Category: News

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce it has extended its partnership with Principal Partner Bob Jane T-Marts for a further 12 months.

Over the years, the Bob Jane T-Marts brand has been closely associated with the Club, with Lakeside Stadium being known as Bob Jane Stadium between the years 1995-2011. Furthermore, Bob Jane T-Marts logo proudly featured on the back of the South Melbourne playing shirt during the mid 1990s as well. The partnership was renewed in 2013, when Bob Jane T-Marts joined the Club as a Principal Partner, and Major Sponsor of SMFC TV screened on Channel 31, and the online version hosted on YouTube.

During the 2014 NPL Victoria season, South Melbourne and Bob Jane T-Marts teamed up to promote the Fatality Free Friday campaign, Australia’s only national community based road safety program. The South Melbourne playing squad pledged their support for Fatality Free Friday by signing both a large pledge board as well as a large inflatable car, which was used by Bob Jane T-Marts to promote the road safety campaign.

Bob Jane T-Marts has a total commitment to effectively serve the motorists of Australia with a level of service beyond their expectations, using the highest quality products and at the most competitive price. 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.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC President Leo Athanasakis said “we are delighted to extend our partnership with Bob Jane T Marts for another season. The support provided to SMFC TV ensures a quality programme that is the envy of sporting clubs around Australia. I would like to take this opportunity to thank National Marketing Manager Zsuzsa Zalatnai and her team for her commitment and passion to our partnership. We look forward to working closely in 2015 to achieve our partnership objectives”.

For all media enquiries, please contact the club on (03) 9645 9797.

South Melbourne FC advises that the Club’s annual Family Day and Membership event will be held on Saturday 14 February at Ange Postecoglou Field 18 (Youth Pavilion) between 11AM and 2PM.

The Family Day provides SMFC supporters with the opportunity to purchase or pick up their 2015 membership ahead of the first home match against the Oakleigh Cannons on Thursday 19 February.

The 2015 South Melbourne Senior Squad will be unveiled and Head Coach Chris Taylor will be in attendance as well as SMFC TV filming the event.

The SMFC and Yarraville Glory Sub Juniors will be showcased with some small-sided gala games.

There will be other football-related activities on the day:

– A Jumping Castle will also be available for younger fans
– A blow up “Mini Soccer Pitch” will give young fans an opportunity to take on some of our seniors.
– A SMFC Cross Bar Challenge will pit you against our senior team, with the winner receiving a prize.

The Family Day is a FREE event.

The pavilion canteen will have food and drinks available on the day as well. It promises to be a day filled with fun activities!

We hope to see everyone there!

Article Courtesy of Football Federation Victoria

Football Federation Victoria is delighted to announce the inaugural FFV Community Shield will be held on Friday, February 13, 2015 at Knights Stadium.

The inaugural FFV Community Shield will be contested by Dockerty Cup champions Melbourne Knights, and NPL Victoria champions South Melbourne.

It will be held in support of World Vision’s One Goal program, which aims to leverage the power of football to tackle malnutrition in Asia and Australia. Approximately 200 million children across Asia are affected by chronic malnutrition, with more than 18 million of these affected by increasing over-nutrition (obesity).

FFV is also privileged to announce World Vision’s One Goal program as its corporate social responsibility (CSR) partner, and is honoured to welcome four-time UEFA Champions League winner and UEFA Global Ambassador for Diversity and Change,Clarence Seedorf, who is in Australia in support of One Goal.

FFV CEO Peter Gome said it was imperative for FFV to help raise awareness of the two extremes of nutrition issues in the region.

“Football is such a powerful tool to drive change across the world,” Gome said.

“This is a chance for FFV to educate fans, create awareness, and hopefully encourage better health in the football family for years to come.”

As part of its support, FFV will donate a portion of every ticket sold to the Community Shield to One Goal, which will go directly towards combating malnutrition and over-nutrition both in Australia, and across Asia.

