Category: News

Tuesday, 2 October 2012 11:21 AM

South Melbourne FC is saddened to learn of the passing of former goalkeeper Harry Vamvakas (pictured second from right in the above picture). Mr Vamvakas was an inaugural member of the first South Melbourne Hellas side that competed in 1960 in the Victorian Metropolitan Division 1 North (modern-day equivalent being State League 1). The side easily won promotion into the Victorian State League (now the Premier League) by winning every single game except for a 3-3 draw with Corio and won the League by 11 points over second-placed Moonee Ponds.

Mr Vamvakas was also a member of South’s 1964 Victorian State League Championship winning side. That season he rotated the goalkeeping with Panayiotis Tsitsos and Sam Kagioglou but still made his contribution as South beat George Cross to the title by a single point to win its second VSL Championship (following the 1962 triumph).

Speaking to smfc.com.au, South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis offered his condolences to Mr Vamvakas’ family and friends. “It is sad to learn of the passing of a former player of our Club, especially due to the fact that Harry Vamvakas was also an inaugural player in South’s first ever season in 1960. We are forever grateful for the contribution that he made to the Club and we are so pleased that he attended the Club’s 50th year Gala celebrations in 2009 to accept his award for playing in Championships for South. On behalf of the entire Club, I wish to offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Vamvakas.”

Friday, 28 September 2012 9:19 AM

SMFC has limited places available for our trials from October – December 2012 and is inviting players that wish to be part of our new Junior Program in 2013 to register on line on our website.

SMFC have put together an ambitious program designed to promote the development of our young players. The program is put together by our new Technical Director, Marcelo Koslowsky who is the only coach in Australia who has a Masters in Football Development from the University of Oporto in Portugal. His credentials include being a Director of Football Development in Gremio FBPA Football Club in Porto Alegre, Brasil. More recently, he has been holding the role of Director of Football for the Emerson Academy – Fragata in Pelotas, Brasil.

To reserve your spot in the trials and to have an opportunity to represent SMFC in 2013, please register for the trials on line on our website. For further information, please contact Harry Gatsoulis on 0458 813 837

Wednesday, 26 September 2012 2:58 PM

A unique opportunity applies to any footballers aspiring to play Senior football with the Oceania Club of the Century. SMFC is accepting registrations for the trials to our U21 Team.

Trials will run between October – December 2012 at our Albert Park facilities. This is a unique opportunity to be part of SMFC’s new program which is designed to develop and promote local footballers to Senior football.

The program is put together by our new Technical Director, Marcelo Koslowsky who is the only coach in Australia who has a Masters in Football Development from the University of Oporto in Portugal. His credentials include being a Director of Football Development in Gremio FBPA Football Club in Porto Alegre, Brasil. More recently, he has been holding the role of Director of Football for the Emerson Academy – Fragata in Pelotas, Brasil.

To reserve your spot in the trials and to have an opportunity to represent SMFC at a Senior level, please register for the trials on line on our website by clicking here.

For further information, please contact Harry Gatsoulis on 0458 813 837.

L to R, Enrique Santos SMFC Assistant Technical Director, Peter Kokotis SMFC General Manager, Andrew Mesorouni SMFC Youth Director, Emerson 2002 WC Winner and Head of Fragata FC, Mauro Fragata FC Football Director and Harry Mesorouni from SMFC

Thursday, 20 September 2012 9:39 AM

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise its members and corporate partners that it will be holding an Information Session on Wednesday 17th October at 7pm in the President’s Room at Lakeside Stadium.

The agenda for the evening will be to inform the Club’s stakeholders and discuss the following issues:

1. Social Club redevelopment
2. SMFC Youth Development Program
3. National Competitions Review

This Information Session will provide members and corporate partners the opportunity to be informed of the recent developments of the above agenda items, but also the opportunity to ask questions as well.

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 8:08 AM

It was an extraordinary day at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday, as football showed once again what a valuable role it can play by helping those less fortunate in the community.

