Category: News

Daniel Girardi appointed as SMFC Technical Director

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Girardi as the club Technical Director.

Girardi joined the club in October 2018 as Sporting Director to lead the youth program under the guidance of Head of Football Development, Michael Valkanis. Daniel will continue in this capacity and he now takes on the Technical Director role for our boys.

Daniel started playing at a young age in the juniors at Adelaide Blue Eagles where he rose through the ranks to feature in the the clubs senior team. He maintained his links to the club after his playing days serving as the Youth Technical Director for a number of years.

The AFC B Licence holder was recognised for his football knowledge, accumen and technical capability joining former South Melbourne player and Socceroo Michael Valkanis at Adelaide United FC. At the time Valkanis was the Head Coach of the youth program at United and Girardi worked for three years as Scout and Assistant Coach. The youth program under Valkanis at United has be acknowledged as one of the most productive in Australia in recent years with some twenty-seven players having gone through the program and progressed to senior A-League football.

Football Director Andrew Mesourouni spoke to smfc.com.au saying “I am pleased to be able to announce Daniel as our Technical Director. Daniel is implementing a new approach to our youth development program with Michael Valkanis and together they are leading the club in a new direction to facilitate the latest evolution of us producing the country’s next crop of talented players.”

Girardi replaces outgoing Technical Director Strati Xynas who, after serving the club for three years, resigned in December 2018 to pursue his football career overseas. We wish Strati the best with his future endeavours and welcome Daniel to the role.

NPL returns to Lakeside Stadium this Friday as South Melbourne FC go head to head with newly promoted Dandenong City this Friday night.

The two teams famously clashed during the 2017 FFA Cup in one of the most exciting games of recent history. After falling behind 4-1 deep into the second half South staged a miraculous comeback to win 5-4, with a 97th minute penalty causing pandemonium in the stands of Lakeside Stadium.

Dandenong City has reached the top tier of state football for the first time in their proud history, but the party of was short lived as they lost to a rampant Avondale FC 4-1 in the first round.

South Melbourne is similarly coming off a loss, falling 3-1 away to Bentleigh Greens in a match that could have swung either way. South will continue to improve as the new look squad gels together, with five new signings having already debuted last week in the blue and white.

South fans will be extremely encouraged by the performances of the new contingent. Nick Krousoratis and Gerrie Sylaidos, in particular, stood out as livewires and will look to expose the Dandenong City defence.

The club hopes for an electric atmosphere at Lakeside Friday night so please come down and support the team get off the mark for season 2019.

Memberships and merchandise can be purchased and collected from the Futsal Entrance at Lakeside Stadium. We urge all fans to arrive early to avoid the long waiting lines.

Match details
South Melbourne FC vs Dandenong City SC
Friday 22 Feb @ Lakeside Stadium
Kick off 8.30pm (Under 20s and 6.15pm)

A new look South Melbourne FC kicked off 2019 with a strong performance despite ultimately falling 3-1 to Bentleigh Greens in a back and forth contest at Kingston Heath.

Perfect late Summer conditions greeted the teams for the round 1 blockbuster and after a cagey start, Bentleigh drew first blood with their opening attempt of the game. A fortunate break in the midfield saw the ball played out wide to Yuel, whose low cross found Barresi to slot home in the 9th minute.

Chances were few and far between for both sides but South rallied with debutant Gerrie Sylaidos firing narrowly wide. The 2018 NPL Rising Star continued to impress, stripping the Bentleigh midfield and releasing Nick Krousoratis on the right wing who surged forward before equalizing with a powerful low finish in the 23rd minute. South continued to look threatening on the break, particularly down the right flank through Pepe Marafioti before Kostas Stratomitros was forced from the field with injury shortly before the half time whistle.

South began the second half on the front foot with the midfield looking composed in possession and goal scorer Krousoratis terrorizing the Bentleigh defence with some explosive attacking runs. Despite the positive signs, Bentleigh once again took the lead against the run of play with Yuel tapping home from close range in the 70th minute after another low cross. The goal didn’t change the momentum of the game, South continued to press forward and came agonizingly close to finding an equalizer on several occasions, most notably with Sylaidos and substitute Marcus Schroen both being denied by acrobatic saves.

