No respect, and no regard neither - South Melbourne 0 St Albans 3

That's right, Google Maps app, What
 happened on Monday night between
 7:23 and 9:31 is a mystery.

Just a short piece this week.

Well, last Monday was just outright disrespect. Disrespect to South Melbourne Hellas fans. Disrespect to the St Albans Dinamo team. Six or seven changes to the starting eleven coming off a week's rest, just because we have a game on the Friday coming up. Are they so worried about fitness levels by round four? What happens when the cup rounds start? Maybe we'll tank them like we did the Avondale cup match a few seasons ago.

Anyway, the depth on show was shallow. Tactics, all over the place. Javi Lopez went down for real this time, I think. You can call me Nostra-blogger-damus, but it was a simple game of mathematics - it couldn't always be playing possum. At least the flood lights seemed a bit better this week, so we could better see the carnage. Even the security dude wouldn't do us a favour and turf us out as a gesture of mercy. Oh well, at least when we win the title this year, we can look back at this game and laugh. 

Next game
Preston away. For ticket details, visit Preston's socials. There's also going to be shuttle buses and such. Again, check Preston's Facebook page for all relevant details.

- Dad, how can South Melbourne 
afford to play in all these leagues?
- It's simple economics son. I don't
 understand it, but God, I love it.
- 

South Melbourne Hellas, coming to A-League a league near you!
So I'd heard of this OFC Pro-League business last year, but didn't give it much thought then. Didn't need to, really. That's in Oceania, we're in Asia, and we're building towards the National Second Division which has imaginatively been named the Australian Championship. Then news articles came out saying that four Australian clubs had shown an interest in joining the OFC Pro-League. Now, I know what you're thinking folks: yes, South Melbourne has no shame, but surely even South Melbourne would not put its name down for this. Yeah, right. Bang, there's South Melbourne as the most prominent of the four Australian clubs looking to get into this thing. Maybe we want to be a barnstorming team? Maybe we missed the frogs invading the field in Fiji like back in 1999? Maybe we like the vibe of being a decrepit old man desperately trying to get into a nightclub; any nightclub will do. I don't know. I suppose the board will tell us all about it at the next AGM, scheduled for whenever.

More match programs added
I bought a few items towards the end of last year, and I've finally got around to uploading them. They're all from away games, which is a touch disappointing. I know that people have stuff that I'm missing, and I am still on the lookout for more programs. Anyway, here's what I've added most recently:

• 1984, round 3, away to Canberra City (the original fixture that was called off due to inclement weather, not the replay)
• 1985, round 22, away to West Adelaide
• 1988, round 17, away to Marconi
• 1989/90, round 8 away to Marconi
• 1989/90, round 16 away to Adelaide City
• 1990/91, round 25, away to Marconi
• 1991/92, round 22, away to Brisbane United
• 1995/96, round 32, away to Brisbane Strikers
• 2000/01, round 21, away to Brisbane Strikers 
  

Find them all in the usual place. For a much neater list (also with links), as well as notes establishing what programs we have, what programs we don't, and what programs may or may not exist. go to this link.

DIY zine scene hits Lakeside
While leaving the grandstand after the final whistle on Monday night, someone stuck a little zine thing in my hand. Blue and White Views, of which you can see the cover of the first issue to the right, isn't quite yet a revelatory or inflammatory piece of work. Who knows if it can become that, or even if it desires to, not that it has to. Frankly, and this is not being cruel, in case anyone misreads my tone, the most interesting thing to me from this so far - apart from its circa 1987 Hellas match program colour scheme - is its utter mystery. Who's producing this? Why are there no contact details? How can I (or you!) submit something to this project? It's all very myserious. Will it last longer than the genuinely incendiary Maverick from 1997? All they need to do is release one more issue.

Around the grounds
Actually, why am I here?
For the second time in five years (and for the second time in two weeks, but let's not get bogged down in details about why I went to Paisley Park the previous week), I was at an Altona East game. This time it was for a Dockerty Cup (you're welcome) fixture between Altona East and Hampton East Brighton, aka a team with a number of name changes over the past decade or so, and recently about five consecutive promotions under its belt. Mario Barcia was out there for Altona East. You may remember him from such moments as the worst thirty seconds of football you've ever seen, capped off by some nonsense goal from halfway. Nothing quite as interesting (or deplorable) happened in this match, which finished 2-1 to the visiting side. 

