ timely saves were able to keep the away side in the match and give it a chance of pinching a goal at the other end to win the game. The away side was slowly getting on top of the Knights in midfield and almost took the lead when Tyson Holmes’ thunderbolt strike from outside the area hit the crossbar, bounced on the line and stayed out, with Rixon unable to put the ball in the back of the net on the follow-up. Rixon did not make the same mistake shortly after when he ghosted in at the back post unmarked to tap Holmes’ cross into the back of the net and give the away side the lead. It was Rixon’s tenth goal of the season and definitely his most important as South now held a slender but crucial lead.

The Knights threw everything at South in the final twenty minutes of the game but could not break through the stubborn and resilient defence expertly led by centre-halves Bryan Bran and Shaun Kelly. Gavalas also stood tall and made sure he held onto the ball after every cross launched into the box by the Knights. The one time his goal was breached was when Barisic headed past him after combining with Tomi Uksok but the goal was disallowed for what appeared to be a clear offside call against Barisic. The final whistle sparked wild celebrations by the 1000+ South fans on the far corner of the terraces opposite the grandstand and many more in the main grandstand. It was a cruel way for the Knights to bow out of the finals and they deserve congratulations for finishing second on the ladder after the regular season, however it was South’s night on Friday night as they beat their old rivals to progress through at the Knights’ expense.

South plays in the VPL Preliminary Final for the first time since 2005 when it faces Northcote City next Sunday 13 October at SS Anderson Reserve. Kick-off is at 3PM.

FINAL SCORE: MELBOURNE KNIGHTS 0-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorer:
0-1: Trent Rixon (67′)

Melbourne Knights:
Christopher May (GK), Tomislav Uksok, Milan Batur, Sam Torrens (Jacob Colosimo 80′), Andrew Barisic, Ben Surey, James McGarry, William McLachlan, Shayan Alinejad, Marijan Cvitkovic (Adam Zilic 90′), Anthony Colosimo (Christopher Talajic 67′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Bryan BRAN, 5. Nick EPIFANO (12. Rhys MEREDITH 66′), 7. Luke HOPPER, 9. Trent RIXON (C), 10. Tyson HOLMES, 13. Iqi JAWADI, 16. Alan KEARNEY, 17. Nick SOOLSMA, 19. Shaun KELLY

SMFC Man of the Match: Bryan Bran
Venue: Knights Stadium
Date: Friday 4 October 2013

Friday, 4 October 2013 9:03 AM

By John Kyrou

Two giants of Victorian football clash in the Victorian Premier League Minor Semi Final on Friday night when the Melbourne Knights host South Melbourne FC at Knights Stadium. The losing team will be eliminated from the 2013 VPL finals series, whilst the winner will progress to play the loser of Northcote City and Bentleigh Greens in the Preliminary Final next Saturday 12 October.

The Melbourne Knights head into Friday’s game having lost 2-4 against the Bentleigh Greens in the Qualifying Final at Somers Street last Sunday afternoon. It was the second game in a row that the Knights had lost 2-4 at home, having also lost to the Oakleigh Cannons by the same score only a week earlier in the final round of the regular season. In fairness, that match meant very little as the Knights had already secured second spot on the VPL ladder no matter what the result on the day. In contrast to the Knights’ two match losing streak, South goes into the game having won their last two matches, including the last-gasp 1-0 victory against Green Gully in the Elimination Final last Sunday evening. The match looked like heading for extra time after Keiran Gonzalez saved substitute Brad Norton’s 85th minute penalty, however in the 91st minute Nick Soolsma laid the ball off for Tyson Holmes to fire past Gonzalez from outside the area to seal a remarkable victory and spark wild celebrations in the grandstand.

The Knights have had the better of South throughout the 2013 derbies thus far, earning a 2-2 draw at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 16 June before winning 2-1 at Somers Street on Sunday 1 September. Andrew Barisic scored the winning goal for the Knights after 67 minutes in that match and is definitely the key man for South to shut down on Friday night, having scored eight goals in the Knights’ last 10 League matches. South has enjoyed two clean sheets in a row but it will take another big effort from Peter Gavalas and his defence to keep Barisic and his Knights side scoreless. At the other end of the park, Trent Rixon and Luke Hopper have scored a combined 15 League goals between them (Rixon with 9, Hopper with 6) in the second half of the season. Both worked hard against Green Gully last Sunday but could not put away their chances; Friday night presents another opportunity for both of them to start scoring goals again.

Considering the rich histories of both clubs, it is an amazing statistic that this is the first time that both the Knights and South have featured in the same VPL finals series since they both joined the League in 2005. In fact, the last time both clubs featured (but did not play each other) in a finals series was back in the 2001/02 National Soccer League season. It has been over 16 years since the Knights and South actually played each other in a finals match, when South defeated the Knights 3-0 at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 4 May 1997 in the 1996/97 NSL Elimination Final second leg. A week earlier on Sunday 27 April 1997, South travelled to Somers Street for the first leg of the tie and defeated the Knights 1-4. South coach Chris Taylor will be more than delighted if a similar score line is repeated on Friday night.

A possible omen for South is the fact that the last time it won a VPL Championship (2006), it hosted and defeated Green Gully in an Elimination Final at Lakeside Stadium (Friday 1 September 2006) before travelling to Somers Street the following week and winning again (2-1 against Altona Magic on Sunday 10 September 2006). South will be hoping that history can repeat itself once more.

Friday night’s match kicks off at 7:30PM at Knights Stadium. All South fans are strongly encouraged to attend and lend crucial support to the side as it strives to defeat its old rivals and book a place in the 2013 VPL Preliminary Final.

