Category: News

Monday, 12 April 2010 12:12 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC has fought out a 1-1 draw against Heidelberg United in the final derby at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday. An injury-time header by Carl Recchia cancelled out Hamid Basma’s opening goal for the away side and maintained South’s undefeated record in the VPL in 2010.

The home side went into the game desperate for a League win over the Bergers for the first time since 2006. The signs early in the match pointed to a South win as the home team created chances through Marinos Gasparis and Daniel Vasilevski; however Steven Tilovski in the Heidelberg goal was up to the task. The best chance for South came from Gianni De Nittis, who beat the offside trap and found himself one-on-one with Tilovski; however the young forward hit his shot straight at the custodian.

Heidelberg had at times looked dangerous through the presence of Osagie Ederaro up front. Ederaro had been continually shut down by the South defence but almost scored when a failed clearance by the South defence fell to him. Ederaro’s quick shot dribbled just wide of South keeper Peter Zois’ near post, keeping the sides level.

Shortly before halftime, the Bergers managed to open the scoring. Another failed clearance by the South defence resulted in a shot from outside the area. Zois managed to parry the shot well but the ball unfortunately fell perfectly for Basma to tap home.

In the second half, South acting coach David Lugli made changes by introducing Fernando De Moraes and Yusuf Yusuf into the match. The substitutions were effective as South began to get on top of their Heidelberg opponents; however despite the possession the home side could not muster many goal scoring opportunities. Recchia found some space on the edge of the area but was unable to keep his shot under the crossbar, whilst De Moraes had a half-hearted penalty appeal rejected.

With the match ticking into injury time, a free kick from midfield was floated into the penalty area. Centre-back Steve O’Dor’s header fell to Recchia at the back post. Tilovski had rushed off his line to try and collect the ball and as a result Recchia lifted his header over the custodian and into the back of the net, collecting what the home side will see as a very important point against their old rivals.

South Melbourne FC travels to Somers Street next Sunday to face another old rival in the Melbourne Knights, with the match kicking off at 3pm.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-1 HEIDELBERG UNITED (HT: 0-1)

South Melbourne:
Peter Zois, Stiven Mrkela, Steve O’Dor, Daniel Vasilevski, James Stefanou (Eddie Cetkin 46’), Carl Recchia, Gianni De Nittis, Rama Tavsancioglu, Marinos Gasparis (Fernando De Moraes 60’), Sebastian Petrovic, Joe Keenan (Yusuf Yusuf 75’)
(Scorer: Carl Recchia 91’) 

Heidelberg United:
Steven Tilovski, John Lazaridis, Sayeedreza Hossaini (Kurt Crnic 61’), Paul Miller, Yanni Galanos, Hrvoje Matkovic, Josip Kozic, Hamid Basma (Saso Alexovski 77’), Luke Byles (Melo Junior 45’), Craig Elvin, Osagie Ederaro
(Scorer: Hamid Basma 42’)

SMFC Man of the Match: Yusuf Yusuf
Venue: Bob Jane Stadium
Date: Sunday 11th April 2010
Crowd: 4,000

Friday, 9 April 2010 12:01 PM

South Melbourne FC wishes to confirm reports that it is close to finalising an arrangement to participate in this year’s RHB Singapore Cup, the equivalent of Singapore’s FA Cup.

The Singapore football authorities and South Melbourne FC have completed their discussions and the Singapore FA has informed our Club that it is keen to have South Melbourne FC participate in this year’s RHB Singapore Cup.

The Singapore FA has discussed the issue with the CEO of Football Federation Australia, Mr Ben Buckley and does not believe that Football Federation Australia has any difficulty with the concept.

Football Federation Australia has been invited by the Singapore FA to formally respond by Monday 12 April 2010.

Whilst Singapore FA is keen for South Melbourne FC to participate in the Singapore Cup and no other Australian club has applied to do so, the Singapore authorities are awaiting Football Federation Australia’s formal consent before formalising our club’s participation.

The Singapore FA includes a number of overseas teams from the Asian Football Confederation in the Singapore Cup each year.

South Melbourne FC sees its participation as a fantastic opportunity. It will enhance Australia’s ties with the Asian Football Confederation, promote Australia’s bid to host the World Cup, provide a much needed boost to the Victorian Premier League and excite its supporters.

This development comes at a particularly exciting time for the Club as it is about to embark on the redevelopment of its stadium at Albert Park, and has been invited to the World Football Gala function to be held in London in May to accept its Award as Oceania Club of the Century, along with winning clubs from all other Confederations.

For more information, please contact South Melbourne FC Chairman Nick Galatas, on 0403 055 666 or media@smfc.com.au.

