South Melbourne FC would like to confirm the signing of the exciting Freddie Sey for the 2021 NPL Victoria season.
Sey joins us from Sydney having played for NPL clubs North Shore Mariners and Bonnyrigg.
An elusive winger who can also play up front, Sey is a hardworking and extremely quick option for coach Esetban Quintas. He was part of the squad that had North Shore Mariners promoted, while also recently representing Ghana in the NSW African Cup triumph.
Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Senior Football Director Andrew Mesourouni was pleased with the acquisition. “Freddie will add a new dynamic to our front third, with his immense pace and ability to create. He is an exciting prospect and we look forward to seeing him on Lakeside Stadium from Monday in the lead up to the season.”
We welcome Freddie to the club and look forward to seeing him in blue and white.
South Melbourne FC would like to confirm the signing of forward Henry Hore for the 2021 NPL Victoria season.
Hore joins SMFC after winning the 2020 NPL Queensland championship with Lions FC, where he played a leading role in the front third. His outstanding form saw him named in the NPL Queensland Team of the Year and the Queensland NPL squad that played against Brisbane Roar and Football NSW.
Prior to his recent stint at Lions FC, 21-year-old Hore spent time at Perth Glory in the National Youth League and senior program. This included the “DT38 Foxtel Youth League Most Glorious Player of the Year” for his outstanding performance during the 2019 Y-League season.
Henry will bring energy, speed and X-factor to the front third and will link up front with fellow Queenslander Harrison Sawyer. With an eye for goal and a creative edge, we look forward to seeing the pair combine.
Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Football Director Andrew Mesourouni welcomed Henry to the club. “We are thrilled to bring someone like Henry into our squad for the upcoming season. He comes to us following an outstanding season with Champions Lions FC and we look forward to seeing his speed and creativity in our attacking third.”
We welcome Henry to the club and cannot wait to see him in our colours for the 2021 season.
South Melbourne FC would like to confirm its first signing of 2021, with former SMFC Junior Goalkeeper James Burgess joining the club.
21-Year-Old Burgess joins the club following spells at NPL clubs Springvale White Eagles and Langwarrin, whilst also spending time in the Melbourne City Youth setup.
As well as being a fantastic shot stopper, Burgess is providing a composed keeper who is confident with the ball at his feet also. He will join Pierce Clark as one of our two senior goalkeeping options for the season ahead, with Ange Rigogiannis continuing his development in the Under 21s whilst training with the senior squad.
Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Senior Football Director Andrew Mesourouni was pleased to bring James to the club. “It’s always a fantastic story to bring a former junior back into the club and we are thrilled to have James. His breakout season with Springvale White Eagles was exceptional and we are confident that we have added a quality goalkeeping option to the club for the upcoming season. I’d also personally like to wish all the South fans a very Happy New Year.”
We’d like to wish James all the best in 2021 and cannot wait to see him in our colours.
As part of today’s celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, South Melbourne FC is proud to launch an ambitious partnership with Australian Blind Football.
There are two versions of the game of blind football. Blind football (B1 or 5 a side football) is played by athletes who are totally blind. Vision impaired futsal (partially sighted futsal) is played by athletes who are vision impaired. Blind Football (B1) is an internationally recognised sport played at the Asian Championships and the Paralympics.
Creating a new all abilities opportunity in the form of a Blind Football team is an exciting expansion of the South Melbourne football program as we move into 2021. The partnership with the club will provide a home-base in Melbourne at Lakeside Stadium with regular training sessions and open public come-and-try events to grow the game. Australian Blind Football is building a network of clubs around the country with the aim of having a competitive league established in the coming years. As the only club in Victoria, South Melbourne will be at the forefront of this initiative as we support the development of our players. Our blind footballers will represent Victoria at national competitions and participate in National training Camps as they strive to cement their position in the national team.
Former Senior Men’s player and Theo Marmaras Medal winner for Player of the season in 2009, Sebastian Petrovich is now involved as a volunteer and referee for Blind Football in Victoria. Sebastian told smfc.com.au “We are very grateful for the partnership with South Melbourne. The club has been very welcoming and it’s going to be an amazing time for the future advertising of the sport and building pathways into the future for the blind football team.”
Current senior players Marcus Schroen and Matthew Loutrakis took time away from a pre-seaon training session to spend time with the new team. Donning blind folds and being put through a number of drills they gained an appreciation of this style of football. Talking to the players also gave them an insight into the importance communication. Marcus Schroen shared his thoughts saying “it was an incredibly humbling and amazing experience to play football as they do. It’s inspiring to see what they do and they are courageous to get out there and have a go. South Melbourne is very much a community club with so many things we do in the community that people don’t know about. Our supporters will be familiar with the Senior Men and Women, but it’s also about our junior boys and girls, the Mini Roos, our Powerchair team and now our blind footballers. We also have links with local schools providing coaching and development programs and broader things such as our relationship with the Blue Ribbon Foundation and the Victoria Police Soccer Club.”
