Category: News

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that the Australia-China Youth Association (ACYA) will be a Community Partner in 2016.

In late 2015, star South Melbourne midfielder Iqbal Jawadi, along with a group of former teammates, visited an orphanage in Fiji.

Jawadi originally went over to participate in a mini soccer tournament to simply raise money for the children. However, once he and his friends saw the conditions in which the youth were living, they knew that donating their time would be just as important as raising money.

“We visited Muslim kids in an orphanage in Fiji and for a day we experienced what they go through in each day of their lives. We sat with them and ate the food that they eat and even saw their rooms and the conditions they sleep in,” Jawadi tells smfc.com.au.

“We played soccer with them; held little clinics and tournaments and they loved it. It was a sort of lifetime opportunity for them, but for us it was the least we could do.”

The conditions made it difficult to set up the clinics, but Jawadi and his friends made the best of the situation so that the kids could get the most out of the experience.

“They had one park between around 100 kids and there was about 20 of us over there so we each took some drills,” he says. “It wasn’t really structured, we just tried to make things as fun as possible.”

“At the end we were taking photos with the kids and the big smiles they had on their faces was just so heart-warming. It was really touching to see how much they love soccer.”

The tournament itself was a raging success, allowing the group to raise over $3000, which is enough for a year’s worth of food and supplies.

The generosity did not stop there as Jawadi attempted to do everything in his power to improve the living conditions of these young children.

“I went over with a whole luggage of clothes and came back with nothing because I gave all my clothes and everything else away,” Jawadi says.

Unsurprisingly, Jawadi describes the experience as somewhat of an eye-opener. But, he himself is no stranger to adversity.

Jawadi was born in Afghanistan on February 9, 1994, a time when the country was being ravaged by war. When he was only four months old, his mother felt the safest thing for their family was to flee.

Iqbal, his mother, and his four siblings, spent the next seven years of their life in India before moving to Australia in search of a better life. Today, as a stalwart in South Melbourne’s midfield, Jawadi has been able to make the most of the opportunity afforded to him.

Still, due to the struggles Jawadi has had to overcome, an ability to keep life in perspective is something that he has always had. This quality was only enhanced by what he witnessed in Fiji.

“Looking at the kids reminded me of the first time I started playing soccer. I had next to nothing,” he says.

“Even today I wouldn’t say I’m as fortunate as others, but when you take a second to stop and look at those kids you realise that you are very fortunate to be in the position you are in because I am really well off when you compare my current situation to theirs.”

Having dealt with hardship in the early stages of his life, there is no better person than Iqi Jawadi to have shown the children in Fiji that life can turn around, and dreams can come true.

South Melbourne FC encourages everyone connected with the club to attend the Kick a Goal for Joey Lynch fundraising night on Monday 15 February.

Joey Lynch is the son of The Age football writer Michael Lynch and has unfortunately been through eight years of treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The 23 year old has been told that all avenues of treatment in Australia have been exhausted but a phase clinical trial in the USA has been turning positive results and can potentially cure his disease. The only downside is that the cost of the six-month stay in the USA will cost Joey $800,000 AUD.

Socceroo Tim Cahill recently donated his entire Socceroos match fee towards Joey’s fundraising campaign and there have been many events held that have raised significant money but the $80,000 target has not been reached yet.

The Kick a Goal for Joey Lynch fundraising event on Monday 15 February begins at 7pm at Stars International Receptions (1C Bell Street, Preston) and will be hosted by Tara Rushton and George Donikian. Tickets are $90 each and include a three-course meal and drinks. All monies raised on the night will go towards Joey Lynch’s fundraising campaign.

Please call the club on 9645 9797 or email multimedia@smfc.com.au if you would like to purchase a ticket and help get Joey Lynch to the USA for his treatment.

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that Bob Jane T-Marts has re-committed to the club and will be a Platinum Partner in 2016.

The Bob Jane T-Marts brand has been closely associated with SMFC for many years, with the Lakeside Stadium known as Bob Jane Stadium from the mid 1990s until 2011. The partnership was renewed in 2013 when Bob Jane T-Marts joined SMFC as a Principal Partner and has since been the Major Sponsor of SMFC TV (Channel 31/Aurora Channel) and SMFC TV (online).

Since 2014, SMFC has worked with Bob Jane T-Marts in promoting the Fatality Free Friday campaign and will continue to do so in 2016. As an independent Australian business, Bob Jane T-Marts has a national network of franchised and company owned tyre retail stores, making them Australia’s largest independent tyre retailer.