Clarence Seedorf UEFA Global Ambassador for Diversity and Change said it was encouraging to meet young people in Australia who were taking up football and living a healthy lifestyle.

“It’s great to be in Australia in support of One Goal on behalf of UEFA so I can help shed light on the vast problem of malnutrition and obesity across Asia and Australia,” Seedorf said.

“I urge all Australians to get behind One Goal and learn how you and your local football clubs can join the movement and make a difference.”

World Vision chief executive Tim Costello said World Vision was thrilled that Football Federation Victoria was joining the growing One Goal community.

“World Vision is extremely grateful for the wonderful support of the Football Federation of Victoria as the money raised would go towards our projects in Asia and Australia that help combat malnutrition,” Costello said.

“We believe One Goal has great potential to unite football fans around the world to come together to tackle the growing problem of malnutrition and to encourage young people to eat nutritious food and live a healthy and active lifestyle.”

Both Melbourne Knights and South Melbourne are powerhouses of Victorian football, having won two and four National Soccer League titles respectively, as well as scores of other trophies.

South Melbourne won the inaugural NPL Victoria title last year, and reached the semi-finals of the PS4 NPL Finals series before being defeated by the eventual winners MetroStars.

Melbourne Knights sealed their spot in the Community Shield by winning the Dockerty Cup against the odds, in a season that was marred by horrific injuries to a number of players in their first team.

Both sides will be hoping to add the inaugural FFV Community Shield, supporting One Goal, to their trophy cabinets in 2015.

South Melbourne will be without one of its stars for the first part of the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season, after Mathew Theodore underwent hip surgery during the summer break.

While the operation was considered a success, Theodore won’t begin serious running for the next few weeks, meaning he will miss at least the first month of South’s title defence, which kicks off against rivals Oakleigh Cannons on February 19 at Lakeside Stadium.

The 25 year old bravely carried the injury through the last few games of 2014, as South battled the Cannons at the top of the NPL table.

Despite admitting to being frustrated by the setback, Theodore remains upbeat about a return.

“It has been quite a difficult period since the surgery, as it was a pretty major operation” the midfielder told smfc.com.au.

“Seeing the boys at training and with the season starting soon it is frustrating to not be out there, but I hope to be running soon and back into some meaningful training by the early part of the season”.

Theodore was an integral member of last season’s Championship winning side, scoring six goals from 29 appearances, including a screamer in last year’s season opener against Heidelberg United at Olympic Village.

The diminutive midfielder also had more than 10 assists last season, turning a regular provider for both Golden Boot and Gold Medal winner Milos Lujic and Englishman Jamie Reed who scored a combined total of 37 goals for the season.

Despite the injury, coach Chris Taylor still has plenty of options in the centre of midfield, especially with the arrival of Dane Milovanovic from the Maldives and the likes of David Stirton and Andy Brennan also both being able to play behind the striker. Both Iqi Jawadi and Nick Epifano have also been in impressive form in several pre-season hit-outs to date and can also provide South with extra options in that creative midfield position.

Theodore is one of South’s only fitness concerns in the lead up to the 2015 campaign, with only Steve Hatzikostas who injured his knee in last year’s NPL Finals Match against South Hobart on the sidelines ahead of Round 1.

South Melbourne FC advises that Football Federation Victoria has released the fixtures for the 2015 Ps4 National Premier League Victoria season.

South Melbourne FC opens its 2015 campaign with a home match against the Oakleigh Cannons on Thursday 19 February. Chris Taylor’s side is then on the road for five League matches before hosting the Melbourne Knights in the Melbourne derby on Saturday 11 April.

Sandwiched in between the League fixtures are the Dockerty Cup rounds, which also double up as 2015 Westfield FFA Cup qualifying matches. Like in 2014, the four Semi Finalists of the Dockerty Cup will qualify for the 2015 Westfield FFA Cup.

