South Melbourne FC are delighted to announce Sasa Kolman as Senior Coach for the 2018 NPL Victoria season.
Kolman is a familiar face to those at the club. He joined the South family for the 2014 season as a youth coach and has held numerous youth based positions since that time. He was elevated to Under 20s coach mid way through the 2014 season and has worked closely with the development of our young footballers for the past four seasons.
Prior to his involvment in South Melbourne, he coached in Europe including a stint at Deportivo Alaves in Spain and as the senior coach of FC Suduroy in the Faroe Islands. It was at FC Suduroy where he was recognised as the youngest first division coach in Europe. Kolman holds a UEFA Pro Licence and a Bachelor Degree of Sport from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
In 2017, Kolman took the u20s mens side to the Championship, as well as being assistant coach to the outgoing Chris Taylor.
Speaking to smfc.com.au Club President Leo Athanasakis spoke highly of Kolman in announcing the appointment of the Senior Men’s Coach: “Our objective at South Melbourne FC is to win titles and continue the strong history of success the club has. As a part of achieving this, our strategic direction is one which will continue to focus on building a closer working relationship between our youth and senior teams.”
“This will ensure the senior team philosophy and program is integrated at all levels of the club and appropriate opportunities are available at a senior level for our future stars.”
“The youth program has continued to improve over the years and we want to ensure our young players can take the next step to senior football at South Melbourne FC.”
“Sasa has been an integral part of both the youth and senior program for numerous years and we are excited to offer him a full-time position to be the senior team coach for the 2018 season.”
“As well as holding a UEFA Pro License, Sasa has a large amount of experience both as a player and coach throughout Europe, whilst also having an in depth understanding of the local game and our club. We welcome him to the role and wish him all the best for the upcoming season.”