Final thought
- Sarge, let's make a break for it while the guards are partying with Jane Fonda.
- Nope. Too dangerous. We're all gonna sit tight and reminisce about candy bars.

Things that are happening, or that have happened, or that will happen, or that will never happen

Just when you thought it was over...

Screenings of the documentary on Ferenc Puskas and his time in Australia just will not quit. Now the club itself is getting into the game by holding its own screening on December 4th, 7pm, at the Astor, with all the trimmings of a Q&A and special guests and such, rather like the film's Melbourne premiere in October. If I may say so, this is getting a bit weird, in ways that I can only really articulate in a separate post dedicated to the film as a whole. I may have started writing something about that, but don't hold your breath on waiting for that to come out, because you know how the blog is these days. Anyway, the film's pretty good, so go check it out if you haven't seen it already, unless you've already bought tickets to the Matildas match on the same night.

Forums - apparently people are still setting up new ones!
I was asked via email to promote this new Australian soccer forum which includes some South Melbourne Hellas content and commentary, and would apparently like more. It looks like an off-shoot of the 442/Inside Sport forums - not my cup of tea, but it may be yours, especially if you're looking for an alternative to the relative Fort Knox of smfcfans.com, and the dearth of South content on other social media like Twitter, Facebook (at least the places I visit), and Reddit. (and while it's still early days, I really don't anticipate Bluesky becoming a South Melbourne Hellas/NPL wonderland).

2025, here we come

A very large chunk of the 2024 senior squad has re-signed, notably minus Harry Sawyer (living the dream), Emile Peios (rumoured to be heading to Preston), Mario Barcia (rumoured to be heading to Port), and maybe one or two others I haven't got on top of. No mention of Andy Brennan's status for next season just yet. George Mells is the most notable new signing so far, joined by an outwardly underwhelming cohort of former junior players of one sort or another, which has a few people flummoxed, me included. No sign of a new striker just yet, though the rumour is we're bringing in an import whose size makes Harry Sawyer look like Gus Tsolakis. Make of that what you will. 

Back to Oceania?
Apologies to the person who sent this to me on Twitter messages a few weeks ago, to which I did not respond. Quite unlike me to do that, but anyway. The answer to whether South should consider joining a mooted Oceanian Professional League is "no". Occasional sojourns into things like the Singapore Cup had their uses, but even their limited windows of participation were incredibly taxing on the club from an organisational point of view, and upon the part time players that make up our squads.

People generally mean well when they bring up stuff like this - they see no future for the club plugging away in this comp as we have been doing for the past twenty years. But putting the question of logistics aside, the main issue is this: either South Melbourne is relevant playing in Australia, against Australian opposition, or it is not relevant at all.

Second division, yeah right
Just a very quick comment on the "champions league" model for the NSD being brought in next year, and the disappointment and concern that the NSD really seems just as far away as its ever been. 

Show me the money.

If the money was there, if it all stacked up, clubs, sponsors, governing bodies (some of them at least) would be falling over them to make this thing happen.

Open letter, closed communication (guest post)

This post was originally published on Manny blog.

For the last three months I have been lost in the NST desert, wandering aimlessly across the baron internet praying for a drop of news about the proposed competition. The other night I fell hard for yet another mirage, this time in the form of South Melbourne’s open letter to the football community.

The letter described South’s historical achievements and the challenges it has faced in attempting to return to national football competition. Most Importantly though, it implored the FA to proceed with its proposed second division.

A letter, and its online reaction

The heavy handed self-aggrandising in the letter’s introduction was tough to read. Party because I came off a little conceited, but mostly because I knew how certain sections of the internet would react to it. Scanning comments on r/aleague confirmed my expectations with some partisan anti-south posters quick to dismiss the letter, and choose instead to rant about South’s arrogance.

I really get triggered by this kind of discourse and feel it reveals the unsavory biases of some commenters. Some of these people still reflect an anti-ethnic agenda, some of these people have been triggered by years of SMFCMike posting, and some of these people simply personify the worst of Australia’s tall poppy syndrome.