Shae Skinner, one of the club’s new team members told smfc.com.au about her journey in the game saying “I have been playing football for about five or six years. As part of the Australian team we travelled to Kochi in India in 2018 for our first international competition against the Indian Blind Football team. I was also selected to travel to Japan in 20129 with an invitation from the International Blind Sports Federation female to take part in an all-female blind football international training camp. I am looking forward to representing South Melbourne and playing for the club, as well as more opportunities to play for Australia and travel overseas”
Amir Abdi, team member and Captain of the Australian national Blind Football team has today been appointed by Football Victoria as their Blind Football Project Coordinator. In the part-time role, Amir will work closely with Football Victoria’s Inclusion team, providing valuable input to develop programs that provide greater access for blind or partially sighted Victorians.
South Melbourne President Nicholas Miakousis told smfc.com.au “I’m really proud of the work done by our club together with Dave Connolly from Australian Blind Football to get this program up and running. At South Melbourne we have always advocated for aspirational football where any player or club has the potential to reach the top of the game both here in Australia and Internationally. The establishment of the blind football team is another aspect of aspirational football helping people achieve the best they can. I am looking forward to seeing South Melbourne FC players represent not only the club and Victoria but also Australia at major international sporting events like the Paralympics.”
The South Melbourne Blind Football team will be based at Lakeside Stadium and host regular free come-and-try sessions for the community commencing in early 2021.
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”83384″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]South Melbourne FC is thrilled to announce the appointment of Sam Poutakidis as the club’s NPLW Technical Director.
Poutakidis had two stints at SMFC, representing the club 55 times (scoring 4 goals) as a full back in both the National Soccer League (2002-2004) and then the Victorian Premier League (2008). His playing career spanned over a decade at the top level in Victoria and included two club best and fairest awards.
Since retiring from playing, Sam has played an active role in coaching over the past decade. This includes senior roles at Waverley Wanderers, Beaumaris and Richmond, with NPL assistant coach roles at Oakleigh, Kingston and most recently Port Melbourne. He has also been involved in the women’s game with some time at Ashburton in a specialist coaching role.
In all of his roles, the FFA A Licensed coach has had player development at the forefront. This included a very successful period at Oakleigh as Under 20s coach, where he guided his team to the league championship in 2014 and produced footballers ready for senior football.
Speaking to smfc.com.au, Director of Women’s Football Gabrielle Giuliano was thrilled to have Sam on board as the club’s NPLW Technical Director. “Sam has a wealth of experience in football over almost two decades and we are naturally delighted to have someone of his quality involved in the club and the female program. We look forward to having Sam working closely with Senior Women’s Coach Samuel Young and our other coaches in taking our program to another level.”
Sam will assist across the NPL boy’s program and in particular alongside NPL Technical Director Sinisa Cohadzic.
Sinisa Cohadzic was also excited to have Sam join the program. “Sam is a tremendous asset to the club and someone we look forward to having as part of the revamped youth system. His ability to nurture young footballers and teach them the right way to play the game is something we are looking forward to seeing. We are also excited to have someone with his experience in the system to work with myself and all of our other coaches.”
We welcome Sam back to the club and look forward to seeing him around Albert Park throughout 2021.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
We can announce the dates for the 2021 Youth trials. Please note that only players that fill out and send in EOI can turn up on the day for trials, otherwise they will not be able to trial.
Players that have sent EOI should have received details below together with instructions of requirements on the day.
For more information or to clarify, please contact Technical Director Sinisa Cohadzic on email sikic10@hotmail.com. Also check your junk mail for any correspondence before contacting.
U21 players will be only invitation and be contacted once restrictions ease.
South Melbourne FC is thrilled to announce the partnership with leading football analytics platform InStat for the 2021 season.
The software will be used throughout the NPL program, providing the club with the professional tools for individual and team performance evaluation, scouting, fitness analysis and a panoramic filming technology. The partnership will extend to all NPL teams, including analysis of all male and female footballers at the club.
Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Technical Director Sinisa Cohadzic was excited to be teaming up with the giants of football analysis. “The landmark partnership with inStat provides the club and our coaches with the very best tools to analyse and develop players like the best clubs around the globe. It’s a first ever holistic club approach to delivering video analysis, extensive statistics, and individual player indicators where we will be able to access results of all KPI’s that we want to achieve.
With this platform, we will be also able to scout players, analyse our opposition and deliver specific outcomes that we look for in players. It will help players assess their performance in detail after each game and help them take their game to another level.
We are delighted to be able to be first to show the way of future development tools to produce players towards our quest to become a force in hopefully soon newly formed second division.”
Oliver Civil from inStat was also looking forward to partnering with the club. “This deal re-affirms InStat’s commitment to growing the game technically across all levels of football in Australia. There is no better way to announce this, than with one of Australia’s most storied clubs.With a possible second division in 2022, InStat is proud to partner with South Melbourne and looks forward to supporting their ambition to return to the top flight of football in Australia.”
We look forward to bringing you more from this exciting partnership over the 2021 season.