Ultimately legs began to fade and as the game stretched Bentleigh speedster Yuel doubled his tally with a smart finish on the counter-attack, sealing the game for the Greens deep in injury time.

The 3-1 scoreline flattered the home side in the end as South Melbourne left frustrated not to have picked up at least a point. The overall performance had plenty of positives though and Con Tangalakis will feel optimistic about the team’s chances for next Friday night’s game against Dandenong City.

FINAL SCORE: BENTLEIGH GREENS 3-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-1)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Joshua Barresi (9′)
1-1: Nick Krousoratis (23′)
2-1: Valentino Yuel (70′)
3-1: Valentino Yuel (90+4′)

Bentleigh Greens:
1. Ryan Scott (GK), 2. Matthew Crooks (4. Charles Fry 88′), 3. Jacob Alexander, 5. Jack Webster (c), 7. Joshua Barresi (11. James Xydias 83′), 8. George Lambadaridis, 10. Tyson Holmes, 14. Marco Jankovic, 15. Valentino Yuel, 18. Matthew Thurtell, 23. Velibor Mitrovic (17. Arnold Suew 62′).
Unused Subs:  6. Brody Taylor,  20. Nathan Coe (GK).
Yellow Cards: Holmes 57′.
Coach: John Anastasiadis.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola Roganovic (GK) / 2. Perry Lambropoulos, 5. Jake Marshall, 4. Luke Adams, 11. Brad Norton (c) / 18. Kosta Stratomitros (8. Dean Bereveskos 35′), 17. Ethan Gage / 12. Nick Krousoratis, 45. Gerrie Sylaidos, 7. Pepe Marafioti (10. Marcus Schroen 72′) / 14. George Howard (13. Giordano Marafioti 62′).
Unused Subs: 3. Kristian Konstantinidis, 23. Amir Jashari (GK).
Yellow Cards: Roganovic 61′, G Marafioti 68′, Lambropoulos 80′.
Coach: Con Tangalakis

South Melbourne FC kicks off an exciting 2019 NPL campaign with a blockbuster away clash against Bentleigh Greens this Friday.

The visit to Kingston Heath follows an action-packed pre-season for South after the permanent appointment of coach Con Tangalakis at the end of 2018. Tangalakis guided the club to safety during a challenging season and has made extensive changes to rejuvenate both the coaching and playing groups.

Despite some emotional farewells, the mood at Lakeside Stadium is full of positivity. The strong results in preseason were capped off with the deadline-day acquisition of dynamic striker, Billy Konstantinidis. The new number 9 has had an extensive career abroad, predominately in Greece. He joins a raft of other signings brought in to bolster an already talented squad which won its last friendly 2-0 away to West Adelaide.

South Melbourne faces a tough test away to the Bentleigh Greens who will be brimming with confidence after tasting silverware last Thursday. The Greens seized the Community Shield with a commanding 2-0 victory over rivals Heidelberg and will be hungry to hit the ground running in 2019. Like South Melbourne, Bentleigh has recruited heavily during the offseason and fans of the club will be hopeful they can go one better than last season, when they narrowly missed out on an NPL grand final berth.

A huge three points are up for grabs this Friday and the club urges all South fans to get down as we kickstart the 2019 NPL campaign.

Match details
Bentleigh Greens vs South Melbourne FC
Friday 15 Feb @ Kingston Heath
Kick off 8.15pm

South Melbourne FC is excited to announce the deadline day signing of striker Billy Konstantinidis ahead of the commencement of the 2019 NPL Victoria season.

Melbourne-born Konstantinidis arrives at Lakeside Stadium following a 14-year professional playing career in Greece representing Aris, Veria, Iraklis, Panserriakos and Lamia. He also had a short stint for Japanese club Ventforet Kofu.