I’m not looking for pro-South comments though (there’s plenty of one-eyed fan accounts, and even one anti-A-League ex-Head of the A-League). What I am hoping for is genuine discussion. The NSD is such a fascinating project that could (and has to an extent) trigger interesting conversation, unfortunately though it is more often then not used by some to espouse hateful and unchanging views.

Over time I’ve come to see a deterioration of authentic online conversation regarding Australian football. There are many reasons for this, but the conclusion is the same – feeding into these conversations never changes much, except to solidify your own bias. The recent discourse served a reminder to get off my computer and get outside.

A letter, and its offline message

Outside of the chronically online Australian Sokkah bubble though, I anticipate the letter’s impact to be more effective. Before the reaching the crux of the letter, it’s worth mentioning the importance of the self-aggrandising introduction. It may have come off as arrogant, but everything in the letter was substantiated. South Melbourne has produced Socceroos, Matildas and won National titles. This context emphasised the club’s continued contribution to Australian football culture and contextualised the main point of this communication – which is a plea to the governing body to treat the club, and other like it, with a respect that it hasn’t necessarily received until now.

In the letter, South outlines that it has continued to work with administrators since being relegated to the State Leagues. It has been knocked back from the A-League multiple times, without receiving a clear explanation as to what it can do to achieve ascension. It has facilitated A-League clubs to host Youth and Women’s matches at its venue, despite having the power to prevent this. It has continued to achieve success at State and Community level, despite no transfer market nor on-field ascension available to the club to support this.

But after 20 years at State Level, this delayed NSD process once again leaves the club in the dark about its future. Back in 2004, the delayed acceptance of South Melbourne into the VPL nearly left the club financially ruined, but it fought tooth and nail to keep going. In 2024 the delayed NST process may leave the club spiritually ruined and this letter shows the club is again willing to stand up for its future.

South’s noise is only in response to the FA’s silence, and at the very least the club deserves enough respect to receive a update – from a governing body it has worked in partnership with, in good faith, for two decades.

What this says about the FA

This call for respect goes beyond South’s own needs though. Seven other foundation clubs are also being left in the dark, as are the entire football pyramids of Victoria and NSW. At different points during this process, the clubs, State Federations, the APL, and the PFA have gone to the media about being left in the dark regarding the NSD. The silence from the FA, following a commitment to start a H&A competition in 2025, is starting to generate mistrust and ill-will towards and organisation which just year ago appeared to be turning a corner. This letter should not just be seen as a South Melbourne issue, but an indicator about the FA’s broader communication and stakeholder management.

The NSD process has been marred with issues, but it has also provided an invaluable, if not sobering, learning experience about Australian Football politics. It has revealed opposition from State Federations (FQ and FT), the difficulty of managing conflicts of interest (the APL) as well as the challenges of balancing different perspectives (the PFA). More than anything it has shown the power of inertia and the difficulty in changing the status quo of a complex political and economic ecosystem. A deterioration in the wider economy has only served to exacerbate the pressures working against the establishment of the NSD, however none of this – none of this – provides reason enough for the NSD foundation clubs to find themselves out of the loop.

Delays, political issues, economic feasibility and even model adjustments would be bitterly accepted by clubs, but accepted nevertheless, if the FA could show them, and take them, on a clear path. However, rather than collaborate, the FA has created a communication vacuum which has been filled with stakeholder frustration and doubt instead. Even if it were to be found that the NSD was economically unviable, the FA needs to understand that respect is free, and clubs like South deserve at least that.

We wait again

On Sunday night 3XY’s State Soccer Program featured SMFC’s president. There he echoed his frustrations and revealed that foundations clubs will be meeting with the FA in Sydney to get an update on the project. Was this meeting sparked by the letter? Either way the outlook doesn’t look good. At at least there is confirmation about some sort of communication.

This process has been slow and frustrating. I think saddest of all though it how conflicted Australian football is. I applaud James Johnson for trying to push forward with a clear vision for Australian Football, one that has been bought into by most of the community, however the pace of developing the Domestic Transfer System and the NSD formation process have gone to show that the biggest issues with Australian football are not necessarily economic, but rather political. The ever changing board and member voting compositions do not lend themselves to long term planning or alignment, so that even the best management team can be prevented from pushing through on plans.