South Melbourne FC organised and hosted the inaugural Lakeside Charity Cup which saw participation from all age groups from clubs including Green Gully, Beaumaris, Sporting Whittlesea, Lights United and the South Eastern Piranhas.

Each club had nominated a charity it would be playing for, and the winning prize money of $5,000 would be donated to that winning charity.

South Melbourne was playing for the KOALA Kids Foundation, an organisation that provides assistance to children suffering from cancer and support for their families. KOALA Kids was formed in 2006 as a program funded by the KOALA Foundation (Kids Oncology And Leukaemia Action).

The action on the park was intense, as players from all age groups put in outstanding performances to help their nominated charity.

In the end, South Melbourne emerged the winner on the final day. On hand to present the Lakeside Charity Cup to the winning club was Bruce Mildenhall, Chairman of the State Sports Centres Trust, Alannah Gottschalk from Parks Victoria, Amanda Mandie from KOALA Kids, SMFC Youth Development Director Tom Kalas, and SMFC President Leo Athanasakis.

Amanda Mandie from KOALA Kids foundation was delighted that South Melbourne had won the inaugural Lakeside Charity, and said “congratulations on South Melbourne’s initiative holding the inaugural Lakeside Charity Cup and our warmest thanks for selecting KOALA Kids as South Melbourne’s charity. KOALA Kids is in its seventh year and the $5,000 that you presented us will go a long way to providing lots of small things that make a difference to the lives of children and young people with cancer and their families.”

SMFC Youth Development Director Tom Kalas speaking to smfc.com.au said “winning tournaments, trophies, and championships is an important part of what we do at South Melbourne. However to win such an event for the benefit of a charity and for children a lot less fortunate than ourselves is an achievement second to none. Teaching our junior players the importance of contributing to community is an important life lesson that will hopefully become ingrained as they move into adulthood. We hope to stage another Lakeside Charity Cup next year and have already been approached by more clubs to take part, both local and interstate”.

South Melbourne would like to congratulate and thank all the participating clubs and players, along with all the volunteers who contributed to the successful and worthwhile event.

Monday, 17 September 2012 12:12 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC completed its Victorian Premier League season with a straightforward 5-2 victory against traditional rival and bottom-placed Heidelberg United at Olympic Village on Sunday afternoon. A double from Shaun Kelly and singles from Matko Budimir, Baggio Yousif and Tom Matthews won the game for South and ensured that the Blues finished the season in sixth place, a mere one point off fifth spot and a place in the 2012 finals series.

South went into the game on the back of the heartbreaking 1-1 draw against Bentleigh Greens at Lakeside Stadium last Sunday afternoon. The draw meant that South could not make the finals mathematically and with the Bergers already relegated, rendered Sunday’s derby meaningless in terms of the League standings. Nevertheless, South wanted to finish the season on a high and defeat the Bergers for the second time in the League this season. With Dimi Tsiaras suspended and Glen Trifiro out with an ankle injury, coach Peter Tsolakis decided to also rest several senior players and replace them with younger players. This saw Matko Budimir, Andrew Cartanos, Baggio Yousif, James Karvelis and goalkeeper Jason Saldaris all start for the Club, with Karvelis and Saldaris making their League debuts for South.

South opened the scoring after 20 minutes when Shaun Kelly flicked Joe Keenan’s corner on for Budimir to head home for his first South goal. The away side held the lead until the 33rd minute when Devon Bonne was put through on goal by Kristian Sarkies and slotted past Saldaris. South took a two goal lead in only a matter of minutes as Kelly firstly headed past Chris May with the assistance of the goal post in the 38th minute and then volleyed home in the 40th minute after Cartanos’ initial shot was blocked and rebounded for him. Heidelberg got back in the game right on the halftime break thanks to Sarkies’ second assist of the game when his free kick on the right was powerfully headed home by Arthur Papadopoulos.

