George Georgiadis  to lead South Women in 2023

South lift trophy in National Blind Football Series

Photos: Luke Radziminski Behind The Lens – LMR

Our blind team today were crowned Australian Champions in the National Blind Football Series.

Match Report

by Sebastian Petrovic, IBSA Referee and former South Melbourne FC Senior Mens player

Firstly the big thank you must go to the behind the scenes hard work from the South Melbourne All abilities program. The club gives South Melbourne players a professional environment to develop their skills and confidence by creating training schedules and providing the resources for the Blind football team to develop and build ongoing connections and friendships through sport.

This was the second and final match in the series and the players had a mix of adrenaline,  excitement and nervousness. Their actions on the pitch is the most important in their development and I could definitely see the huge improvements compared to their last match in May

This match had a lot of counter-attacks and intensity through both fifteen minute halves. The timeouts were crucial for both teams providing the players the opportunity to communicate, rest and reset. Brisbane Olympic FC had been breaking through on goals but lacked the final action to score. They had also given away three  fouls early on for not communicating on the pitch which gave South Melbourne a lot of set free kicks.

Players on both sides experienced some injury clashes which were mainly off ball incidents. Referee timeouts were called to pause the time to assess each individual. The main thing as a referee in these matches is to tailor it to balance both competition and the educational development for all players and staff. It is important experience for the players enabling them to get through all the matches with no serious injuries and learn a huge part of the rules and fair play.

Being a Blind Football Referee is extremely rewarding for everyone involved and we all united as one to learn from one another. I’m proud to see these players develop and grow as both individuals and footballers. Each one oof themhad an opportunity to show why they should be selected for the Australian national team and do it the honest way through hard work and team work.

The goal of the National Blind Football Series was definitely Amir Abdi who had run on an angle losing a shoe and being under pressure from Olympic player Nazim while shooting in a low hard across goal keeper to make it 1.1.

Club Statement – Senior Women’s Team

The blind football team at the South Melbourne Football Club put in a dominating performance to defeat Brisbane Olympic FC 2-0 at The Hangar.

The National Blind Football Series kicked off in Melbourne this weekend marking the first ever competitive blind football match in Australia. South Melbourne’s Brendan Spencer was aggressive in the attacking half for the victors with a stunning display of foot work and free kick taking.

Spencer hit the woodwork mid-way through the first half with South holding a majority of possession thanks to Nathan Letts and Amir Abdi in the midfield. After the break South continued to pile the pressure on the Olympic defence earning repeated corners and scoring opportunities.

The first goal of the match came with Spencer dribbling past three defenders, his shot unable to be held by the Olympic keeper and the ball rolling across the line. His second just a few minutes later from a free kick flew through the four-man wall into the bottom right of the net.

In the final minutes Brisbane Olympic secured multiple corners trying to get themselves on the scoresheet. The efforts of defender Brad Pinkett and keeper Nathan Meneses held strong walking away with a clean sheet.

The two goals delivered South Melbourne a resounding victory. The team recording a win in the inaugural match of the National Blind Football Series.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Brendan Spencer said “It was a hard-fought match against Olympic. The skill, the intensity, the camaraderie really showed through with the way we supported and encouraged one another. I am really proud of myself in being able to score those two goals and it has shown the hard work I’ve put toward the game in the gym and on the training track has really paid off.”

Team Captain Amir Abdi reflected on the support from the club saying “South Melbourne has been a great support to us. They see us as friends and members of the club, giving us a real sense of belonging. We can socialise together, attend events at the club and have them come and watch us play. It gives us energy to keep trying, get better and have a good future for Australian blind football.”

“I am proud of what South Melbourne has been able to achieve through its all abilities football program. We recognise the importance sport can play in everyday life, bringing people from different walks of life together through football and we aim to provide an inclusive environment around the club to achieve this. Our all abilities program started four years ago with our powerchair team and last year expanded to include blind and vision impaired football. There have been many successes to the program the latest of which we’ve seen this weekend making history by participating in and winning the first match in the National Blind Football Series.” said South Melbourne FC President Nicholas Maikousis.

The Series returns to Melbourne in July where South and Olympic will face off once again. The series and the accompanying national training camps are preparing the players who travel to India in October to compete in the Asian Cup.

You can read more about the South Melbourne FC blind football program here: https://www.smfc.com.au/blind-football/

Blind and vision impaired footballers will return to the pitch in late April for their 2022 campaign.

The South Melbourne FC Blind Football Team trains on a regular basis to prepare players for National Team Training Camps and for the future introduction of a competitive league. The squad trains under a
qualified Blind Football coach on a fortnightly basis between April and September. All training is overseen by Australian Blind Football to ensure our players can reach the highest standard they can.

Whilst we actively support our players to reach the standard to join the national squad, we place a greater emphasis on welcoming new players to the sport. Not everyone wants to play competitively so we provide an environment for social football and those who want to learn the game.

We have a number of participants, including children, who are trying the sport for the first time or join us for some casual activities. To achieve this we run free come-and-try sessions at least monthly in Albert Park.

For more information and dates for our 2022 program please visit our Blind Football page here.

The South Melbourne FC Powerchair team will travel to Sydney in late April to compete in the 2022 APFA Australian Club Championship.

This will be the third time the club has competed at the national level since being formed in 2018. The team will feature club President Craig Kilby and be lead by Captain Shaun Mott and Vice Captain Chris Kessaris.

The team aims to achieving its most competitive performance to date at the Championship coming of the back of a significant development period. Whilst playing opportunities over the last two years under the pandemic have been difficult, things have really ramped up over the last six months. Coached by the Australian national team Assistant Coach Robert Wright, the squad has been playing on the weekend and more importantly been having additional weekly training sessions to focus their skills and team work.

Powerchair Club President Craig Kilby said “I am really excited to be returning to Sydney. The Australian Club Championships provide us an opportunity to compete against the best powerchair football teams in Australia. We look forward to delivering a competitive result for South Melbourne FC.”

The six day event will commence on Thursday 28 April at the QuayCentre at Sydney Olympic Park.

South Melbourne FC is thrilled to announce that it has signed former SMFC Junior Grace Taranto for the 2022 NPLW Victoria season.

She started her journey at South and was regarded as one of the clubs most talented junior players prior to moving to the NTC / FV Emerging program.

Grace now joins the club after a season with Adelaide United in the A-League Women, after she was rewarded with a contract following an outstanding season with Bulleen last season. She has also represented Australia at a Junior Matilda level.

With an ability to win possession, while also being extremely calm on the ball, we are looking forward to seeing her back in our colours and playing on Lakeside Stadium.

Speaking to SMFC Media, Coach Samuel Young was elated to have Grace return to the club. “Grace is an exceptional talent and someone who I am excited to have part of our squad in 2022. It’s another wonderful story of a junior returning to the club also following some brilliant seasons in the NTC program and lately playing at the top level in Victoria. She is a very composed player who we think can add some real quality to our team.”

We welcome Grace back to the club as she will link up with the squad following the end of the A-League Women season.