South Melbourne FC is pleased to confirm that it will take on former National Soccer League club West Adelaide as preparations continue ahead of the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season.

Both clubs enjoy long and decorated histories and will lock horns once again on Friday 6 February at Adelaide Shores Football Centre on West Beach Road in West Beach. Kick-off is scheduled for 6.15PM.

The match forms part of a double-header, with South Australian Cup Winners Adelaide City taking on South Australian NPL Champions Croydon following our match. This game will be for the beyondblue Charity Cup.

South Melbourne FC will then take on South Australian NPL side Adelaide Blue Eagles on Sunday before heading back to Melbourne. That match is scheduled for 2PM at the Marden Sports Complex.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis was excited to be heading back to South Australia. “We are really looking forward to taking on our sister club West Adelaide Hellas in what promises to be a fantastic weekend for football in South Australia. We have also received great support in South Australia, so we are hoping that the local community supports all of the matches.”

West Adelaide vs South Melbourne FC
Friday 6 February
Adelaide Shores Football Centre, West Beach Road – West Beach
Kick-off: 6.15PM

Adelaide Blue Eagles vs South Melbourne FC
Sunday 8 February
Marden Sports Complex
Kick-off: 2PM

South Melbourne found the net five times in its second friendly against Frankston Pines on Wednesday night at Monterey Reserve. Milos Lujic and Andy Brennan scored doubles whilst Iqi Jawadi scored from a superb strike on the edge of the area to record the 5-0 result.

The match started with Chris Maynard in goal being the only senior player on the field. Head Coach Chris Taylor took a squad of twenty-two down to Frankston including three players from last years Under 20 squad and eight under trial. Yanni Avradmidis was a commanding presence at centre-back whilst fellow Under 20 squad members Ryan Babare and Eric Hauser demonstrated their experience playing together linking well through the mid-field to provide opportunities up front. There were chances in front of goal at both ends of the pitch however neither side was able to capitalise.

In the second half, Taylor switched by entire line-up similar to last week. The squad comprised the senior list and was bolstered by the addition of Cody Martindale who scored in Saturdays friendly with Dandenong City. The pace of play lifted and the passing more reflective of a typical South match. One touch passes and the use of both wings quickly saw the forward combination of Milos Lujic and Andy Brennan on the receiving end of some classy play from Leigh Minopolous and Nick Epifano.

A dominant ten minutes of football started when 2014 NPL triple award winner Milos Lujic found himself when an open penalty area and easily put his strike past the keeper to opening the scoring. Shortly after Andy Brennan lobbed the keeper from the left wing only to have the ball cleared off the line with centimetres to spare. Next it was Iqi Jawadi who added his name to the goal scorers column of the match record when he hammered a right foot shot into the corner of the net to double the South lead. Just two minutes Lujic was in the action again on the end of a pass just a few yards out securing his brace and putting South up by three.

New signing Bonel Obradovic was consistent force through the midfield and high work ethnic was matched by Andy Brennan in the front third. Brennan was unlucky earlier on, but just over ten minutes from time he made a run off the right flank into the area and his powerful shot sailed into the back of the net. A further three minutes later Brennan found himself unmarked at the back post as the ball came over the top of the keeper and a few defenders for an easy header across the line. Brennan securing his second brace in as many games.

The remaining nine minutes played out with the back four of Tim Mala, Michael Eager, Brad Norton and Cody Martindale only lightly challenged. Full time sounded with the 5-0 score line result.

After the match, smfc.com.au spoke with goal scorer Iqi Jawadi about the match. “It was a good game. We played well, scored a lot of goals, which is a good sign for pre-season. All the players are doing well, everyone’s fit” he said. Looking forward to the rest of the year, Jawadi was clear on his ambition saying “I want to score a goal, my first for South Melbourne”.

Chris Taylor also shared some time after the match and spoke about the preparation for the season kicking off in four weeks. Asked about how the process is going, he said “it’s a little bit different the way we are doing it this year and not having our facilities has made it a bit difficult. It’s coming together all right. The fact is still we only have eleven or twelve players on the pitch. Fairly please with the way its progressing. It’s just a matter of finalising things and the issues with a couple of boys playing youth league football”.

