Category: News

South Melbourne FC are delighted to announce Sasa Kolman as Senior Coach for the 2018 NPL Victoria season.

Kolman is a familiar face to those at the club. He joined the South family for the 2014 season as a youth coach and has held numerous youth based positions since that time. He was elevated to Under 20s coach mid way through the 2014 season and has worked closely with the development of our young footballers for the past four seasons.

Prior to his involvment in South Melbourne, he coached in Europe including a stint at Deportivo Alaves in Spain and as the senior coach of FC Suduroy in the Faroe Islands. It was at FC Suduroy where he was recognised as the youngest first division coach in Europe. Kolman holds a UEFA Pro Licence and a Bachelor Degree of Sport from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.​

In 2017, Kolman took the u20s mens side to the Championship, as well as being assistant coach to the outgoing Chris Taylor.

Speaking to smfc.com.au Club President Leo Athanasakis spoke highly of Kolman in announcing the appointment of the Senior Men’s Coach: “Our objective at South Melbourne FC is to win titles and continue the strong history of success the club has. As a part of achieving this, our strategic direction is one which will continue to focus on building​ ​a closer working relationship between our youth and senior teams.”

“This will ensure the senior team philosophy and program is integrated at all levels of the club and appropriate opportunities are available at a senior level for our future stars.”

“The youth program has continued to improve over the years and we want to ensure our young players can take the next step to senior football at South Melbourne FC.”

“Sasa has been an integral part of both the youth and senior program for numerous years and we are excited to offer him a full-time position to be the senior team coach for the 2018 season.”

“As well as holding a UEFA Pro License, Sasa has a large amount of experience both as a player and coach throughout Europe, whilst also having an in depth understanding of the local game and our club. We welcome him to the role and wish him all the best for the upcoming season.”

South Melbourne FC can today confirm that the club has parted ways with head coach, Chris Taylor.

Taylor’s coaching journey at South Melbourne comes to an end after four and a half years, having joined in July 2013 from Dandenong Thunder.

During his time at the club, he secured the league and entrance into the Westfield FFA Cup, including a run in the competition that culminated in an historic Semi-Final against Hyundai A-League outfit Sydney FC.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC President Leo Athanasakis thanked Taylor for his efforts at SMFC: “Chris has been an integral part of the club and the Senior team over the last four and a half years. We would like to place on record our appreciation of Chris’ contribution and we wish him well in his future endeavours.”

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm that it has re-signed Premiership and Championship striker Melina Ayres for the 2018 season.

Ayres had an outstanding season in 2017 where her performance was recognised on a number of levels. She has taken home silverware at a team, club and league level. Melina traveled to
Nanjing, China in October as a part of the Young Matildas squad participating in the AFC U19 Women’s Championship.

She will re-join the club following the conclusion of the W-League season, where she is currently playing for Melbourne Victory

Speaking to smfc.com.au Football Director Gabrielle Giuliano was excited with the signing. “I am looking forward to seeing Melina pull on the South jersey again in 2018. She has grown so much as an individual and footballer in the last year. She has experienced success personally and with the team which is recognition of her talent and ongoing professional development. I am pleased she has had the opportunity to work with Coach Socrates Nicolaidis throughout last season and be mentored by South team mate and Maltilda’s all-time record goal scorer Lisa DeVanna. We wish Melina all the best for the upcoming season.”

Melina “Gary” Ayres will be back in South colours for the first round of the NPLW Victoria on Saturday 24th.

Photo: Rachel Bach / BTWL

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm that it has re-signed defender Kristian Konstantinidis for the next two seasons.

Having played 35 matches for the club, Konstantinidis is a key member of Chris Taylor’s squad and will once again play an integral role in the club’s defensive structure for the upcoming season.

With the ability to play in numerous positions across the back four and in midfield, the championship winner also provides the coach with an experienced and highly accomplished option as one of the best defenders in the state.

Speaking to smfc.com.au Football Director Nicholas Maikousis was pleased with retaining Konstanintidis. “He is a very important player in our back half and we are pleased to see him re-commit to the club for the next two seasons. His impact throughout the league and during our FFA Cup run of late was extremely important so we are naturally pleased to have someone with his ability and experience part of our squad”

We wish Kristian all the best for 2018 and beyond.

South Melbourne can advise the date for the Annual General Meeting has been set for Wednesday 24th of January 2018.

The AGM will be held in the 1959 Bar and Grill at Lakeside Stadium, 25 Albert Road Drive, Albert Park.

• 6pm South Melbourne Hellas Club Ltd
• 8pm South Melbourne Football Club Ltd

Eligible voting members of the club will receive notification via email or via post.

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm that it has re-signed star forward Tiffany Eliadis for the 2018 season.

Eliadis is a name that should be familiar with many South fans, having made her debut with the Club as a 14-Year-Old during the 2010 season in the Women’s Premier League. Since then, she has gone on to become one of the dangerous forwards in the state.