Last time we met

Monday, 30 September 2013 12:23 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC progressed to the Victorian Premier League Minor Semi Final after prevailing 1-0 against Green Gully in the 2013 Elimination Final. Tyson Holmes’ winning goal in second half injury time sparked scenes not witnessed for a long time at Lakeside Stadium with euphoric celebrations in the stands by the 2,773 fans in attendance.

South came into the match having demolished Port Melbourne 0-4 at SS Anderson Reserve on the final day of the regular season to qualify for the finals series. Green Gully also qualified for the finals on the final day thanks to a 3-1 victory against Dandenong Thunder at Green Gully Reserve. The two sides had already met on three occasions throughout 2013 in both League and Cup competitions, with South prevailing 0-3 on the opening day of the League season at Green Gully Reserve (Saturday 6 April) before losing to Gully 1-3 in the return League fixture at Lakeside Stadium (Sunday 7 July) and losing again 0-1 in the Cup Semi Final (Wednesday 21 August) at SS Anderson Reserve.

South had the better of the first half in the Elimination Final but could not finish off the chances it created, with Nick Epifano coming closest to scoring when his shot across goal beat Gully goalkeeper Kieran Gonzalez but not the far post as Gully were let off the hook. The away side had half-chances of their own during the second half but apart from a timely block by South goalkeeper Peter Gavalas, South was mostly untroubled by a Gully side seemingly happy to soak up the pressure and take the game to extra time. Despite Gully’s laid-back approach, history has shown their ability to grind out results in finals matches and although South was on top for the majority of the game, Chris Taylor’s team needed a goal to break Gully’s back. Trent Rixon had an excellent opportunity to do just that from Luke Hopper’s cross but he put his chance wide.

The match was still 0-0 with five minutes remaining and was seemingly heading for extra time until there were shouts for a penalty following a handball in the box by a Green Gully defender. Initially referee Perry Mur did not award the penalty – nor did he see his linesman’s flag raised for a penalty – however, after a lengthy consultation with his linesman he eventually awarded the spot kick. Substitute Brad Norton – who had only come on to the field four minutes earlier – stepped up to take the penalty but his weak shot to Gonzalez’s left was saved by the goalkeeper. It seemed that South had blown their chance to win in regular time but there was one more twist to come as the clock ticked over into the first minute of injury time. Norton and Alan Kearney exchanged passes before the ball was played to Nick Soolsma outside the box. Soolsma looked to shoot before teeing the ball off for Holmes to fire into the bottom corner of the net and send the entire grandstand into raptures as the players and coaching staff celebrated wildly with an ecstatic Holmes.

South had to endure another nervy four minutes of injury time before Perry Mur’s final whistle confirmed a win and a visit to Somers Street this Friday night for a Minor Semi Final date with the Melbourne Knights. It is the first time that both the Melbourne Knights and South have featured in the same finals series since the 2001/02 NSL season and it is the first time that the two rivals of Victorian football have faced each other in a finals match since Sunday 4 May 1997. On that evening at Lakeside Stadium, goals from Michael Curcija (1’, 25’) and Steve Panopoulos (32’) gave South a 3-0 victory in the second leg of the 1996/97 NSL Elimination Final (South won the first leg at Somers Street 1-4 on Sunday 27 April 1997 for a 7-1 aggregate win). Ironically, in South’s last VPL Championship year (2006), it hosted and defeated Green Gully at Lakeside Stadium in the First Elimination Final (Friday 1 September 2006) before travelling to Somers Street the following week and winning again, however that match was played against Altona Magic not the Melbourne Knights.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-0 GREEN GULLY (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorer:
1-0: Tyson Holmes (90+1′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots: South Melbourne (16) – Green Gully (4)
Saves: South Melbourne (2) – Green Gully (6)
Turnovers: South Melbourne (76) – Green Gully (62)
Balls into Area: South Melbourne (40) – Green Gully (32)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Bryan BRAN, 5. Nick EPIFANO (11. Brad NORTON 81′), 7. Luke HOPPER, 9. Trent RIXON (C), 10. Tyson HOLMES, 13. Iqi JAWADI, 16. Alan KEARNEY, 17. Nick SOOLSMA, 19. Shaun KELLY

Green Gully:
Kieran GONZALEZ (GK), Daniel JONES, Shaun TIMMINS, Mitchell BISSINGER, Stephen DOWNES, Jeffrey FLEMING, Jason HAYNE, Brent FISHER (Hamid BASMA 60’), Mathew SANDERS, Sean HARDING, Andy VARGAS

SMFC Man of the Match: Tyson Holmes
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 29 September 2013

Friday, 27 September 2013 10:36 AM

Major Sponsor Star21 swept all before it as it clinched the 2013 SMFC Corporate Cup last weekend.

On a glorious day on Fields 18 and 19 near the Club’s recently opened Junior Pavilion, twelve teams were divided into three groups of four teams. The SMFC Corporate Cup was a seven a side tournament, with the first placed team in each group, plus the best second placed team across the three groups would progress to the semi-final round.

Group 1 consisted of GPZ Legal, MW Group, Global Gypsum, and Hardcore FC. Group 2 was headed by Star21, Commonwealth Bank, Symmetry, and All Stars FC. The third group was comprised of IBM, SMFC Media Team, Vent Air Legends, and K&A Accountants.

At the conclusion of the preliminary matches, the best four teams which qualified for the semi-final round were Star21, IBM, Global Gypsum, and GPZ Legal. In a pulsating and end-to end affair, Star21 did enough to knock off the current holders IBM and claim bragging rights until next year’s competition.

South Melbourne FC would like to congratulate all the participants of the 2013 SMFC Corporate Challenge Cup for making it a fun, enjoyable and successful day.