South Melbourne has a number of friendly matches schedule the next of which is on Saturday 17th January against Langwarrin. The matches are at Lawton Reserve, Langwarrin with the Under 20s kicking off at 1pm and the Seniors at 3pm.

South Melbourne FC in conjunction with Principal Partner BenQ Australia would like to congratulate Stuart Harrison on winning the BenQ Home Projector Competition.

Stuart initially began supporting Melbourne Victory in the A-League, however having formed a connection with South Melbourne via the Club’s extensive media presence, he decided to switch allegiances to South Melbourne and signed up as a first time member in 2014.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Stuart could not believe that he had won the competition. “I would like to thank South Melbourne and BenQ for firstly running the competition. Here’s hoping this is the start of a great 2015 season, where we lift the Championship trophy once again.”

Overall almost 1000 fans entered the competition, with each entrant being assigned a number. Stuart was then selected using an automated number application on the iPhone.

Keep an eye on smfc.com.au and our social media pages for more competitions throughout the 2015 season.

South Melbourne’s first match of 2015 was a friendly against NPL1 club Dandenong City FC at Somerville on the Mornington Peninsula. Recently arrived from South Hobart FC, forward Andy Brennan picked up a double on the way to a 3-1 win for the NPL Champions.

The Dandenong City friendly match was the first opportunity for new signees Andy Brennan and Bonel Obradovic to get some match time and for Head Coach Chris Taylor to see some trial and youth squad players in action. South still has a number of positions to sign in the NPL squad and the friendly matches scheduled in the coming weeks will assist to finalise the line-up.

A total of twenty one players made the trek to Somerville for the match and this ensured plenty of rotations and game time for all. The first half of the match was well balanced through the mid-field with neither team able to gain solid control. Few opportunities presented themselves however when the City goal keeper came off his line to clear and a subsequent pass went wayward, Cody Martindale (on trial) quickly pounced and lobbed the keeper from about thirty yards out on the wing to open the scoring.

The senior squad members came on at half-time and the line-up represented what many South fans would have seen from last year. The pace and fluidity of passing picked up and soon the City back four were under increasing pressure. It took Andy Brennan just twelve minutes on the pitch to open his account for his new club, extending the South lead.

The two goal advantage was short lived as a scrambling defence inside the area resulted in a foul and the referee wasted no time in pointing to the spot. The resulting kick from twelve yards wasn’t convincing as it rebounded off the bottom of the cross-bar and down on to the back of a diving Chris Maynard before rolling across the line putting Dandenong on the scoreboard.

The balance of the second half continued with the South midfield feeding the forwards with passes that challenged and penetrated the City defence. Iqi Jawadi linked well with Milos Lujic up front and despite numerous chances and multiple corners, it was finally Brennan who found space and scored with a classy strike from the edge of the area.

The 3-1 win was the result but for both Dandenong City and South Melbourne the match was about pre-season preparation, seeing the squads play under match conditions and trying different positions and combinations for the line-ups.

After the match, smfc.com.au spoke with Andy Brennan about his arrival in Melbourne and his first match for South Melbourne. “I only played the second half but it was really great play with some high class players, a really good game. South Hobart has some quality players but there are a lot of high quality players here at South who can always find you where ever you are, so it’s really good to play with them all” he said.

Brennan was also asked about his arrival in Melbourne and what he hopes to achieve at South Melbourne in 2015. “I’ve been here six days now and am settling in quite well. Had three training sessions and the match today so a good start to Melbourne. This year all I want to do is play as much as I can, not aiming too high. I want to play each week and contribute to the team” he said.

South Melbourne’s next friendly is on Wednesday 14th January against Frankston Pines at Monterey Reserve. Kick off at 7:00pm.

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise of the following changes to the Club’s Board of Management and its Administrative staff ahead of the 2015 season.

