South Melbourne FC recorded a win on Friday evening in its first outing in the 2021 Nike FC Cup

The Women’s State Knockout Cup reached its third round for the year on Easter weekend with clubs from the National Premier League making their first appearance. South Melbourne FC drew an away fixture and travelled to Jubilee Park to face off against Ringwood City FC.

Sublime conditions greeted both teams leading to a tactical first half of football. South on the attack and Ringwood defending stoutly. Numerous opportunties presented themselves however the girls in blue were unable to find the net until Lucy Johnson fired a long range rocket into the bottom right of the net. South would lead 0-1 at the break.

In the second half the game opened up with more free flowing passing and wide play using both the left and right sides. Janna Lawson proved elusive for the Ringwood defence on the right making nunerous plays into the penalty area. It was Lucy Johnson again who found the net to double the lead with the teams third goal being created by another terrific run by Lawson setting up Candela Ferrreya Bas for the tap in.

Three goals to the good and the result secured, coach Samuel Young turned to the bench to provide match time for the club’s youth players. Mila Diliberto, Khadija Izaz, Emilie Keppens,  Talisa Soto and Goal Keeper Evie Bowen all from the Under 17s came on making their Senior football debuts.

Speaking to smfc.com.au after the match, Captain Jenna Lawson said “I don’t think we started the way we wanted to. I think the first half was a little bit messy and we didn’t make the most of our opportunities. We weren’t as quick in transition as we would have liked to have been. Going into half time at one nil probably wasn’t where we wanted to be. We resurrected that in the second half and finished strongly which is good going into round one next week.”

“I was a good effort across the board, we all had our moments. Some better than others. Lucy was really strong in the midfield., Zoe at the back, clean sheet obviously a good thing and we were creating opportunities on both sides. Our Under 17 players came on., one nearly scored and one nearly got an assist so a great effort from them on their senior debut.” she said.

The Senior Women will commence their WNPL campaign on Monday 12th April at the Veneto Club taking on FC Bulleen Lions. Kick off at 8.15pm.  The Youth Girls teams travel to Kingston Health next week to take on Bayside United in Round 6 of their season.

Photos by Cindy Nitsos

 

Blind and vision impaired football kicked off at South Melbourne for 2021 on the weekend.

Tuesday 30 March 2021

In partnership with Australian Blind Football, the club hosted a coaches training session. The aim was to equip coaches and volunteers with the skills to understand the game and how to adapt to effectively communicate with and coach blind and vision impaired players.

The three hour course was undertaken at the synethic pitch in Albert Park. Using audible footballs and portable goals, the players were able to return to football for the first time since December 2020 and participate in the coaching education.

Speaking to smfc.com.au the clubs Football Coordinator of All bilities Programs Skip Fulton said “today was a really great start to the year and for the program in general. We had over fiften people involved from players to volunteers to coaches. Our youngest participant Mikhail came down for the very first time to try it out and he loved it.”

“Our program will see training sessions for blind and vision impaired players run from now all the way through until October. We want to prepare the players for matches against other state teams including the likes of Brisbane Olympic, Adelaide Comets and Perth SC. Furthermore there are four National Training Camps this year and with national selection looming we want our South Melbourne squad to be best situated to get a place in the Australian squad.”

The blind and vision impaired football activities are just one aspect of the clubs broader All Abilities Program. South Melbourne FC aims to present the most diverse and inclusive All Abilities Football program in Australia. The club embraces the Football Victoria strategy of Football4All recognising that sport is about fairness and equality, respect and dignity.

We welcome anyone who has a physical or intellectual disability, of all ages, all genders and all abilities to join us. You can read more information about this program and how to participate on our All Abiliities Football page.

 

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.

Annual General Meeting : South Melbourne Hellas Ltd

Monday, 1 February 2021

Dear Member,

RE: Annual General Meeting

It is advised that the Annual General Meeting of South Melbourne Hellas Club Ltd will be held as follows:

Date: Wednesday 24th February 2021
Time: 7.00pm
Location: 1959 Bar And Grill, Lakeside Stadium
25 Albert Road Drive, Albert Park VIC 3206

The agenda shall include the following:

1. Confirmation of Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting;
2. Finance Report and presentation of Audited Accounts of the Club;
3. Presidents Report;
4. Appointment of Auditors and determination of their remuneration;
5. Any other business of which due notice shall have been given;

A printed and electronic copy of the Annual Report including the 2019 Audited Financial Accounts will be made available 14 Days prior to the commencement of the AGM where you will be able to download a copy from our website www.smfc.com.au/documents-resources/ . The password to access the Annual Report was issued via email or post to all financial members.  Alternatively, you can contact the club office to have a copy emailed or posted to you.

Admission to the AGM will be strictly limited to those financial members of the Club whom are eligible to vote. To confirm your eligibility to vote you can contact by emailing admin@smfc.com.au or calling (03) 9645 9797.

Kind Regards

Mario Vinaccia
Secretary

SMH AGM Documentation

• SMH Articles of Association (Constitution)

Annual General Meeting : South Melbourne FC Pty Ltd

Monday, 1 February 2021

Dear Member,

RE: Annual General Meeting

It is advised that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of South Melbourne Football Club Ltd will be held as follows:

Date: Wednesday 24th February 2021
Time: 8.00pm
Location: 1959 Bar And Grill, Lakeside Stadium
25 Albert Road Drive, Albert Park VIC 3206

The agenda shall include the following:

1. Confirmation of Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting;
2. Finance Report and presentation of Audited Accounts of the Club;
3. Presidents Report;
4. Appointment of Auditors and determination of their remuneration;
5. Any other business of which due notice shall have been given;

A printed and electronic copy of the Annual Report including the 2019 Audited Financial Accounts will be made available 14 Days prior to the commencement of the AGM where you will be able to download a copy from our website www.smfc.com.au/documents-resources. The password to access the Annual Report was issued via email or post to all financial members. Alternatively, you can contact the club office to have a copy emailed or posted to you.

Admission to the AGM will be strictly limited to those financial members of the Club whom are eligible to vote. To confirm your eligibility to vote you can contact by emailing admin@smfc.com.au or calling (03) 9645 9797.

Kind Regards

Mario Vinaccia
Secretary

SMFC AGM Documentation

• SMFC Constitution