Tsolakis introduced Trent Rixon early in the second half as the big striker played for the first time since his ban following being sent off against Richmond on 20 July. He combined up front with Steve Burton and set the Englishman up to fire a shot that beat May but not the crossbar. South finally wrapped up the three points when Norton put Yousif through on goal and the youngster slotted past May for his first goal for the Club. Matthews also scored his first goal for the Blues only minutes later when he popped up at the back post to tap into an empty net following some good lead-up play from the left side. Captain Steven O’Dor and Fernando De Moraes were given some game time in the final twenty minutes as South cruised to victory and ended their season on a high. Green Gully’s defeat of Northcote meant that South finished the season only a point behind fifth-placed Northcote, showing just how costly Scott Bulloch’s 92nd minute goal was for Bentleigh against South last Sunday.

The Under-21s also finished their season strongly by defeating Heidelberg 7-0.

FINAL SCORE: HEIDELBERG UNITED 2-5 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 2-3)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Matko Budimir (20′)
1-1: Devon Bonne (33′)
1-2: Shaun Kelly (38′)
1-3: Shaun Kelly (40′)
2-3: Arthur Papadopoulos (45+3′)
2-4: Baggio Yousif (68′)
2-5: Tom Matthews (72′)

Heidelberg United:
1. Chris MAY (GK), 2. Arthur PAPADOPOULOS (13. Abbut DIB 70′), 4. Nassim COURAIL, 6. John BOUNIS, 8. Zane SOLE, 9. Kristian SARKIES, 10. Nick MARINOS (19. Abdul AHMED 88′), 12. Kamal IBRAHIM, 14. James MOUTSAS, 15. Pavle DURKIC, 18. Devon BONNE

South Melbourne FC:
21. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tom MATTHEWS, 7. Joe KEENAN, 11. Bradley NORTON, 12. Steve BURTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 17. Matko BUDIMIR (4. StevenO’DOR 69’), 19. Shaun KELLY (9. Trent RIXON 51’), 20. Andrew CARTANOS, 23. Baggio YOUSIF (15. Fernando DE MORAES 69’), 25. James KARVELIS

SMFC Man of the Match: Shaun Kelly
Venue: Olympic Village
Date: Sunday 16 September 2012

Friday, 14 September 2012 11:00 AM

On the final episode of the 2012 season, John and David analyse the heartbreaking draw last week against Bentleigh Greens, as well as preview the upcoming game against Heidelberg United.

Click here to download episode 10 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Friday, 14 September 2012 8:36 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC completes its 2012 season when it travels to Olympic Village to take on traditional rival Heidelberg United on Sunday afternoon. Despite the result of the match being meaningless due to South’s inability to qualify for the finals and Heidelberg already doomed to relegation, both sides will be keen on getting three points for one final laugh against their respective opponents.

South go into Sunday’s game on the back of a heartbreaking 1-1 draw against Bentleigh Greens last Sunday at Lakeside Stadium. South needed to win to keep its finals hopes alive and had the precious goal it needed when substitute Andy Vlahos headed home in the 78th minute. It was a disaster from then on, as Glen Trifiro limped off with an ankle injury and then Dimi Tsiaras was red carded for a last-man foul, reducing South to nine players as the home side had used up all of their substitutions. The Blues managed to hold out until the 92nd minute when Scott Bulloch’s neat finish killed South’s season and rendered the Heidelberg game meaningless. Both players will obviously be missing for this weekend’s game.

The positive news for South is the availability of Trent Rixon on Sunday, as the striker has served his suspension obtained against Richmond on Friday 20 July. Coach Peter Tsolakis may opt to rest goalkeeper Peter Gavalas and give Under-21s goalkeeper Jason Saldaris his debut in the VPL. Saldaris has played in the Under-21s all season and only featured in the Senior team in the Cup game against Malvern City on Sunday 29 April. Some of the Club’s younger players may be given extended time on the field on Sunday and Captain Steven O’Dor may also be recalled after not being used off the substitutes’ bench against Bentleigh last weekend. A good win against Heidelberg should see South finish the season in sixth place, however a loss could see the side finish as low as ninth.