South Melbourne will host several matches at Lakeside Stadium during the middle of the season, however the dates of these matches are yet to be confirmed. FFV has scheduled these home matches to be played on Friday nights, however the Club is currently in discussions with FFV to have these matches moved to 5PM on Sundays.

The Club has engaged all relevant stakeholders, including supporters, members, players and coaching staff to determine their preferred day and kick-off time for home matches in 2015. The overwhelming response has been for Friday nights and the now traditional Sunday evening kick-off times. In a compromise with all stakeholders, South Melbourne FC has accordingly requested a mixture of Friday and Sunday home matches with the FFV.

Please check smfc.com.au and South Melbourne FC’s official social media pages for confirmation of the dates and kick-off times of the matches currently listed as TBC.

We look forward to seeing everyone at Lakeside Stadium for the opening match against Oakleigh!

Click here to view fixtures

Blue skies, thirty-two degrees, a setting sun and the lush pastures of the Mornington Peninsula were the conditions on Wednesday evening as South Melbourne FC played its fourth friendly of the 2015 NPL Victoria pre-season. Milos Lujic scored twice in the first half but NPL 1’s Kingston City showed determination, pulling a goal back in the second half as the final whistle confirmed a 2-1 South Melbourne win.

The size of South’s squad is dwindling as Head Coach Chris Taylor gets closer to finalising his list. It was almost a full-strength line-up that made its way onto the Centenary Park pitch to take on Kingston City. Anchored through the midfield with the likes of Iqi Jawadi, Nick Epifano and Nejc Kolman, South demonstrated solid possession and attacking flair through the early stages of the match. Opportunities presented themselves in the opening fifteen minutes, however the back of Kingston City’s net was left uninterrupted.

In the eighteenth minute, Lujic climbed high near the back post to head the ball back across Kingston goalkeeper George Malliaras and over the line for the opening goal. The tall centre forward, who scored 22 NPL Victoria goals last season to equal the South Melbourne League record also held by Jimmy Armstrong (1974) and Doug Brown (1984), wasn’t finished with the scorecard either.

A few minutes later, Andy Brennan made a blistering run down the left side into the area. He had options inside but instead he took on two defenders and dragged them all the way to the by-line before cutting the ball back to the penalty spot. Lujic was there waiting and he twisted around before putting his left boot through the ball and into the open net to make the score 2-0 in South’s favour.

Prior the half hour mark, the first of the substitutions were made. Taylor continues to actively use the pre-season friendlies to see how the trial players and the new players fit in with the established line-up, as well as assess different structures and combinations. On this occasion, it was Dane Milovanovic gracing the playing surface for the first time in a South Melbourne jersey.

Milovanovic’s preparation for the season sees him still working to get fully fit and it is encouraging to see him now ready for game time considering he had an operation only six weeks ago. Mentally he is match ready and this was evident when it took him just ten seconds after entering play to take charge of the midfield and start issuing instructions. His commanding presence and experience in the midfield will deliver strength to the team and give further options for Taylor throughout 2015.

After the halftime break, fresh faces came on for South to meet an energised Kingston City. Kingston pressed high, putting pressure on South’s back four and their efforts were rewarded when an error presented them with an opportunity. Thanks to a quick response and chip over the onrushing goalkeeper, Kingston found the back of the net to halve South Melbourne’s lead. Whilst Kingston would continue to pressure and hold more controlling possession in the second half, there would be no further addition to the score line as South ran out 2-1 winners.

After the match, smfc.com.au spoke with the double-goal scoring Lujic about the friendly. “It was a good first half, it was pretty hot out there. I think both teams worked hard, it was good to get minutes under the belt and it was just a nice pre-season game,” he said. A consistent theme among the players is their confidence in pre-season readiness, especially compared to last year. Lujic shared his thoughts, saying “there’s been a lot of games which has been good, the boys are loving that. Less running at training and more games. We’re happy. The core of the group from last year stayed and I think we’re gelling a bit better as a team than at this point in time last year. The new boys are quality players and have slotted right in. We’re looking pretty good for the season.”

