Category: News

SMFC to wear Puma for 2017 NPL Victoria Season

South Melbourne FC is excited to announce that it has partnered with leading International Sports Brand Puma as our Official Apparel supplier for the 2017 National Premier Leagues season.

As part of the agreement, SMFC will work closely with Puma’s Official Apparel Partner, One Sports Group for all of the club’s requirements in 2017.

SMFC and Puma have a long standing relationship which can be linked back to the NSL, with our back-to-back National Championship winning sides of 1997/98 and 1998/99 proudly wearing the Puma brand.

All of our male and female teams will receive a new custom Puma on and off field apparel for the upcoming season, with Youth Players also receiving a special Spring Training kit as part of their registration.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, One Sports Director Patrick Spagnolo was extremely pleased with the partnership.

“We are incredibly excited to team up with South Melbourne, a great club with a rich tradition and one of the most successful, powerful football clubs in Australia.

Our new partnership with South Melbourne clearly underlines the proud rich tradition of the club’s heritage as well as a determined mission to be the best.

South Melbourne and Puma-One Sports also share a commitment to performance and innovation, together we will deliver to players and supporters an attractive line of sportswear featuring Puma’s most advanced proprietary technologies, innovations and design.

The new Puma kit pays homage to the club’s illustrious history and we look forward to its unveiling very soon.”

South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis was also excited about the agreement. “Puma has a massive presence in world football and we are excited to be aligning our club with such an iconic brand. We will be looking at launching both our on field and off field range soon, with our junior players to receive a training kit for the Spring Training program next week”.

We look forward to working with Puma in 2017 and beyond.

October 26, 2016
SMFC Women awarded 2017 NPL Victoria license

South Melbourne FC is excited to confirm that we have been awarded a license for the 2017 NPL Victoria Women’s Competition.

After a successful bidding process, the club is excited to once again be part of the top flight of women’s football in the state, as well as continuing to be at the forefront of the development of the women’s game and young aspiring female footballers.

The Club will work with Football Federation Victoria in the short term to prepare for the upcoming season in the National Premier League.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Director of Women’s Football Gabrielle Guiliano was elated with the news. “We are extremely pleased with the outcome and we can’t wait to get started. I would personally like to thank the outstanding team behind the scenes for the hard work in putting the bid together and I am certain that the hard work will continue over the next few months to prepare for the upcoming season”.

NPL trials will commence next week, with details as follows:

Where:
Albert Park Field 13 (Aughtie Drive, Albert Park)

Time Periods:
Ages 12 to 16 – 5.30pm – 7pm
Age 18 and Over – 7pm – 8.30pm

When:
Tuesday 25 October
Thursday 27 October
Thursday 3 November
Tuesday 8 November

Contact admin@smfc.com.au for more information and to register for a trial.

October 21, 2016
Construction begins at Lakeside Stadium

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm that construction has begun on our exclusive areas at Lakeside Stadium.

As part of the extensive development, we will be completing our new offices, social club, restaurant / bar, shop and futsal court.

We anticipate completion by early 2017.

Please keep an eye on smfc.com.au and our social media pages as the project continues.

October 17, 2016
SMFC announce female trials for 2017 season

South Melbourne FC is excited to announce its trial period for all female footballers ahead of the 2017 season.

Details are as follows:

Where:
Albert Park Field 13 (Aughtie Drive, Albert Park)

Time Periods:
U12 to U16s -5.30pm – 7pm
16yrs + open age- 7pm – 8.30pm

When:
Tuesday 25 October
Thursday 27 October
Thursday 3 November
Tuesday 8 November

We look forward to meeting you at the trials later this month.

October 15, 2016
SMFC NPL Boys Spring Training and Trial Times

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm that trials for our NPL Victoria boys teams will commence this Monday 10th October in Albert Park (Aughtie Drive, Field 18) for all players not registered with the club in 2016.

For further details please find attached the roster below.