South Melbourne FC confirms goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic’s retirement from football.
An SMFC National Youth League championship winner in 2004, Roganovic returned to Lakeside as a proven top-flight goalkeeper in January 2015. He kept a clean sheet in his first SMFC senior game in February 2015 and went on to play for the club in 113 NPL Victoria/finals matches, with 136 total appearances and 42 clean sheets across all competitions. He had two stints with the club between 2015 and 2017 and then from mid-2018 until the conclusion of the 2020 season.
Roganovic was between the sticks during South’s 2015 Premiership and Dockerty Cup triumphs and kept a clean sheet in the Dockerty Cup final win over Oakleigh. He also made several excellent saves in the club’s 2016 NPL Victoria Grand Final triumph over Oakleigh. Individually, he won the SMFC Players’ Player of the Year award in 2016 and is an automatic SMFC Hall of Fame member as a senior championship winning player of the club.
Speaking to smfc.com.au, Football Director Andrew Mesourouni thanked Nikola for his outstanding service. “Nikola was a huge part of our success over the past five seasons and we thank him for his efforts whilst wearing our famous shirt. He retires as a championship winner and as a very popular figure around the club. We wish him and his family all the best for the next phase of his life.”
On behalf of everyone associated with the club, SMFC congratulates “Rock Roganovic” on a fantastic career.
South Melbourne FC is seeking Expressions of Interest for NPL coaches of all age groups to work in a new dynamic football program headed by Pro License Technical Director Sinisa Cohadzic.
We are seeking coaches with a minimum B License qualification and Australian residency.
Candidates must be ambitious and passionate in developing Junior players for pathways into high level football as the South Melbourne Football Club is seeking entry into the proposed new National Championship league.
The Club will offer industry leading development tools and resources to maximise potential as well as above market remuneration for successful candidates.
Please send all EOI to SMFC Technical Director, Sinisa Cohadzic on following email: sikic10@hotmail.com
South Melbourne FC confirms that Senior Women’s captain, dual Championship winner and Hall of Fame member Jamie Pollock will be returning home to the USA in order to be with her family.
Pollock grew up in Georgia, USA and first experienced football at Harrison High School. She also played youth football at Tophat 08 Gold and was part of the Georgia State Olympic Development Program. Accolades followed the midfielder throughout her youth football, being part of and captaining teams to the Georgia State Championship and the Olympic Development Program National Championship.
Her success continued at the University of Georgia, where she started every game she played over the course of three years, scoring 8 goals and providing 12 assists. As her time with the Georgia Bulldogs came to a close, she was offered a contract with Atlanta Beat in the Women’s Professional Soccer League, however the league folded before she graced the pitch. In 2013, Pollock joined the Florida Atlantic Owls as a coach before moving north to join the Boston Breakers setup in the National Women’s Soccer League.
A year later, Pollock was back in her native Georgia, this time playing for the Atlanta Silverbacks. The Silverbacks were her last US-based team as she then made the long journey downunder to play in Victoria.
South Melbourne senior coach (at the time) Socrates Nicolaidis had extensive experience in the USA, having coached at club and college level for some fifteen years. His network enabled him to identify Pollock to join his squad at Lakeside.
Pollock’s debut for SMFC was in June 2015 against the Senior NTC, followed by her Lakeside debut a week later against Casey Comets. A successful 2015 campaign saw SMFC finish fourth and qualify for the finals, where Pollock played a crucial role. In week two of the finals she scored a 90th-minute goal to down Heidelberg in a thrilling match at Lakeside. The following week she scored a brace at Kingston Health to help eliminate Ashburton United and book a place in the Grand Final.
Pollock played a critical role throughout the Grand Final and was awarded the honour of being the best player in the game. She was also front and centre as club captain Alex Cheal raised the WPL championship trophy following victory.
Pollock continued to be a key part of SMFC’s success, capturing the NPLW Premiers Plate in the 2017 and 2018 seasons as well as winning the 2017 NPLW Grand Final against Geelong Galaxy. Her leadership and work ethic saw her named as club captain in 2019 and she was formally inducted into the SMFC Hall of Fame at the club’s event in February 2020.
Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Giuliano paid tribute to Pollock. “Since arriving in 2015, Jamie has been a huge part of the club, our culture and family. She has not only been a superstar on the park as a key member to our success, but the time she has dedicated to being a role model for our younger players is something that will be greatly missed. We wish her all the best for her move back home and hope that the next chapter in her life is an enjoyable one. She is forever part of our family and the history of our club.”
SMFC senior coach Samuel Young also paid tribute to Pollock. “I want to thank Jamie for her years of service to SMFC. Jamie embodies what it means to be a South player; determined, professional and a winner. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get the chance to work with her on a match day but we understand her decision to head home in these uncertain times. Jamie leaves as an SMFC legend and the door will always be open to her in any capacity at the club. I want to wish her all the success in her future endeavours.”
The entire SMFC family wishes Jamie all the best in the next phase of her life and we thank her for her service to the club over the years.