Heidelberg will finish the season in last place on the VPL ladder and will be in State League 1 next season; however that will not stop the Bergers from attempting to defeat South one final time in League competition. The Bergers have a very good record against South in recent times at Olympic Village, enjoying four wins and one draw in the last five games between the teams at the ground. In fact South’s last victory against Heidelberg at Olympic Village was on Sunday 5 February 2006, when Jonas Salley (90+1’) and Tansel Baser (90+3’) scored late goals to earn the three points for South. Heidelberg has not tasted victory in the League this season since Sunday 5 August, when it defeated the Melbourne Knights 2-1 at Olympic Village. Since then it has only managed to pick up a solitary point against Northcote and has lost every other game, including the basement battle last weekend against second-last placed Moreland Zebras 4-1.

Earlier on this season (Sunday 24 June), a powerful finish at the near post by Jason Trifiro (19’) and a second-half deflected goal from Brad Norton (55’) was enough for a relieved South to defeat Heidelberg 2-1 at Lakeside Stadium. In the corresponding match played between the two sides last season at Olympic Village (Sunday 13 March 2011), Jesse Krncevic (28’) and a Marinos Gasparis header deep into injury time earned Eddie Krncevic’s South side a 2-2 draw against the Bergers. That result broke a four-game losing run at the Village for South.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3PM at Olympic Village.

Last time we met

Monday, 10 September 2012 1:00 PM

South Melbourne Girl’s Soccer – Players Needed

If you know a girl 9 or 10 years old who would like to play soccer this season with the South Melbourne Football Club then please contact Quinton Smith on 0400 442020 or send an email to qsmfc@hotmail.com. South Melbourne junior girls are looking for players to complete their U/11 joey’s roster with a few places left. Training is at Princess Park on Bambra Road on Saturday afternoons, games are Sunday mornings, with home games at Princess Park. Costs have been reduced to  $290 which gets you the uniform (socks, shorts & top) rain jacket, training, game fees, and insurance.

South Melbourne FC recently launched its ambitious Youth Development Program that will form part of the club’s application to receive an ‘Elite Club’ licence and commence the transition to fulfil the criteria stipulated in the FFA National Competitions Review.

The club will be employing a full time Technical Director from Brazil who will arrive in Melbourne in October to commence overseeing the Youth Development Program. To assist the Technical Director, a team of full time primary coaching staff will train and implement the football curriculum. All primary coaching staff will hold UEFA or FIFA equivalent to B or C coaching licences. Each youth team will also be assigned an Assistant Coach. Medical and education support will also feature as part of the Youth Development Program.

Benefits of participation in the intensive SMFC Youth Development Program include:

• SMFC youth players to be trained in the latest training methods currently employed in Europe and South America
• Minimum of four training sessions for U12-18 age groups per week for 48 weeks
• Minimum of three training sessions for U9-11 age groups per week for 48 weeks
• Full time Technical Director and full time highly qualified coaching staff
• Education support to assist players with the provision of tutors to fulfil their academic commitments prior to training.
• Opportunity to participate in Exchange Program to train at overseas academies
• Provision of medical staff to oversee players and provide support, advice, medical attention and nutritional information

Trials for the new intensive SMFC Youth Development Program will commence in October 2012. The process of selection will involve a twelve-week trial period comprising of four training sessions per week.

As part of this development program, up to four South youth players will be afforded the opportunity to travel to and train at the Fragata FC Football Academy in Brazil for up to a period of two to four weeks at no cost to the player or their family.

Participants in the intensive SMFC Youth Development Program will be a part of the FFA youth development pathway and have the opportunity to participate in the Australian Premier League (APL). The APL is an important step to tie together and improve our code with the desired effect of developing youth and allowing clubs like ours to have the opportunity to again play at the highest national levels.

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.

The Club has successfully implemented a youth development program, which will allow South Melbourne FC to be at the forefront of youth development as our program very much follows what is contemplated in the National Competition Review.

Trials for the Youth Development Program are scheduled to take place in early October.

To express your interest in reserving a place in the trial selection process, please contact Harry Gatsoulis on 0458 813 837 or Stav Sakalis on 0414 403 690.