Thursday, 8 April 2010 10:15 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC welcomes traditional rival Heidelberg United to Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday for the final derby match at the ground before the $50.3 million renovations on the stadium commences. The home side will be chasing a big derby victory over the Bergers in order to achieve three successive victories in the VPL as well as send the ground off in style.

The match has huge significance for both sides, with South extremely keen on ending a run of five successive losses against the Bergers in the League, whilst Heidelberg is desperately chasing its first win of the season. Prior to the Easter break, South enjoyed a hard-fought yet professional 2-0 victory against Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve (highlights can be seen on smfcTV), whilst Heidelberg fought out a 1-1 draw against the Oakleigh Cannons at the Olympic Village.

Whilst South will go into the match as favourites, their opponents and the occasion itself are not to be underestimated. Despite constantly defeating Heidelberg in the pre-season Hellenic Cup competition in recent years, South has not beaten the Bergers in the VPL since round 14 of the Championship-winning season of 2006. The next League meeting after that game was a 3-3 draw (round 1 of 2007) and since then the Bergers have won all five derby meetings in the VPL, giving them all the motivation needed to spoil South’s party on Sunday.

South’s summer signing Joey Keenan is available for selection for the derby, telling SouthRadio during the week that “it’s up to the coaches on whether I play or not but I am available and hopeful to get at least 45 minutes on the pitch on Sunday.” In other team news, Steve O’Dor is looking likely to play despite picking up a hamstring injury against the Thunder two weeks ago. Former Bergers Marinos Gasparis and James Stefanou are two South players keenly looking forward to the derby, with Gasparis looking to follow up his first goal for South at Dandenong by scoring his first goal for the club at Bob Jane Stadium. Stefanou will be looking to join O’Dor in closely marking Heidelberg’s Osagie Ederado, who scored the only goal of the game in the corresponding fixture last year.

Many South supporters will recall that fittingly, the final match at South’s traditional ground of Middle Park was against Heidelberg in round 1 of the 1994/95 National Soccer League season. On that day, South defeated the Bergers 4-1 in front of 11,926 spectators. Ivan Kelic scored twice for the Blues (73′, 86′), whilst Con Boutsianis (2′) and Francis Awaritefe (65′) chimed in with one goal each. Whilst a similar scoreline on Sunday would be a dream come true for the home side, the most important thing will be winning the three points, even if it is by a solitary goal.

South Melbourne FC wishes to remind South fans as well as the general footballing public that there are free double passes for entry into Sunday’s match. Details can be found at https://www.smfc.com.au/promo

South Melbourne FC also wishes to remind everyone that whilst the match kicks off at 3pm, there will be pre-match entertainment commencing at 2:30pm. Supporters are encouraged to arrive at this time to witness the entertainment as well as getting a final look and ‘feel’ of the venue before the renovations commence.

Official Match Commercial

Thursday, 8 April 2010 10:03 PM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce the addition of Homes Now, a subsidiary of the National Builders Group as a new major corporate partner of the club for 2010. The sponsorship arrangement will comprise of smfcTV, southRadio, and online advertising.

Homes Now has been specifically designed for the first time home buyer and astute property investor, particularly those looking for the best bottom line price. Starting with just $100 dollars, they will help clients every step of the way from selecting the ideal home design with quality inclusions, assisting in sourcing suitable land where the client wants to live and arranging finance (if required).

Head of Marketing, Corporate Sales and Events, George Triantos speaking to smfc.com.au said “we are very excited to be entering into a sponsorship arrangement with our new major corporate partner, Homes Now. This organisation is part of the National Builders Group, one of the leading firms in the residential construction industry in Victoria. In addition, this marks a new direction for the club, with the Sales Team now generating sponsorship revenue from the Club’s digital and online mediums.

To view more information about Homes Now or enquire about purchasing your new home, visit www.homesnow.com.au

Thursday, 8 April 2010 12:37 AM

On this week’s episode of southRadio, we review South’s second win for the Victorian Premier League season against Dandenong Thunder, a round up of all the action across Round 5 of the VPL, and preview the last traditional derby at Bob Jane Stadium clash between South Melbourne FC and Heidelberg United SC. In addition, we are joined in the studio by Joseph Keenan for a chat about the season so far, and we are joined by a couple of mystery Trans Tasman guests.

Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au

Click here to download the podcast (MP3 – 15.1mb) 

Wednesday, 7 April 2010 10:22 AM

South Melbourne FC are proud to announce that a weekly half hour television program called SMFC TV will be screened on Channel 31 at 10 am every Saturday morning.