SMFC Operations Manager George Kouroumalis spoke to smfc.com.au about the exciting news. “I want to thank National Marketing Manager Zsuzsa Zalatnai and her team for their commitment and passion towards what has been and will continue to be a very productive partnership. Bob Jane T-Marts has been a big part of the success of SMFC TV, with their continual sponsorship and support ensuring that we have a quality product for TV and our online YouTube channel. We look forward to working with Bob Jane T-Marts once again in 2016.”

We once again thank Bob Jane T-Marts for the support in 2016.

Since arriving at South Melbourne Football Club in November 2015, attacking midfielder Marcus Schroen has taken little time to settle in.

This can be put down to the fact that Schroen called SMFC home for a brief time as a junior.

“The first year I played here was in the under-18s and that was under George Stamatelos. We had a really good year and ended up winning the league. Then the next year I played under Joe Montemurro and that was another great year because we won the league with about five games to go.”

“I was also involved with the seniors a fair bit as well,” Schroen tells smfc.com.au. “It was a really good experience for me to be part of the seniors at such a young age and to come off the bench twice was great for my development.”

While Schroen was not a complete stranger to his current surroundings, he received quite a shock at the newly furnished facilities that are now present at Lakeside Stadium.

This is due to the fact that he departed South Melbourne in 2011, the exact year that construction of the then Lakeside Oval began.

“The first thing I noticed since returning was the facilities,” Schroen says.

“The facilities that you see here are second to none in the State and just being here is amazing. Not only that, the professional setup and environment of the whole club is really positive and the culture around the club is really good.”

The reasoning behind Schroen’s decision to part with South Melbourne in 2011 was the chance to join Dutch side FC Den Bosch. This was an opportunity that the young player could not pass up.

Schroen spent two years in the Dutch club’s youth system, an experience which he found beneficial in the growth of his game.

“The technical and tactical side of the football in Holland is on another level,” Schroen says.

“I played against some great players and some great clubs, and just to be in that environment when you’re living and breathing football day in, day out, and training in a professional environment it was really great for my development and took me to a whole new level.”

After a stint with the then Melbourne Heart Youth Team in 2013, Schroen signed for the Dandenong Thunder ahead of the 2014 NPL season. He made 11 senior appearances and scored two goals.

His breakout season, however, came last year with Hume City.

In the 2015 PS4 NPL Season Schroen made 24 appearances for Hume City, netting an impressive six times.

Still, his most notable performances came in the FFA Cup where a remarkable run of three goals in three games led to Hume City exceeding all expectations by making the semi-finals of the competition.

Marcus Schroen was consequently named in the 2015 FFA Cup All Star Team and is now hoping to repeat his heroics for South Melbourne in order to build upon the club’s prestige.

“Whether it’s scoring goals, or putting the ball on Millsy’s (Milos Lujic) head, or even helping out defensively, I’m just happy to contribute to the team,” Schroen says.

“The club’s got a rich history and we want to build on that going into the future. I feel like it is my home and i love being here”

After such a big season with Hume City last year, Schroen was eased into the current preseason. Nevertheless, he is now looking to hit his strides as the commencement of South Melbourne’s 2016 campaign approaches.

“Ever since coming back from the New Year we’ve been going really hard and getting the fitness levels up to game standard so it’s going really well,” he says.

At only 22 years of age, Schroen’s feet remain firmly on the ground as he understands there is still plenty of growth in his game.

“You hear the players at the top of the game even when they get to that latter stages of their career they’re still developing and learning every day,” Schroen says.

“Coming here and being a part of what I’d say is probably the best club in the state will only help me to develop further.”

South Melbourne FC welcomes STA Travel as a Gold Partner for the 2016 season. STA Travel is known as one of the world’s largest travel companies for students and young people.

In beginning its newly established partnership with SMFC, STA has already assisted with the recent travel arrangements for two of our Youth teams to Madrid over the last ten days. STA has also assisted with arranging the Senior Men for their pre-season trip to Sydney next Friday and will assist in any potential interstate and overseas trips in the future.

2016 SMFC members can expect the following benefits from the partnership:

• Special SMFC only pricing through STA Travel
• Dedicated SMFC email address and telephone number through STA
• Access to SMFC Everyday Rewards Program, which includes access to STA’s member rewards benefits. Instead of the usual asking price of $30, this will cost South members $15 each and include discounts to hundreds of organisations and businesses
• Official travel partner of SMFC

Jeff King was delighted with the new partnership – “Our work with SMFC has given us a unique insight into a club that has a history of community involvement and promotion of grassroots sport at all levels. We are proud to be working with an organisation that so strongly aligns with our STA Travel values, and look forward to progressing our relationship, offering additional benefits to the dedicated members of SMFC.”  

