Category: News

RE: Annual General Meeting 

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of South Melbourne Hellas Club Ltd will be held as follows:

Date: 
Wednesday 23rd of March 2016

Location:
Presidents Room
Lakeside Stadium
25 Albert Road Drive
Albert Park VIC 3206

Time: 
7.00 pm

It is intended to propose three Special Resolutions at the AGM providing for the amendment of the South Melbourne Hellas Club Ltd Articles of Association (now called the Constitution). Pursuant to Section 249L(1)(c) of the Corporations Act 2001, Notice is hereby given that three Special Resolutions will be proposed. The Special Resolutions are as follows:

Special Resolutions:

A. That Article 2 of the Articles of Association of South Melbourne Hellas Club Ltd be amended

i. to delete the following words:

• “The Committee” means the members for the time being of the Committee hereby constituted (deleted words)

ii. To insert in place of the deleted words, the following words:

• “The Board” means the members for the time being of the Board hereby constituted

B. To replace the word “Committee” wherever it appears in the Articles of Association with the word “Board”.

C. That article 36 of the Articles of Association of South Melbourne Hellas Club be repealed and replaced with the following:

• “36(i) The Board of the Club shall be comprised of no more than eleven and no less than seven members, such number being determined by the Directors from time to time and which shall include at least one female Director at all times;
• (ii) The Board shall consist of the President and such other office holders as the Board shall deem appropriate from time to time.”

The agenda shall be as follows:

1. Confirmation of Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting;
2. Finance Report and presentation of Audited Accounts of the Club;
3. President’s Report -: Tabling of the following documents
   a. Lease of Exclusive Areas of Lakeside Stadiu
   b. Licence for Non – Exclusive Areas of Lakeside Stadium
   c. Capital Funding Agreement
4. Appointment of Auditors and determination of their remuneration;
5. Consider and vote upon the three proposed Special Resolutions
6. Any other business of which due notice shall have been given.

Explanatory Note relating to the proposed Special Resolution:

As all members are aware, South Melbourne Football Club Ltd (SMFC) adopted a new Constitution following the 2009 AGM as required by FFV.

For many years now, the Club has operated with the same Board of Directors having been elected to the Boards of both South Melbourne Hellas Club Ltd (SMHC) and South Melbourne Football Club (SMFC).

The Board of SMHC proposes the three Special Resolutions because it considers it is best for the club that the provisions of its Constitution in respect of the number of directors be consistent with the provisions of the SMFC Constitution. It is also of the view that it is important and appropriate to update these provisions of its Constitution to reflect modern practice, as provided in the new South Melbourne Football Club Ltd Constitution and also to reflect the Club’s current operational needs, the manner in which it has operated in recent years and how it proposes to continue to be operated and governed.

We urge all members to support and adopt these Special Resolutions which will assist the orderly and efficient conduct of the Club’s business.

If you seek a copy of the 2015 Audited Financial Accounts prior to the Annual General Meeting, you can download a copy from our website www.smfc.com.au or email the club at admin@smfc.com.au or contact the club on (03) 9645 9797 and ask for a copy to be posted out to you.
Kind Regards

Leo Athanasakis
President

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that is has expanded its coaching staff for 2016 with the following additions:

John Kobiela joins SMFC as Strength and Conditioning Coach. John has previously worked with Melbourne Heart, Central Coast, Cricket Victoria, Fremantle Football Club and the Young Socceroos in maintaining elite athlete performance.

George Stefanidis joins SMFC as Opposition Analyst. Stefanidis enjoyed a two-year stint at Hume City, where he played an integral behind-the-scenes role in providing their coaching staff with detailed player performance and opposition analysis.

Both George and John join the existing coaching and medical staff in Chris Taylor (Coach), Chris Marshall (Senior Football Advisor), Bojo Jevdjevic (Goalkeeping Coach), Frank Piccione (Team Manager), Kris Peladarinos (Assistant Team Manager) and James Cole (Medical/Kieser Training).

South Melbourne Football Club is excited to announce that we will be attending the Greek Festival at Lonsdale Street on the 27^th and 28^th of February this weekend.