The program will commence on Saturday April 17th with the first episode focusing on the final traditional derby at Bob Jane Stadium, including full match coverage and special behind the scenes footage for all fans to enjoy.

As the season progresses, SMFC TV will focus directly on bringing the latest news from the club, as well providing all South Melbourne FC and general football fans with a modern and fresh view of the club.

Head of Marketing, Corporate Sales, and Events George Triantos speaking to smfc.com.au said “This is an another exciting move by the Club as we now have a full compliment of TV, print, radio, online and digital mediums to promote the Club. Three months of planning and discussions have seen the program become a reality, with the necessary capital investment in equipment to ensure the program is of a high quality. I would like to thank all members of the Multimedia Subcommittee working together to achieve this fantastic outcome.”

South Melbourne FC encourages all football fans to tune into the show, and enjoy the best of Victorian football.

Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for SMFC TV please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au.

SMFC TV
Commencing April 17th
Channel 31
Every Saturday 10.00am -10.30am

Tuesday, 6 April 2010 10:29 AM

South Melbourne FC would like to provide all fans and football lovers with an Easter gift ahead of the Round 6 clash against Heidelberg United.

With the derby between South Melbourne FC and Heidelberg United being the last before the $50.3 million redevelopment of Bob Jane Stadium, we would like to offer you a FREE double pass for the weekend’s game.

To redeem your FREE double pass, click on the below link and enter your name and email address into the form. Once completed, your FREE double pass will be forwarded to the email address that you have provided.

Please forward this email to your friends and family as well. We want to see as many football fans as possible at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday to give our home as we know it a fitting farewell against our oldest rival.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOUBLE PASS

Monday, 5 April 2010 3:56 PM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce Monash Hire has renewed their sponsorship for the 2010 Victorian Premier League season by becoming one of the online corporate partners, sponsoring both smfcTV and southRadio.

Monash Hire Group Pty Ltd is one of the biggest privately owned hire company’s in Australia. Currently Monash Hire Group has over 100 employees and boasts branches in Mt Waverley, Hastings, Coburg, Footscray in Victoria, Mackay and Hemmant in Queensland and Auckland in New Zealand, with Sydney and Perth soon to follow. In 2009, Monash Hire won the highly regarded 2009 Rental Company of the Year Award.

Head of Marketing, Corporate Sales, and Events, George Triantos speaking to smfc.com.au said “it is tremendous that Monash Hire has renewed their sponsorship for 2010.  I would like to personally thank George Bekos for his commitment to South Melbourne FC, as he is a passionate and long time supporter of the Club”.

To view more information about the company, visit www.monashhire.com.au

Friday, 2 April 2010 3:47 PM

South Melbourne FC would like to wish all of its corporate partners, members, volunteers and fans a very happy and safe Easter.

We look forward to seeing you next Sunday against Heidelberg United in the last traditional derby at the ground.

Thursday, 1 April 2010 1:24 PM

One of South Melbourne FC’s major corporate partners, Souvlakihut, was recently named by BRW Magazine as the fastest growing food franchise in Australia, coming in third on the 2010 Fast Franchise list.

Souvlakihut is the highest ranking food business and has grown by over 217% over the last three years – a tremendous achievement for the casual Greek restaurant franchise that has only been franchising since 2005. Last fiscal year was Souvlakihut’s most successful in terms of growth more than doubling its amount of stores and achieving revenue growth of 120%.

The BRW Fast Franchises list ranks companies according to their average annual turnover growth over three years.

John Fotiadis, co-founder of Souvlakihut, speaking to smfc.com.au, attributed the businesses success to the strong team of franchisees that are advocating the brand and the emphasis the business places on its quality product offering, excellent customer service and support it provides franchisees. “Our franchisee recruitment process is extremely vigilant as we know the importance of having strong brand advocates, who can see our vision for the business and work hard with us to achieve success. We pride ourselves in our franchisee support operations, we have development agents who work closely with franchisees in each area to ensure they have everything they need to run a successful business. We’re delighted to be recognised as the 3rd fastest growing franchise system in Australia” said Fotiadis to smfc.com.au.

In total, Souvlakihut now has 36 franchises across the Eastern Seaboard with a target of more than double by the end of 2010.

Head of Corporate Sales, Marketing, and Events, George Triantos, speaking to smfc.com.au, said “we are both delighted and proud of of our major corporate partner Souvlakihut, who have achieved such great success and in particular, offer a healthy alternative to the fast food industry. To be acknowledged by BRW Magazine is a tremendous feat.”

South Melbourne FC would like to congratulate Souvlakihut on this achievement, and wishes both Bill and John Fotiadis continued success.