SMFC Director of Sales Nick Maikousis spoke with smfc.com.au about the new partnership. “I am really excited that STA Travel has joined us as a Gold Partner. They are a very well-known brand throughout not only Australia but the world and the partnership can only be a beneficial one for us. We encourage our members – especially the younger ones – to use STA Travel for any future travel arrangements.”

To purchase your SMFC Everyday Rewards card from STA, please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au.

The Mantarakis family has advised that the funeral for the late Takis Mantarakis will be held on Monday 1 February at 10:30am at St. Haralambos Church, located on the corner of Porter and Church Streets in Templestowe.

South Melbourne FC advises that Under 20s coach Saša Kolman has accepted a coaching position at Spanish Segunda División (second division) side Deportivo Alavés. He will spend the next 18 months in Spain to continue his development as a professional coach and will return to the club following the completion of this interim role.

Kolman has been an integral part our Youth coaching program. We thank him for his valuable contribution and wish him well during the next phase of his coaching development. He recently spent time on the Madrid tour with our Under 12s and Under 14s and will commence work at Alavés next week.

SMFC has subsequently moved quickly to appoint Brian MacNicol as the new Under 20s coach. MacNicol has been involved in club football in both the old Victorian Premier League and the National Soccer League and played for Heidelberg United, Collingwood Warriors and Gippsland Falcons in the NSL. In 2015, he coached our Under 13 boys side to the NPL East Championship and is highly regarded as a Youth coach and developer of young men.

The Club will also announce further coaching appointments in the coming weeks.

Having worked his way up through its youth system, South Melbourne striker Leigh Minopoulos is now poised to begin his fourth season as part of the club’s senior team.

Minopoulos is now a key cog in South’s attacking unit due to his vision, explosive pace and lethal finishing. However, back in 2011 when he was first looking to break into the starting XI, he found first-team opportunities very difficult to come by. “I was still quite young at the time and South had a good squad,” Minopoulos tells smfc.com.au. “I was probably just a fringe player back then but I managed to become a senior player down at Werribee City.”

Minopoulos had a two-year stint away from SMFC as he searched for regular first team football. He joined Werribee in 2012 ahead of the State League 1 season, immediately finding himself as part of the Bees’ starting line-up. His experience as part of Werribee’s senior team played an important role in his on-field growth. “Once you’re playing every week and you’re one of the senior guys, you develop a lot quicker and you develop alot of confidence and strength. That definitely pushed me forward and helped me to become a better player.”

In his two seasons at Werribee, Minopoulos scored an impressive 31 goals and was awarded the club’s Best and Fairest award in 2013. His consistent goal scoring also played a key part in Werribee’s promotion to the NPL Victoria for the 2014 season. Whilst at Werribee, Minopoulos was elevated to the leadership group and believes that this also assisted with his development. “It was important because at one stage our captain missed a few games due to injury. As vice-captain, I actually ended up stepping in (as captain) for a few league games. You tend to look at things from a team point of view and stop worrying about yourself so much.”

When presented with the opportunity to move back to South Melbourne at the beginning of 2014, it was a relatively straightforward decision for Minopoulos to make. “South Melbourne is the best club in Victoria, and apart from one or two A-League teams, possibly Australia. We have as good facilities as anyone else so it was a no-brainer really. If you want to play soccer you want to play for this club,” he says.

Since re-joining SMFC, Minopoulos has played a total of 48 league matches and scored eight goals. His total statistics during both of his stints at the club show 52 league appearances for eight goals, with 64 appearances and 13 goals across all competitions. Along with his 13 goals, the 26 year old has spent the last two seasons assisting star striker Milos Lujic in winning the last two Golden Boot awards. “We usually play with one up front so I tend to float in one of the three roles behind the striker. Obviously we’re looking to help Milos continue his goal scoring form because when he plays well we generally win.”

Pre-season standards have been as high as ever and it is the club’s 2016 signings that are helping to keep everyone on their toes. “In my four years here, every pre-season has been to a high level the whole way through but this one is probably as good as I’ve seen it. We’ve got a few new faces that will add to the depth and overall class of the squad, which is really helping to push everyone along.” New arrivals for the 2016 season so far include Jason Hicks, Matthew Foschini, Luke Eyles, Zaim Zeneli and Marcus Schroen.