Under 12
Monday / Wednesday: 5.30pm – 7pm
Saturday: 11.30am – 1pm

Under 13
Monday / Wednesday: 5.30pm – 7pm
Saturday: 11.30am – 1pm

Under 14
Monday / Wednesday: 7pm – 8.30pm
Saturday: 1pm – 2.30pm

Under 15
Monday / Wednesday: 7pm – 8.30pm
Saturday: 1pm – 2.30pm

Under 16
Tuesday / Thursday: 7pm – 8.30pm
Saturday: 10am – 11.30am

Under 18 / 20 (Lakeside Stadium – Saturday October 22, 3pm)
Tuesday / Thursday: 7pm – 8.30pm
Saturday: 10am – 11.30am

Note Under 20s trials commence on Tuesday 18th October.

Spring Training and further trials will commence on Monday 17th October for our current NPL Victoria boys squads. To register for Spring Training please visit www.smfc.com.au/2016spring

October 14, 2016

Weekend Scores (ending 9 October 2016)

Our male teams have all now completed their 2016 NPL seasons, following two catch-up matches being played over the weekend. Our Under 16s played out a 0-0 draw with the Dandenong Thunder and our Under 18s beat the same opponent 2-0.

We would like to thank all of the team managers, who have worked together with the SMFC media team during the season to provide the referee’s match record for each round. By doing so, it assists us in keeping data as accurate as possible and to track the progress of all our players through the youth system and hopefully into the first team in the future.

The below table indicates the performance of each of our male NPL teams this season. Congratulations are extended to our Under 13s, Under 14s and Senior Men on their championship wins. All teams bar one finished in the top three of their respective league, showing sustained success across all male age groups in 2016.

Team	Final Position	Golden Boot Winner	Goals/Games
Under 12s	Third (17 teams)	L Asani	23 goals in 24 games
Under 13s	Champions (17 teams)	H Chong	29 goals in 22 games
Under 14s	Champions (17 teams)	K Abdou	39 goals in 25 games
Under 15s	Second (17 teams)	K Garrow	16 goals in 26 games
Under 16s	Third (17 teams)	E Kolaj	20 goals in 23 games
Under 18s	Seventh (17 teams)	R Hawthorne	17 goals in 22 games
Under 20s	Third (14 teams)*	Giordano Marafioti / Nashir Hussainy	12 goals in 21 games 12 goals in 22 games
Senior Men	Champions (14 teams)	Milos Lujic	27 goals in 28 games

* Please note that FFV did not re-schedule the postponed U20s match with Melbourne Victory in July, therefore leaving the team one point behind second-placed Bulleen but having played a game less.

October 10, 2016

Weekend Scores (ending 2 October 2016)

Commiserations to our Under-15s side, who unfortunately lost their final game of the season and therefore lost the NPL Victoria (East) U15s championship on goal difference. Nevertheless, the team had an excellent season and congratulations must go to the coaching staff and team manager Nick Kara.

The NPL regular season has concluded for all our male teams except for the U16 and U18 teams, who play their final game against Dandenong Thunder next Saturday.

Male NPL Teams U16 & U18s (Current Ladder Position with one game to go)

U18s (Tenth): SMFC 5-3 Heidelberg United (Hawthorne x2, Layton x2, Egan)
U16s (Third): SMFC 2-1 Heidelberg United (Loutrakis, Gregory)

Male NPL Teams U12-U15s (Final Ladder Position out of 17 teams)

U15s (Runners-up): SMFC 0-1 Heidelberg United
U14s (Champions): SMFC 3-1 Heidelberg United (Abdou x2, Zeitoune)
U13s (Champions): SMFC 3-1 Heidelberg United (Chong x2, Zampogna)
U12s (Third): SMFC 6-0 Heidelberg United (Asani, Dzadey, Sivritas, Tampakas, Thomson, Own Goal)

October 2, 2016
U13s Secure Championship / Weekend Scores (ending 25 September 2016)

Congratulations to our Under-13s coaching staff (led by Daniel Foden) and team manager Allen Wong as the boys secured the NPL Victoria (East) U13s championship on the weekend. Thanks to a 5-2 win at Murray United on Saturday, the boys wrapped up the title and also notched up over 100 goals for the season!