The club would like to thank all of our dedicated fans that showed up for our 6-0 derby win over Heidelberg United at Lakeside last Sunday night and hope that we can see as many of you over the weekend at the festival as possible.

As a thank you gift, we are offering fans a special 3 match pass available at a discounted price of $10 at the festival. Come along and sign up, with our next three home matches against Bentleigh Greens, Oakleigh Cannons and A-League side Melbourne Victory.

There will be numerous players in attendance over the weekend, with other gifts and prizes to be given throughout the two days.

The event is Melbourne’s biggest Greek street celebration and will be hosting two days of entertainment including music, dance, children’s activities, and some of the best Greek food on offer.

South Melbourne FC is delighted to welcome Air Serbia as its Official Airline Partner for the 2016 season.

Air Serbia is the national airline of the Republic of Serbia and serves 39 destinations in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. This includes flights to Athens and Thessaloniki and summer services to Larnaca.

Air Serbia is also a member of Etihad Airways Partners, which provides convenient double daily flights from Melbourne (with Etihad Airways) to Abu Dhabi and then onward connections from Air Serbia directly to its hub at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla International Airport.

Speaking with smfc.com.au, SMFC Operations Manager George Kouroumalis welcomed our latest partner. “We are delighted to welcome Air Serbia to the SMFC family in 2016. Our partnership will provide exciting competitions, including sending a lucky SMFC fan to Europe during 2016. Air Serbia will also provide SMFC fans with special offers for flights to Europe.

We look forward to seeing the Air Serbia and Etihad Airways Partners branding at Lakeside Stadium during the course of our 2016 season.”

Click here to view special offer to SMFC members (PDF)

After completing a stellar 2015 season, South Melbourne FC right back Tim Mala believes there is still room for improvement in 2016.

Mala was strong in his defensive duties in 2015, contributing to a defensive unit that conceded less than a goal a game in last season’s NPL Victoria competition. Considering that South held off the Bentleigh Greens to be crowned back-to-back Premiers thanks to a superior goal difference, these efforts are exponentially heightened.

Mala’s performances were rewarded with a place in both The Corner Flag’s 2015 Media, and Fan Voted teams of the season. Despite these achievements, niggling injuries and a change to his usual off-field routine didn’t allow Mala to have as good a season as he had hoped.

“2014 was a really good year for me on-field but last year I had a couple of injuries that kept popping up. They were little injuries that didn’t keep me off the field, however they impacted me on the field” Mala tells smfc.com.au.

“I didn’t realise just how much they affected me because I might have been a bit naïve, so I was more doing a job than I was playing my game. Plus I had just opened up a business with my family so my whole body and routine was a bit off.”

It is moving forward as part of South’s attacking unit that Mala is looking to exploit more throughout the 2016 season. “I stopped who I needed to stop; maybe there was a couple of occasions where my opponent got the better of me. So on the whole, I did my job but it was more my going forward and linking up with those boys (the forwards) that was limited last season.”

The overlapping runs and crosses into the box that Mala’s body did not allow him to produce in 2015 are a particular area noted for improvement this season.

Having had one of his best pre-seasons yet, he is well on track to kick-start the 2016 campaign in a far more attacking manner. “This year my pre-season has been great. My tackles are much harder again and I’m getting in the face of the wingers and our opponents so I’m not holding back or being tentative at all.

“My aim is to just get back to the level of fitness I had in 2014 and just work with the team and try to win every bit of silverware available.”

Whilst remaining resolute in his team duties and responsibilities on-field, Mala is prone to having a laugh whenever possible away from football. He is the innovator of SMFC TV’s popular segment ‘Minute with Mala’, which is set to return in 2016 from a year-long hiatus. “I generally try and chill out and take the funny side of things,” he says.

Worringly for his teammates, Mala has a warning for them to be on constant lookout throughout 2016. “You can call me a little bit of a prankster. I think during every interview that’s occurred in pre-season, I’ve thrown stuff at people. Whoever is in the room – it doesn’t matter who it is – if you’re there and I see an opportunity, I’ll probably take it and deal with the outcome later!”

Surprisingly, the laid-back Mala plays some of his best football in the face of off-field adversity. “It’s funny how it works but I find that when I’m stressed outside of football, I can come here relaxed, ready to play and not have to worry about anything else that’s going on… so I guess coming and playing football for 90 minutes is the therapeutic release that you need.”