South Melbourne FC is on the road for one more pre-season friendly before finally returning to Lakeside Stadium. This coming Saturday 24 January the team travels to White Eagles Stadium to meet Springvale White Eagles. The Under 20s kick-off is at 4PM and the Seniors begin at 6PM.

Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/1zyiXhg

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce the appointment of Sean Gale as the Club’s Technical Director for the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season.

Since arriving in Australia from Swindon in the United Kingdom, Sean has worked in numerous football roles. He worked for community clubs North Caulfield and Elwood City and has also been a coach at the Coerver Academy.

Sean has also been involved with Football Federation Australia as part of the FFA Skill Acquisition Program (SAP) for girls and the FFA Community Course Presentations. This has allowed him to play an active role in continuing to educate the football community about the game.

Currently, Sean is the Head of Soccer at St Michael’s Grammar School in St Kilda and holds an AFC FFA C License.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Sean was elated to join South Melbourne FC and having the chance to work alongside Chris Taylor. “With the guidance and support of Head of Football Chris Taylor, I am looking to build on the solid foundation that our youth program has already achieved, from the sub-junior program through to the NPL. It is a
privilege and an honour to be appointed to this position at a club with such a great history and such passionate supporters. I couldn’t be more excited about the upcoming season.”

Football Director and Youth Coordinator Andrew Mesourouni was also pleased with the appointment. “Sean is a young and enthusiastic person who has had a wealth of experience across the game in this country. His willingness to involve all members of our coaching staff and his ability to coordinate the program for us ensures that we can continue to move forward. We feel very confident that the football side of the Club is in safe hands with Chris Taylor, Sasa Kolman and Sean Gale.”

We would like to congratulate Sean Gale on his appointment and wish him the very best in his new role in 2015.

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that SMFC TV will be screened on Foxtel’s Aurora Channel (Channel 183) throughout the 2015 season.

Commencing on 26 February, SMFC TV will be screened each Thursday evening at 8PM on the Aurora Channel.

SMFC TV will continue to provide match highlights, player and coaching staff interviews, as well as showcase our junior development program and our stars of the future. As always, SMFC TV will bring the latest news from the Club and provide all South Melbourne FC and general football fans with a modern and fresh show in 2015.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC President Leo Athanasakis thanked Channel 31 for screening SMFC TV for the last five seasons. Looking to
2015 and beyond, Mr Athanasakis added that “we are delighted with the news that SMFC TV will be screened on Foxtel alongside some of the biggest leagues in the world. With the aid of Foxtel IQ, fans can record the show each week. This is very exciting for South Melbourne FC because this provides an excellent opportunity to showcase our Club to a wider audience across the nation.”

South Melbourne FC encourages all football fans to tune into the show and to enjoy the best of the National Premier League Victoria season.

Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for SMFC TV in 2015, please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au.

New signings Luke Adams and David Stirton wore the South Melbourne jersey for the first time when they took to the pitch for the pre-season friendly against Langwarrin SC last Saturday. As the trialling of new players in the preparation for the 2015 NPL Victoria season continues, the scoreboard ticked over six times as South enjoyed a comfortable victory.

Away matches for the pre-season are the trend at the moment as Lakeside Stadium remains reserved for Asian Cup requirements. South took a particularly large contingent down to Lawton Reserve on the Mornington Peninsula, with Langwarrin also receiving decent support thanks to a good showing from the locals. For the first time this year, the Under 20s and Seniors were both on show in a double-header as South’s Under 20s began the day well by winning their match 2-0.

In the previous Seniors matches against Dandenong City and Frankston Pines, Head Coach Chris Taylor played the younger and trailing players in the first half before bringing on the established line-up in the second half. On this occasion it was the established line-up on the pitch when the referee first blew the whistle, including the recently arrived Luke Adams from New Zealand.