Our boys have scored an enormous 103 goals (conceding 27) from 25 games this year and lead second-placed Box Hill by four points heading into the final round of matches this weekend. We are yet to be beaten in 2016, with 22 wins and three draws from our 25 matches. Yianni Panakos and Hugo Chong are equal top goal scorers for our U13s this season, will they tie for the Golden Boot or will someone claim the honours outright in the final game?

Below are all the scores from our NPL games played over the weekend. Our U12s can’t move from third place and our U13s and U14s have already been crowned as champions of their respective leagues. Our U15s are currently in first place with a game to go and will be crowned champions should they achieve at least a draw in their final game. Our U16s still have a couple of games remaining and can finish as high as second place. Our U18s have struggled this season but with a couple of games remaining can still finish in the top six.

Male NPL Teams U12-U18s (Current Ladder Position out of 17 teams)

U18s (10th): SMFC 3-3 Murray United (Layton, Ahmeti, Garrow)
U16s (3rd): SMFC 2-2 Murray United (Garrow, Gaal)
U15s (1st): SMFC 12-1 Murray United (Papazisis x5, Arriaza x2, Warner x2, Andreadis, Fogel, Kapaklis)
U14s (Champions): SMFC 1-1 Murray United (Cevik)
U13s (Champions): SMFC 5-2 Murray United (Chong x2, Khan, Panakos, Vlogianitis)
U12s (3rd): SMFC 11-1 Murray United (Asani x3, Markovski x3, Durso x2, Swinney, Tampakas, Thomson)

September 26, 2016
South set to apply for WNPL Position

South Melbourne FC welcomes FFV’s recent announcement that it will add a team to the WNPL in 2017, expanding the women’s NPL from its inaugural 8 teams this year.

FFV has opened the application process which will close on October 6 with the successful applicant being announced on October 21. SMFC will apply for the additional licence commencing next year. The club is presently preparing its application which will focus on its past and present substantial contribution to the development of women’s football.

SMFC has invested heavily in ensuring its female teams are treated equally with its male teams in every way. Coaching, player development, use of fields and facilities, allocation of resources, promotions, sponsorship and club governance are all areas in which our female players and members are being treated equally. Our members voted overwhelmingly at our most recent AGM to endorse this course and approved resolutions to make the necessary amendments to our Constitution to enshrine equality and excellence across and male and female senior and junior teams.

This year, while competing at community level, our senior women, under 16s and under 14s all excelled by finishing on top of their leagues, continuing the club’s excellence in female football and complementing the success of the senior men and a number of our boys’ teams.

September 22, 2016
U14s Secure Championship / Weekend Scores (ending 18 September 2016)

Congratulations to our Under-14s coaching staff and team manager Erik Zimmerman as the boys secured the NPL Victoria (East) U14s championship on the weekend.

Thanks to a 6-0 hammering of Nunawading on Saturday, the boys wrapped up the title with two games to spare and can now enjoy the final few rounds of the season. The team has scored a staggering 126 goals (conceding only nine) from 24 games this year and has an uncatchable nine-point lead over the second-placed Bentleigh Greens. The standout goal scorer has been KJ Abdou with an outstanding 37 goals, the most by an individual player from NPL U12s all the way through to the first team!

Below are all the scores from our NPL games played over the weekend. With just a few games to go, our U13s and U15s are leading the way in their respective leagues and can hopefully secure more silverware for our club in 2016.

Male NPL Teams U12-U18s (Current Ladder Position out of 17 teams)

U18s (10th): SMFC 4-1 Nunawading (Layton x2, Garrow, Egan)
U16s (3rd): SMFC 5-1 Nunawading (Ahmeti, Garrow, Kolaj, Loutrakis, Week)
U15s (1st): SMFC 5-0 Nunawading (Garrow x2, Andreadis, Papazisis, Warner)
U14s (Champions): SMFC 6-0 Nunawading (Zeitoune x2, Abdou, Giannakarios, Reid, Russo)
U13s (1st): SMFC 6-0 Nunawading (Chong x3, Panakos x2, Kapolitsas)
U12s (3rd): SMFC 4-1 Nunawading (Asani x2, Fakos, Sivritas)

September 19, 2016