Where this NSD ends up I don’t know. I’ll be waiting for the next update.

Knights can’t catch a break but South can throw a goal (guest post)

This post was originally posted by Manny on his own blog

Well here we are again. I managed to pull myself to another South game this season between work, study and the rest of it. Funnily enough it happened to be the return leg of the my last attended match. I headed down to Knights Stadium with a few of the boys and couldn’t be happier with how I spent my Friday night. We parked in one of the side streets and managed to get a seat before kick off – beer and cevapi in hand!

The First Half was really just a warm up

Heading into the match, I think most people were pretty confident. South have been flying on top of the table (Avondale match aside) and have been scoring buckets of goals. Knights on the other hand are struggling this season and even recently replaced their coach with Ivan Franjic. South were expected to walk this one, but as is often the case, the match itself was never going to be so simple.

South did not start the game in a flurry of goals, but rather, seemed happy to sit back and watch Knights control the tempo in the first half. The Knights though couldn’t make the most of their possession and only really created in a few nerve racking goal square skirmishes.

South’s efforts with the ball on the other hand seemed few and far, with a number of direct plays on transition failing to generate any clear cut chances. South were borderline reckless with the ball in the first half and seemed to lack any attacking structure. Ball after ball would fly down the right wing, and the few times where it found its target there wasn’t anyone waiting in the box to complete the play.

Rain rain rain

As half time came to a close, the heavens opened up and completely obliterated any chance of neat football for the rest of the day. Thankfully though, the rain was coming in from behind the grandstand so everyone was kept dry (except for the mini-roos who were absolutely drenched during their half-time kick-about).

Although I was grateful to be in the stand I was surprised that I didn’t have any other choice. This was the first time I had been to Knights Stadium where only the main grand stand was open to spectators. I’m not sure why the terraces were closed on the night, but considering that the Knights won’t be joining us in the NST next year, I think there might be little reason for the full stadium to open in the near future…

Return to the status quo

In the second half South showed a lot more promise. The boys were holding onto the ball and controlling the tempo of the game. South looked to create more structured and less rushed build ups in addition to the occasional direct transition play. It was better to watch, but ironically, these less compact tactics actually allowed the Knights to create their most threatening opportunities of the game.

Lopez put in a man-of-the match performance in that second half alone and made a number of game changing saves to keep the Knights off the scoresheet. At the other end of the ground, it appeared only one thing was going to break the deadlock – once again a long throw was met by Lucas Inglese to put South up 1-0 and ultimately pinch the three points.

Knights Stadium: Where Chap Laps and Eurovision meet

We made our way out of the game relatively smoothly (and a little smugly as we walked by the slowly moving car park traffic), however not before appreciating the music over the stadium P.A. system. I can only assume the stadium DJ was heading out after the match, because the home team result was completely ignored in favour of an upbeat playlist that traversed EDM, Croatia’s Eurovision entry, and early 00’s dance hits.

I used to think South was alone in solidifying their golden years in this way, but just as Lakeside is always blasting 90’s and 00’s dance hits I was glad to see Knights had a similar energy. Rated it!

Knights and the NST

Compared to Lakeside, Knights Stadium offers much more for the football purists. I can’t help but envy the homeliness of their stadium and the better, closer view of the pitch. But a nice view doesn’t pay the bills, and looking around the Stadium you can understand why the Knights aren’t gambling on the NST next year.

Unlike Lakeside, Knights Stadium is managed by the club. This means the Knights need to source funds to maintain their huge property in addition to football operations. As we know these days, cash flow is hard to come by. I say this not to suggest that the Knight’s don’t have the financial capacity (I don’t know their arrangements well enough to assume that), but I say this to make the point that the club has far more financial obligations than other clubs and it is understandable why they would want to take a conservative stance in relation to the NST.

It will be a shame not to have the Knights in the NST next year. Fingers crossed the competition is a success and they can join in soon after its launch.