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

Monday, 10 September 2012 12:06 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hearts were broken on Sunday evening at Lakeside Stadium when the Blues conceded a second half injury time goal to draw 1-1 with the Bentleigh Greens. The result means that South mathematically can not challenge for the 2012 VPL finals series in the final round of the season next weekend and summed up what has been a horror season for the Blues.

With Green Gully losing 0-3 against the Dandenong Thunder and Southern Stars coming from behind to defeat Hume City 2-1, South went into the Bentleigh game knowing that a victory would see it climb to within 3 points of fourth-placed Gully and to within 2 points of fifth-placed Northcote City. With Gully and Northcote facing each other in the final round next week, a South win against Heidelberg in their final game would have seen the Blues more than likely finish in the five at either Gully or Northcote’s expense. However the first task was to defeat John Anastasiadis’ Bentleigh side that had not lost a League game since a 1-0 defeat against Richmond on Friday 6 July.

The home side dominated the first half but squandered chances as acting captain Fernando De Moraes and Joe Keenan both blasted shots over the crossbar. Bentleigh goalkeeper Griffin McMaster was counting himself lucky when he was caught out of his area and was nearly chipped from a fair distance by South youngster Andrew Cartanos. Luckily for the Greens custodian the ball landed on top of the goal instead of in it. McMaster then made a solid block to deny South striker Steve Burton as South got on top of their opponents. The Greens’ only real notable chance of the half came from a Luke Pilkington shot from the edge of the area that South goalkeeper Peter Gavalas comfortably saved.

South began the second half strongly as the home side knew that it had to score and win the game to have any chance of playing finals football. South should have had the lead when Keenan’s shot could only be parried by McMaster into the path of Burton, however despite an open goal the striker blasted wide in what was an absolutely golden opportunity wasted for the home side. Coach Peter Tsolakis needed to make changes to keep the side fresh and Shaun Kelly, Andy Vlahos and Phil Petreski were introduced into the game with under twenty minutes to go. The move paid off as Kelly began a move that culminated in Burton crossing in from the left for Vlahos to head past McMaster at the back post and give the home side a valuable 1-0 lead with only 12 minutes of normal time remaining.

South just needed to hold on to the lead and it would have been in a prime position next weekend to make the finals, however the final 10 minutes summed up what has truly been a season filled with unfortunate twists. Shortly after Vlahos’ goal. Glen Trifiro had to be carried off with what looked like a broken ankle following a tackle from a Greens player. With South having used up all three of its substitutes already, the home side had to defend its lead with only 10 men. It then went from bad to worse only minutes later when Dimi Tsiaras was given a straight red card for committing a foul as the last man. South now had to see the game out with only 9 men. Incredibly, Burton almost sealed the win for the home team but his low strike went narrowly wide of McMaster’s goal. South valiantly held on right up until the second minute of injury time when Bulloch found the back of the net with a neat finish despite a series of saves from Gavalas. It was a cruel way to end South’s finals hopes for 2012 but yet it was not surprising at the same time considering the lack of clean sheets and missed opportunities throughout the season.

South ends its season next Sunday against bottom-placed Heidelberg United at Olympic Village.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-1 BENTLEIGH GREENS (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Andy Vlahos (78′)
1-1: Scott Bulloch (90+2′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tom MATTHEWS, 3. Rhodri PAYNE (5. Phil PETRESKI 71′), 6. Dimi TSIARAS (sent off 86′), 7. Joe KEENAN, 10. Glen TRIFIRO, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Steve BURTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 15. Fernando DE MORAES (19. Shaun KELLY 76’), 20. Andrew CARTANOS (14. Andy VLAHOS 71′).

Bentleigh Greens:
Griffin McMASTER (GK), Evan BATSIS, Nicholas CURTIS, Wayne WALLACE, Ryan DE VRIES, Paulo RETRE (Scott BULLOCH 83’), Aron WILFORD, Jack WEBSTER, Dominic D’ANGELO, Luke PILKINGTON, Steve HATZIKOSTAS (Andrija JUKIC 80’).

SMFC Man of the Match: Andrew Cartanos
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 9 September 2012