Standing at 191cm, Konstantinidis provides SMFC Head Coach Con Tangalakis with a natural and powerful centre-forward with a proven goal-scoring record over the past decade.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Senior Football Manager Peter Kokotis was pleased to have such an established player join the club. “I’ve known Billy for many years and have seen his career progress over that period. He’s a proven goal scorer with a huge presence on the park and experience in a top-flight European league. We look forward to his arrival as we begin finalising our squad ahead of our opening NPL Victoria match next Friday night.”

SMFC welcomes Billy to the club and wishes him well for the 2019 season.

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that Sky Jensen has joined the club for the 2019 NPLW Victoria season.

21-year-old Jensen joins the club following a stint in South Australia with Salisbury Inter in the National Premier League.

Victorian Football followers would know Jensen from her time with NPLW clubs Heidelberg United, Geelong Galaxy and Melbourne Victory in the W-League. She also had stints with Senior NTC, Altona City and Boroondara in the Women’s Premier League, where at the Eagles she won silverware for the first time in the form of a Premiership and Team App Cup double.

As a calm and composed central defender with experience at the top level in the state, Jensen will add strength to the SMFC back four.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Giuliano welcomed Jensen to the club. “SMFC is excited to bring in a footballer with Sky’s credentials into the club. Having a taste of W-League action, combined with NPL experience in both Victoria and South Australia provides us with an exciting prospect that adds to our defense.

SMFC welcomes Sky to the club and wishes her all the best for the 2019 season.

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm changes to our 2019 NPLW Victoria​ coaching structure, appointing Mick Gallo as the club’s Senior Coach.

Gallo will replace previously announced Senior Coach Angelo Koutos, who has resigned from the role following an increase in personal commitments.

Mick is intimately familiar with South Melbourne having served as our NPLW Technical Director during a very successful 2018 season. He worked with both Socrates Nicolaidis and Angelo Koutos at senior level last season and will be well suited in continuing our development of our younger players and giving opportunities to play senior football.

Mick’s experience throughout Victorian football has prepared him well not just for this role but also to continue to guide the ongoing growth of womens and girls football. Prior to his role with the club, he was the Technical Director at NPL club Avondale and has held numerous football related coaching roles throughout the past 5 seasons and clubs including with Avondale, Point Cook and North Geelong.

He will be joined by Sebastian Sztormowski who has been appointed as Senior Assistant coach. Sebastian has a wealth of experience at both NPL and Community level, including youth coaching roles with Avondale, Melbourne Knights, Preston Lions and Brunswick City.

The club is also pleased to welcome back Melissa Lee as the Senior Team Manager/ Coach Assistant. Mel joined the club for the 2018 season and has grown into an integral part of our NPLW senior team and club as a whole.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Head of Women’s Football Gabrielle Giuliano was excited for the season ahead. “We are pleased to appoint Mick to the position of Senior Team Coach and are really excited with what the season can bring us. Mick has been instrumental in further developing the women’s side of the club and has a great amount of experience already at NPL level. We think that Mick, along with the new coaching staff can continue to drive the professionalism and standards to a high level for not only our senior team but the entire female program.

I would also like to personally thank Angelo Koutos for his efforts in 2018 and would like to wish him all the best for any future endeavours”.

Our senior women under Mick Gallo will commence the season away to Southern United on Saturday February 23rd.

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce the signing of Canadian Ethan Gage ahead of the 2019 NPL Victoria season.

The hardworking defensive midfielder played a pivotal role for the Bentleigh Greens throughout their 2018 campaign. Notably, Gage was outstanding throughout the cup competitions for the Greens, starting in their Dockerty Cup final win and playing a leading role in the big win over the Wellington Phoenix in the FFA Cup proper.

He had represented Canada at Under 20 level prior to arriving in Australia and his previous clubs included Nyköpings in Sweden, Bærum in Norway and Vancouver Whitecaps back home in Canada.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Senior Football Manager Peter Kokotis was pleased with the acquisition. “Ethan was tremendous in his time with the Greens last season and we expect him to play an important role in the midfield for us in 2019. His experience, mixed with his ability to read the play, will be an asset for Con Tangalakis in our new-look midfield.”

South Melbourne FC welcomes Ethan to Lakeside and wishes him all the best for the 2019 season.