Dr George Triantos has decided to step down from being on the Board of Management to instead focus on his professional career. Dr Triantos has been a Director of the Club since 2007 and has overseen many events and key moments in the Club’s recent history. Dr Triantos’ main portfolios involved being Director of Corporate Sales, Events, Media and Marketing, as well as assisting across a number of other portfolios. He has also been at the forefront of the media team which over the past 5 years has established itself as one of the most innovative in Australian football. By doing so, he has also assisted with the growing South social media pages and the implementation of major projects such as SMFC TV.

He will also be best remembered for the two major events that assisted us in celebrating our magical 50 year milestone. This included a memorable season launch on the pitch at Bob Jane Stadium and of course the glittering anniversary Gala Ball hosted at Crown Palladium.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Club President Leo Athanasakis was deeply saddened by the news. “We would like to thank George for his enormous eight years on the board of our club. His work with our Corporate Partners, throughout the media and marketing and organising all of our club events has been magnificent and we will miss having him involved around the club. We would like to wish him the best for the new chapter in his life.”

Peter Kokotis was appointed as the South Melbourne FC General Manager in late 2011. Throughout his three years in the role, Peter contributed enormously as the Club drove to increase corporate sponsorship. As a result of his hard work, close to forty businesses committed to the Club in 2014. While Peter was unable to commit to the role in 2015, South Melbourne FC’s Board of Management have decided to restructure the General Manager’s role. As a result, Peter will continue to assist the Club albeit in a different capacity whilst also pursuing other business interests.

South Melbourne FC is very pleased to confirm the appointment of John Kyrou as the Club’s Office Manager. Many would know John from his work as presenter on both SMFC TV and South Radio over the last five years. The life-long South fan has been volunteering at the Club for the past decade and has also played a leading role in the Media and Marketing team. John will commence his new role in late January and will be joined in the office by George Kouroumalis, who will continue to oversee the operations of the Club’s Marketing and Media department on a daily basis.

South Melbourne FC thanks Dr George Triantos for all of his excellent work throughout the past eight years and wishes him the very best for the future. The Club also thanks Peter Kokotis for his hard work as General Manager over the past three years and looks forward to working with him in a different capacity in 2015.

Finally, South Melbourne FC wishes both John Kyrou and George Kouroumalis the very best as they look to drive the Club into a new and fresh era in 2015.

With the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season just over one month away, Chris Taylor will continue to prepare his side with a number of friendly matches scheduled throughout January.

Lakeside Stadium is unavailable for the first few weeks of the month due to the Asian Cup, so South Melbourne FC will be on the road as a result.

Our campaign commences on Saturday 10 January when we take on NPL 1 outfit Dandenong City at Somerville Secondary College. Kick-off is scheduled for 10:30AM.

Our next match will be against former Victorian Premier League side Frankston Pines at Monterey Reserve on Wednesday 14 January, with kick off scheduled for 7:00PM.

More friendly matches will be confirmed and announced shortly, so please keep an eye on smfc.com.au and our social media pages for the latest information.

South Melbourne FC advises that the Annual General Meeting of both the South Melbourne Football Club Ltd and South Melbourne Hellas Club Ltd will be held as follows:

Date:  
Thursday 29th January 2015

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

Time: 
7.00 pm

The agenda shall include the following:

1. Confirmation of Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting;
2. Finance Report and presentation of Audited Accounts of the Club;
3. Presidents Report;
4. Football Report;
5. Appointment of Auditors and determination of their remuneration;
6. Any other business of which due notice shall have been given;

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce the signing of 25 year old central midfielder Dane Milovanovic for the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season.

Milovanovic is a hard working, versatile and commanding midfielder that provides South with extra toughness in the middle of the park. Having spent time at the Australian Institute of Sport alongside Bonel Obradovic, Mathew Theodore and Milos Lujic, Milovanovic should have no problems in settling into life at Lakeside Stadium.