The match started well, with Captain Michael Eager and Adams playing out from the back and pushing through to Iqi Jawadi, who was a controlling feature in the midfield. Langwarrin pushed forward using both flanks in the early stages, bringing Tim Mala and Brad Norton into play. The first bit of action came when Mala made a crunching tackle, sliding himself across the grass and into the concentre dugout as he sent his opponent flying. Mala received some blunt feedback from the referee before the match continued on.

On the half-hour mark, a poor Langwarrin back pass found Nick Epifano moving quickly towards the onrushing goalkeeper. His right foot strike went low past the keeper and into the back of the net to open the scoring, with the score remaining 0-1 at the halftime break.

Epifano would be back in the action almost immediately in the second half. A free kick from the edge of the area near the arc saw him curl the ball off his right boot into the edge of the net to double South’s lead. Similar to last week, this would spark an onslaught on the Langwarrin goal, with the scoreboard ticking over a further three times during the following ten minutes.

Epifano was involved again for the third goal. He took the ball down the left wing to the by-line before a classy cutback found Nejc Kolman (brother of South Melbourne Under 20s Coach Sasa), who whipped it into the net. A few minutes later, Milos Lujic pressed high inside the area, with his pressure on the Langwarrin goalkeeper forcing a wayward clearance. Bonel Obradovic pounced and lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper to put South ahead by four goals.

Play had re-started for less than thirty seconds when Lujic showed pace and strength to muscle his way through the defence to the top of the box and send a lethal shot crashing into the back of the net. Lujic’s goal made it four in thirteen minutes and made the score 0-5 in South’s favour.

Chris Taylor then began rotating through his youth and trialists, resulting in a slowing of the match. The pace had taken its toll on the Langwarrin players because they had only been through a week of training sessions and the friendly against South was their first hit out of the pre-season.

The match was coming to a close but not before Nejc Kolman found space and pushed the ball wide to Under 20s midfielder Eric Hauser, who chose placement over power and slotted the ball past the Langwarrin goalkeeper to record South’s sixth and final goal of the match.

Chris Taylor was happy with the outing, commenting that the focus wasn’t on the result but on achieving the objectives of the exercise. Preparation for the season is beginning to move into high gear as Luke Adams, David Stirton and James Musa all took to the pitch for the first time in 2015. The only remaining new signing yet to appear is Dane Milovanovic. Dane spoke to smfc.com.au on the morning of the match, advising his return to full fitness was progressing well and we would be likely to see him get game time in the following week if all went well.

After the match, smfc.com.au spoke with Nejc Kolman to get his thoughts on the match. “I think we were the better team. There is a big difference between the two teams and we showed quality out there” he said. Asked about the difference in what he was experiencing playing in Melbourne compared to his recent time in Slovenia’s professional league, Kolman added, “the biggest difference is in the physical aspect. You train two times a day in Slovenian professional football, here it’s only a few times a week. The quality in this team is not bad, maybe it’s a bit faster in Slovenia.” We asked Nejc how he was fitting in with the team and he explained, “I feel good. I am training here for two weeks and I feel OK. I need some more days of training to become fit and it will only get better.”

South Melbourne FC will take on NPL 1 side Kingston City in their next pre-season friendly. That will be played at Peninsula Strikers Football Club (McClelland Drive, Frankston) this coming Wednesday 21 January, with kick-off at 7PM.

South Melbourne FC is in mourning upon hearing the passing of journalist and South Melbourne Life Member Kostas Nikolopoulos.

Nikolopoulos would be a name that would be quite familiar to many fans of our club through his outstanding work in the Greek Community, including his roles with Greek-Australian newspaper Neos Kosmos, The Greek Herald, 3EA and SBS Radio over a 20 year period.

The club would like to extend our condolences to the Nikolopoulos family and our thoughts are with his wife Effie and son Nikolas during this tough period.