Her outstanding performances in a South shirt saw her win the FFV Gold Medal twice and numerous Golden Boot Awards for both Club and Competition, having scored 78 goals in her last four seasons with the club. While doing this, she also is a three time championship winning player with the club, while capturing the best on ground award for her outstanding 2017 Grand Final performance.

It was also with this amazing form behind her, that saw Tiffany rewarded with a W-League contract at Melbourne Victory for the current 2017/18 season, along side fellow South players Alex Gummer and Melina Ayres.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Head of Women’s Football Gabrielle Giuliano was excited to have Tiffany back for 2018. “South is Tiff’s home and we are over the moon to have such a quality player and person re-join the club for the upcoming season. As well as an attacking force, Tiffany showed her versatile nature throughout the season, including a stint at centre back during the Grand Final where she was best on ground. We are very pleased to have her in our colours once again.”

We wish Tiffany all the best for the 2018 season.

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm that it has re-signed Matthew Millar for the 2018 NPL Victoria season.

Millar has extended his contract following an excellent two year stint with the club, playing across many different roles in his 68 matches for the club. In those matches he has also scored on 26 occasions in all competitions, whilst also proving to be one more the more dangerous midfielders in the competition.

The hard working 21 year old will be looking to build on a strong season and FFA Cup campaign in 2018.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Football Director Nicholas Maikousis welcomed the news of the re-signing. “Matty had a fantastic season with the club and was a standout during our last two matches in the FFA Cup, so we are pleased to have him back for 2018. His work ethic and ability to run at speed for long periods makes him a versatile and dangerous player, so we are naturally excited to have him in our colours once again.”

We wish Matt all the best for upcoming season.

South Melbourne FC would like to announce the re-signing of Championship winning Left Back Alexandra Gummer for the 2018 NPL Season.

She will re-join the club following the conclusion of the W-League season, where she is currently playing in defence for Melbourne Victory. As well as her time with Victory, she has
experience at the highest level in Australia with Adelaide United, whilst also playing for Doncaster in the UK.

In 2017, Gummer played a leading role in South winning the NPLW Championship, with a standout season at left back making her one of the more dominant defenders in the league.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Giuliano was pleased to have Alexandra re-sign. “Alex is a tremendous person and leader and we are thrilled to have such a quality individual
re-join the club for the upcoming season. As well as her leadership qualities, her performances last season were exceptional and we are pleased to see her back in our colours for another season.”

As mentioned, Alex is currently playing for Melbourne Victory and will join us at the conclusion of the W-League season.

South Melbourne FC would like to announce the re-signing of 2017 Best and Fairest winner Natalie Martineau for the 2018 NPL Victoria season.

In her four seasons with the club, the Canadian-born midfielder has impressed everyone with her exceptional work ethic and creative play, as well as her leadership on the park.

Natalie was an integral part of SMWFC’s back-to-back WPL Championships in 2014-2015, the State League triumph in 2016 and of course the most recent Premiership and Championship in the NPL Women’s competition of 2017 where she stood out as one of the dominant midfield players in the entire competition.

Women’s Football Director Gabrielle Guiliano was pleased to have Natalie back at the club for the upcoming season. “Natalie showed great loyalty in being part of the Club over the past few seasons and was one of our stand out players for the 2017 season. Her tireless work rate and ability to keep driving her game to another level is something that she is well known for and we are excited to see her back in our colours for another season.”

We wish Natalie all the best for the 2018 NPL season.

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm the departure of two time Championship winning player and former club captain Michael Eagar.

Since crossing from Northcote City in 2014, Eagar immediately assumed the role as club captain and played an integral part in the club winning its first title in 9 seasons during that season. In his 112 senior appearances for the club, Eagar was also able to play a part in our second NPL triumph in three seasons in 2016, while also proudly lifting the Dockerty Cup and Premiers Plate in 2015.

A true professional and fantastic person to lead our proud club, we would like to thank Michael for his efforts as captain and wish him all the best for the next chapter in his career.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, an emotional Eagar spoke highly of his time at the club. “I would have preferred to personally say thanks to everyone at this great club who has made my time extremely enjoyable; however I would like to express my gratitude to all of the supporters, players, coaches, media team and directors at South Melbourne. In particular, CT for giving me the honour of captaining the club during my 4 years, the players such as Norts who have made the journey very special and Frankie for going above and beyond every day of the week. I’ve always worn the South colours with pride and I hope I’ve given the supporters as many great memories as they’ve given me.

Wishing the club and it’s supporters all the very best, I look forward to seeing South Melbourne back in their rightful spot of the country’s top division in the coming years where i will be supporting as a fan.”

He joins fellow Championship winning players Zaim Zeneli (North Sunshine) and Luke Adams (Overseas), as well as David Moreno (Spain) and Stefan Zinni (Avondale) as confirmed departures ahead of pre-season training on Monday.