What else of the NST

Things have been unusually quiet. The FA have done a great job managing the public communications the process, specially in that they have been able to limit communication leaks. I think the most important things fans can do though is be aware of the FA’s stated process. Specifically:

• Formal proposal and bid submissions which are due in mid-April.
• The Assessment and Review (A&R) Phase is scheduled for April and May
• The Completion Phase will commence in June 2024.

This also explains why there were some public leaks in April (including the Knight’s negative statement) as this is when clubs were finalising their submissions.

So what next for the NST? Well, I suspect the few remaining clubs either know they are in and have no reason to leak news ahead of a group announcement, or they know they are out and have lost interest in public comments as a means of negotiation.

Perhaps the Preston vs South game will be used as a platform for an announcement (I doubt that) or perhaps the FA is waiting until after the A-League Grand Final. If you are really desperate you can listen in to the 3XY Sunday Soccer program for scraps of rumours but otherwise we simply have to wait.

South vs Preston

Let’s say this first. South already played the Knights in the cup and now that we are facing Preston I find it hard to believe anything other than the fact these fixtures are less than random. Regardless the game is happening, and I’ll be missing out for reasons of both study and nerves.

This is a danger game in more ways than one. On the pitch it could be a huge banana peel considering the team’s relative ladder positions. Having attended a few Preston games over the years I can confirm that South will also face a vocal and passionate crowd, unlike what they have seen for a while – and considering our performances in high pressure Grand Finals… I am not getting my hopes up.

Also – and for this reason I doubt the FA will make any NST announcements at the game – this match will be secured like an A-League match. Over 80 security staff and police are expected to be in attendance in addition to a number of other security measures. After the recent Preston vs Oakleigh game ended with a bit of fuss I’m inclined to think some heroes may try use this fixture for their own ultra-lite grandstanding, but I sincerely no incidents occur. Not just for the match itself, but considering these clubs are due to play each other a couple times a year in perpetuity, it would also bode poorly for the future prospects of this fixture.

Regardless, a sell out crowd is expected and I think many many people around the country will be keeping an eye on this match. Fingers crossed… let’s go South!

Postecoglou in Prahran – Again! – Kind of! – But also, actually maybe!

I can’t believe it’s happened but after reading two books about the man this year, watching a dozen games, and hours of press conferences I am finally ready to admit it… I am looking forward to a break from tracking Postecoglou for at least a few weeks.

Optus Sport, Tottenham have now completed their season and have done very well by securing 5th place. Please consider this note my explicit blessing for you to slow down your relentless Ange-posting, for at least three weeks.

Also, special mention to KeepUp’s efforts this season – this $30m platform was seemingly designed to report on Postecoglou’s career but amazingly couldn’t make this intriguing business case work, commiserations.

That said, there actually is a little bit of Ange news left to squeeze out this season. A paper mural had been erected in Prahran, just a stones throw away from Albert Park, and of course Tottenham will be coming to Melbourne this week! Will we see Ange at Lakeside?

It’s nice watching South beat the Knights (guest post)

This post was originally posted by Manny on his own blog

Despite a big week at work the prospect of watching the opening match of the season, doubling as a potential NST preview, proved too much to deny, so I made the last minute decision to go to Lakeside.

Despite the obvious attraction of the match I can’t help but feel the early season kick off sucked a bit of the energy out of the fixture. Although I had a few mates going down, I had others who didn’t realise the season had even started.

To avoid the notorious canteen lines we grabbed a bite on Clarendon Street ahead of the game. This proved to be a great choice. When we did enter the social club, the place was pumping, but you also could hear impatient patrons arguing with the kitchen about food wait times.

I didn’t sit near the Clarendon Corner this week and was content to watch the game rather than participating in the chants. There was a decent active turnout overall with the Knights fans also occupying a small section near the Lake end of the ground. It does make for a better atmosphere with two sets of dedicated fans, and I can’t wait for more of this in NST games. Even last night with the Knights fans relatively quiet, just knowing they’re there makes the game feel a little more meaningful.

The night itself was absolutely beautiful, and a perfect night for Lakeside. The view from the grandstand were near their best and the weather was perfect for football. Despite this the the crowd seemed sparse when I got there and filled out less than I expected after kick off. There were probably about 2k there, which is fantastic for this level, but I did expect more.