South Melbourne FC (4-2-3-1):
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI (8. Mathew THEODORE 46′), 99. Iqi JAWADI / 18. Matthew MILLAR, 17. Marcus SCHROEN (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 58′), 7. Nick EPIFANO / 9. Milos LUJIC (22. Andy KECOJEVIC 72′).
Unused Subs: 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 33. Zaim ZENELI (GK).

Heidelberg United FC:
1. Chris THEODORIDIS (GK) (sent off 43′), 2. Joshua WILKINS (23. Pierce CLARK [GK] 44′), 17. Steven PACE, 13. Luke BYLES (C), 3. Les DOUMBALIS / 14. Harry NOON (6. Lewis HALL 53′), 10. Jack PETRIE, 7. Rueben WAY / 19. Shaun ELLIS, 21. Andreas GOVAS (12. Kenny ATHIU 40′) / 9. Kaine SHEPPARD.
Unused Subs: 15. Milos ILIC, 24. Emmanuel TSAKIRIS.

Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Nick Epifano
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 21 February 2016

South Melbourne FC opens its 2016 PS4 NPL Victoria season on Sunday afternoon with a home derby against old rivals Heidelberg United at Lakeside Stadium. The two sides have enjoyed many great battles over more than 50 years and Sunday promises to be no different.

Both South Melbourne and Heidelberg had relatively successful 2015 seasons. Chris Taylor’s South Melbourne side won the FFV Community Shield, the Dockerty Cup (defeating Heidelberg along the way) and the Premier’s Plate. The most disappointing aspect of South’s season however was its inability to consistently win key matches, with the most disappointing losses coming against Palm Beach (Westfield FFA Cup), Bentleigh Greens (NPL Victoria Grand Final) and Olympia FC (National Playoffs).

George Katsakis’ Heidelberg side finished the 2015 NPL Victoria home & away season in third place on the ladder. They enjoyed excellent cup runs, with a semi final placing in the Dockerty Cup and a quarter final appearance in the Westfield FFA Cup. Although Heidelberg progressed deep into every competition they competed in during 2015, the most disappointing aspect of their season was their inability to claim any silverware. Possibly the most difficult result for the third-placed Bergers in 2015 may have been their NPL Victoria elimination final loss at home against sixth-placed Pascoe Vale.

For Sunday’s match, South welcomes Milos Lujic back into the team, with the centre-forward missing the recent tour to Sydney due to his honeymoon. Nick Epifano is free to play despite his red card in South’s 3-0 loss to Bentleigh in the FFV Community Shield last Friday night, whilst new signings Matthew Foschini (defensive midfield) and Marcus Schroen (attacking midfield) are expected to start Sunday’s match.

Heidelberg will be looking to its attacking players in Kaine Sheppard, Kenny Athiu and Andreas Govas to cause damage to South on Sunday. Sheppard linked up brilliantly with Dan Heffernan to cause all sorts of problems for opposition defences in 2015 and Katsakis will be hoping that his forward can replicate that form from last season again. At the other end, former Northcote City goalkeeper Chris Theodoridis will be the Bergers’ number one goalkeeper following the recent departure of Griffin McMaster.

Sunday’s match at Lakeside Stadium kicks off at 6pm. 2016 SMFC Memberships will be available for purchase and pick-up outside the traditional entrance at Gate 2.

SMFC v Heidelberg – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 81
Wins (SMFC): 40
Wins (HUFC): 22
Draws: 19

First match: South Melbourne 2-1 Heidelberg (30 March 1964, Middle Park)
Last match: South Melbourne 1-2 Heidelberg (3 July 2015, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 5-0 (17 November 1991, Middle Park)
Biggest Winning Margin (HUFC): 5-2 (3 July 1977, Olympic Park)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 7 (7-3 win) – (2 April 1967, Middle Park)
Most Goals in a Match (HUFC): 5 (5-2 win) – (3 July 1977, Olympic Park)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): 4-2 (21 October 1984, Olympic Park)
Biggest Finals Win (HUFC): 4-1 (18 October 1980, Olympic Park)

Heidelberg was not in the same division as SMFC in the following seasons: 1965, 1969 (State League); 1988, 1989/90, 1995/96 to 2003/04 (National League); 2013 (Premier League)

South Melbourne FC is excited to announce that Plastamasta Knauf will continue its long association with the club in 2016 after confirming itself as a Platinum Partner for the upcoming season.