Dane has played for the Australian National Team at Under 17, Under 19 and Under 23 level, as well as for the Schoolboys side. His excellent form was also noticed by A-League sides Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar, who both included Dane as part of their Youth Team squads. In his time with Adelaide United, he won the Youth Player of the Season and spent time with the senior squad.

Milovanovic is a familiar face to NPL Victoria, having previously played for the Oakleigh Cannons, Bentleigh Greens and for the Ballarat Red Devils. He scored a wonderful goal from a free kick against South when South won 1-2 at Morshead Park on Saturday 3 May 2014.

After leaving Ballarat during the mid-season transfer window, Dane spent the second half of 2014 with New Radiant SC in the Maldives, where he was able to play a major role in the club winning the National League and qualifying for the AFC Cup in 2015. Dane has also played professional football for Sun Hei in Hong Kong and Pelita Bandung Raya in Indonesia.

Speaking to smfc.com.au. Football Director Nick Maikousis was pleased with the acquisition. “Dane is a wonderful footballer who will add some class and toughness in the middle of the park for us. With the loss of Steve Hatzikostas for a large part of the 2015 season through injury, it was certainly an area we have looked to strengthen and by signing Dane we believe that we have done so.”

We wish Dane all the best for the 2015 season at South Melbourne FC.

View Dane’s Video Highlights

South Melbourne FC would like to confirm the re-appointment of Saša Kolman as Under 20 Manager for the 2015 PS4 National Premier Leagues season.

Kolman joined the club in 2014 following a highly successful playing and coaching record throughout Europe, with the former hard central defender playing professional football throughout Slovenia and Spain for the large part of his career.

His coaching career also spans throughout Slovenia, where although playing football, he also coached junior players wherever he played as a professional, including home club NK Tolmin.

In his time with the club, Kolman has been able to transform the Under 20 side into a highly competitive outfit, whilst also making it a priority to focus on player development both as a footballer and as young men.

Saša is not only a highly skilled and respected coach but also an individual that can bring the best out of those young men aspiring to one day play in the South Melbourne Senior side. His transformation of the Under 20 squad in the second half of the season is testament to
the qualities that he brings to the club and implements in his day to day coaching.

SMFC Football Director Andrew Mesorouni speaking to smfc.com.au, said “we are delighted to have Saša working with the U20 side again in 2015. He is a fantastic and innovative coach, as well as a wonderful person to have around the club”.

We wish Sasa all the best for 2015 and beyond.

South Melbourne FC is pleased to launch its membership campaign ahead of the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season.

The ‘We are South Melbourne’ slogan will not only be used for the 2015 membership campaign, but will also feature prominently throughout the Club’s marketing strategy for the new season.

South Melbourne FC is an iconic football club, and has played a leading and integral part in the sport, not only in Victoria but Australia wide. Apart from being the inaugural NPL Victoria champions, South Melbourne is Australia’s most successful football club.

For 2015, we have simplified our membership packages and sought feedback through the online survey and social media from our members on what was important to them, and what would add additional value to our membership program.

Members advised they experienced great frustration in relation to the ticketing delays for the Dockerty Cup match against the Melbourne Knights and the NPL Finals match against MetroStars, which were not included in the 2014 membership package. In response to this, 2015 South Melbourne FC members will be given free entry to all HOME Cup fixtures. This includes all Dockerty Cup and FFA Cup, pending qualification to these competitions.

Whether you attend every single match or follow the Club from afar, there are membership packages that allows everyone to connect with South Melbourne FC.

For those who cannot attend matches, simply sign up to the FREE online membership to show your commitment.

It is very important that you support us by purchasing your membership. We want success both on and off the park and we are aiming to increase and broaden our membership base.

Please review the membership booklet to assist you with purchasing your membership.

Please note : Memberships purchased online can be collected from our opening home match of the season against Oakleigh Cannons on Thursday February 19th at Lakeside Stadium. Should you be wishing to purchase a membership as a christmas gift, the South Melbourne membership team will provide you with a personalised voucher for you to print out and give as a present
on Christmas Day.

We are South Melbourne!