South Melbourne Soccer Club

Next in my list of celebrity autographs is one of my favourite, the 2000/2001 season lineup for the South Melbourne Soccer Club.


In 2000, studying Sports Administration at Uni, I somehow managed to organise a 2-week employment stint with the club. Playing in the National Soccer League (NSL) the club was based down at Albert Park in the Bob Jane stadium, it meant a 3 hour public transport ride for me each day. But the club was coached by Ange Postegoclou (now at the Brisbane Roar) and captained by Paul Trimboli (now General Manager of the Roar) so it was all worth it.

South is still one of the most successful soccer clubs in Australia, having formed in 1959 and winning 4 national league titles (1984, 1991, 1998 & 1999). Whilst traditionally a "Greek" club known as the South Melbourne Hellas, as a Dutch/Aussie I have always been made welcome whenever I visit. During it halcyon days the club was one of the most-supported in the league, and even made a cameo appearance in the Channel 7 tv series Acropolis Now (by way of Russell Crowe playing the fictional Hellas player Danny O'Brien).



During 1996-1999 Soccer Australia (as it was then known) initiated an ethnic cleansing of the NSL, requiring most of their teams to re-brand. During this time the club moved from their Hellas moniker to be known as the South Melbourne Lakers. The name was not embraced by the fans, and the LA Lakers also threatened legal action. In 1999 the club moved back to be known as the South Melbourne Hellas.


In 1999 the club won the Oceania Club Championship, therefore qualifying for the FIFA World Club Championship the year after. The tournament was played in Brazil, and the club was grouped with Vasco De Gama (Brazil), Necaxa (Mexico) and Manchester United (England). Before the tournament, FIFA ordered the club to amend their playing strip because it contained too many sponsors (ie: more than one).

Unfortunately in 2005 the NSL was re-branded by Football Federation Australia as the A-League, and the club was relegated to the Victorian Premier League. With several campaigns to get back into the national competition ignored, the club has strived to become the best in the VPL, recently returning to the Lakeside Stadium at Albert Park, which has been upgraded to include athletics competition for Athletics Victoria, Athletics Australia and the Victorian Institute of Sport.

Anyway, onto the autograph. As thanks for my 2-week stint working at the club, the administration staff gave me this 2000-2001 squad poster, signed by every player (except for John Anastasiadis, don't ask me why?)


Go South!