Performing to a high standard week-in week-out is a clear focus for Minopoulos heading into the 2016 season. “Personally I want to have the best season I’ve had so far. I’m aiming for some consistency; in past seasons I’ve had some good patches and some poor patches so I’m just wanting this season to be my best and most consistent so far.”

Personal aims have been set high by Minopoulos but he is also hungry for team consistency, with his club looking to achieve the ultimate success in 2016. “I think a club like South Melbourne should always aim to win the league; anything less is a failure.”

South Melbourne FC is deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of one of our club legends, Mr Takis Mantarakis (aged 81) on Saturday.

Mr Mantarakis was (and will always remain) a South Melbourne Hellas legend, representing our club for nearly a decade in the 1960s and winning many honours along the way. He is a distinguished member of our Team of the Century and our Hall of Fame.

Mr Mantarakis featured for Panathinaikos in Greece and played there alongside another future South Melbourne player (and coach) in Jim Pyrgolios. In 1961, he was persuaded by his great friend Antonis (Tony) Hatzieleftheriou to join him in Australia to play for the South Melbourne Hellas side that had been promoted from Division One in 1960 and was now competing in the Victorian State League.

The left back made his Hellas debut in the 1-1 draw against Ringwood Wilhelmina at Olympic Park on 29 April 1961 and scored his first goal for the club just over a month later in the 1-1 draw against Port Melbourne Slavia at Anderson Reserve (1 July). He only intended to stay for a few months in Melbourne before returning to Greece, however “I loved the people, they made me feel so welcome..so I stayed.” It was a love affair that remained for over 50 years.

Mr Mantarakis was an integral part of South Melbourne Hellas’ 1962, 1964, 1965 and 1966 Victorian State League Championship sides. He captained the 1965 team and only relinquished the captaincy in 1966 for another South Melbourne great – and in many people’s opinion the greatest South Melbourne player of all time – in Con Nestorides to lead the club to further glory.

Mr Mantarakis’ playing performances were duly noted by the Victorian state team, who selected him on several occasions in the 1960s. He enjoyed representing Victoria in tour matches in the 1960s alongside several Hellas teammates that included Hatzieleftheriou, John Bedford, John Margaritis, Ted Smith, Frank Micic and Michael Mandalis to name a few.

In his final season at Middle Park in 1969, Mr Mantarakis was part of the first South Melbourne side that won the Summer Cup (then known as the AMPOL Cup). Frank Micic opened the scoring and Leo Damianakos sealed the result with a penalty kick as Hellas defeated Croatia 2-1 in the Grand Final at Olympic Park on 7 March 1969. In an era where many famous and great players graced the playing surface of Middle Park, it is a great testament to Mr Mantarakis’ leadership and playing ability that he managed to represent the club as a player and captain for so long.

Despite having not played for the club since 1969, Mr Mantarakis always remained involved at South Melbourne, either as a coach or simply as a supporter. A softly-spoken gentleman, he enjoyed a stint as an assistant coach in South’s early National Soccer League years in the late 1970s. He was also a youth coach and happened to coach current Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou as he was making his way up the junior ranks at South Melbourne. He also enjoyed coaching stints at other clubs in Victoria including Port Melbourne, Box Hill and Oakleigh.

On Friday 22 February 2002, Mr Mantarakis was recognised for his playing ability when he was named as a substitute in the South Melbourne Team of the Century at the Crown Palladium Ballroom. He continually attended SMFC matches with several of his 1960s teammates and proudly joined Mandalis and Takis Xanthopoulos in launching the Heritage Strip worn by our players in the Westfield FFA Cup in July 2015.

South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis was deeply saddened at learning the news. “We are devastated that one of our famous Number 3s has left us. My father and his generation vividly remember seeing Mr Mantarakis represent South Melbourne and Victoria with such distinction in the 1960s. Any player that is nominated for inclusion in our Team of the Century – let alone be part of the squad – must be an exceptional player and character. We have truly lost one of our greats and I wish to extend our club’s sincerest condolences to the Mantarakis family and their friends.

“Our media team were with Mr Mantarakis only as recently as December to film him as part of a historical documentary of the club, so the Mantarakis name and his legacy will always live on at our club.”

Mr Mantarakis is survived by his wife Angela, their son Yianni, daughter Nadia and their children.

We bid farewell to one of the best players to wear the South Melbourne Number 3 shirt. Vale Takis Mantarakis, 22 June 1934 to 23 January 2016.

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