Plastamasta has been a very important supporter of SMFC for the past four seasons, including being the club’s major partner in 2014 and 2015. In 2016, the Plastamasta Knauf brand will be showcased on the back of the playing shirts of our Senior Men, Women and Youth teams.

Plastamasta is the national distribution network for its parent company Knauf, with over 47 outlets Australia-wide. Knauf manufactures and distributes plasterboard, compounds, cornice and associated products and systems. Plastamasta seeks to establish lasting relationships with its customers by exceeding their expectations through exceptional service, quality innovative products and a commitment to over-deliver.

With two manufacturing facilities in Matraville (Sydney) and Altona (Melbourne), over 220 employees and a national franchise Plastamasta network, Knauf is a major supplier of plasterboard and associated products to the light weight construction industry. A quality range of products and systems designed for performance provide solutions for fire, water, impact, acoustic and decorative applications for all construction projects – commercial and residential.

Knauf, a family-owned company based in Germany, has a strong global presence in the construction materials industry. With more than 220 facilities, 70 quarrying operations and 23,000 employees in over 60 countries the company is one of the leading plasterboard manufacturers in the world producing more than 1 billion square metres of plasterboard per year. Furthermore, total consolidated revenue for the Knauf Group is over 8 billion euros per annum.


Speaking with smfc.com.au, SMFC President Leo Athanasakis was very pleased about the continuation of the partnership. “Plastamasta Knauf has been a wonderful supporter of our club throughout the past four seasons and we are extremely excited to have them renew their partnership for the 2016 season. Both Andrew and Harry Mesourouni have been instrumental in the growth of our club over the past few seasons and we are over the moon to have them committed to helping us achieve our lofty goals in 2016. We’d also like to thank Graham Wood of Knauf Australia for his generous support also throughout this period.”

outh Melbourne FC is delighted to announce the renewal of its Platinum Partnership with AIS Insurance, with its logo proudly featuring on the sleeve of the playing shirt for the 2016 National Premier League Victoria season. AIS Insurance will also be our major partner at the 2016 SMFC Jersey Presentation Night, with details to be announced shortly.

The company was founded in October 1990 by Brendon Davis as a one-person business specialising in insuring all forms of business and commercial risks. AIS initially operated from leased premises in Burwood, and in June 1991, AIS moved to South Melbourne where it has been based ever since. The organisation has steadily grown to become the leading autonomous Victorian based Insurance Broker. Clients work closely with AIS Insurance Brokers, knowing they receive superior advice and that they will recommend the insurance program and insurer that provide the best protection for their business, rather than an insurer or option which offers an incentive to AIS.

AIS Insurance negotiate specific corporate and commercial insurance placement for clients in a variety of industry classifications and also niche products developed for special client groups. AIS Insurance has several specialist teams including: Property and Construction Team, Professional Indemnity and Directors Liability, Workers Compensation and Workcover, and Claims Management.

AIS have over 30 staff with in house specialists in most general insurance disciplines. The organisation is one of the few Victorian Brokers admitted as coverholders at Lloyds of London since 1994.

Brendon Davis, founder of AIS Insurance, has been a generous financial contributor to South Melbourne FC through event and signage sponsorship, purchasing players at player auctions, and general assistance over the years. Brendon commenced sponsoring South Melbourne FC in the 1996/97 National Soccer League season, and was also awarded the Sam Papasavas Award for his contribution to the Club in 2006. 2016 will mark his 20th season as a sponsor of the club.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Corporate Sales Director Nicholas Maikousis spoke highly of Brendon and his support of the club. “We would like to thank Brendon for the past 20 seasons supporting our great club. Brendon is not only a corporate partner, but a true South person who has been an enormous part of the club throughout the past decade. We thank him for his generous support in 2016 and hope we can mark his anniversary by holding up some silverware at season’s end.”