The game itself was a pretty simple affair. South scored early through Harrison Sawyer. It was a great way to kick off the season for South’s main man who was actually awarded the captaincy this year after returning from a brief stint in India and Finland.

After Sawyer’s goal, South never really felt out of control and the game was pretty choppy. South did manage to start the second half well with a few clear cut chances but after the that the Knights kept the majority of the possession. Despite holding the ball the Knights never really looked threatening and South proved too hard to break down.

It’s a good early result for South to start the season, remembering that Knights are coming off a finals appearance last year. I am hoping to see some more fluid play from the boys as the season progresses, this performance had pre-season cobwebs in a few too many places.

NPL on Youtube again

After the collapse of ClutchTV, the NPLVIC’s former streaming provider, the league is again being broadcast on YouTube, and may I say, thank-you! I did have the old NPLTV app, but found myself watching less football last season, mostly because the app would freeze or I would forget my password.

The accessibility of YouTube is unmatched, no log in, quality streaming and easy search. I do wonder how this will impact crowds throughout the season but if the numbers last night are any indication (12k views) than the league is better placed for a further reach and better sponsor exposure value. That said, one of the reasons I nearly didn’t go was because I would have been able to watch the game at home on TV easily.

Youth League

Interesting development too the other day. It looks like there has been a last minute change to Football Victoria rules which would allow NST teams to compete in the VPL2.

I guess the one club one team principle doesn’t hold Australia is firming on the Spanish Style system of reserve teams in the lower leagues. Does this mean the Y-League is also actually dead? I suppose there’s a chance to run some sort of Frankenstein A-League / NST youth league but this wouldn’t run in line with both seasons. Seems like there will be a bit of administrative movement until the NST starts.

NST News

Brisbane United is officially out of the race. The partnership was between a a number of Brisbane clubs and was always going to be tough to manage. It also faced administrative questions from Football Queensland, about its multiple senior teams, promotion and relegation. After Brisbane Strikers removed themselves from the partnership, United effectively lost their planned ground access which was pivotal to their bid.

With no real alternative in Brisbane, that’s effectively lights out for the bid. There is a chance now that Australia could have two professional leagues in 2025 and only one team from its Olympic city. A farce at all levels.

Here's to more of the same, for a little bit longer

It's like that bit in Pleasantville where Tobey McGuire and Reese Witherspoon find out that if you go past the end of Main Street, you only end up back at the start of Main Street 
So, after all that, we're back more or less where we started from. There were rumours about ten teams, twelve teams, not enough teams; a Monday announcement, an April start, a summer comp; and somewhere in the middle of all this, one particularly belligerent-verging-on-vengeful state federation. 

In a past life, it would have been exhausting trying to keep up with all the gossip. Nowadays, I no longer have time to dedicate anywhere near as much effort keeping tabs on the old socials. When I'm in court, my phone is on silent, and I don't have reason to touch it for hours at a time. Sometimes at lunch, I might even read a book instead; I will get through Ulysses one day.

A good thing that Football Australia were kind enough to provide official clarity - while the successful bidders would be informed and/or announced soon, the commencement of the National Second Division would be delayed until 2025. Cue then what I assume was a degree of frothing at the mouth by who I assume are still the usual suspects, and maybe among some others a degree of relief. Feel what you want to feel I suppose.

For mine, insofar as I'm not engaged with this like I was with our last A-League bid, the delay to the commencement of the NSD is both a letdown, and also probably the right thing to do. Clearly there are still some significant organisational and political obstacles to overcome, some of which could not be ignored while charging headfirst into a very novel enterprise. But whether you are for or against the NSD concept, especially as it relates to South's participation in it, the fact that the question still hasn't got a definitive resolution means that we are due for another season of everybody marking time.

I am a long-term sceptic when it comes to the NSD, but I have also gradually come to the accelerationist position that for our club, the NSD has to happen, and that we have to be in it. With participation in an NSD, we will at last get the answer that I think many South fans have in the back of their mind, whether they choose to acknowledge it or not: can this club if not the force it once was, can it at least be something more than it is right now?

If the club can function in a more professional format, that's terrific; all the years of post-NSL struggle will have been worth something more than the stoic glory of the self-righteous martyr. If we can't do it, than at least we know where we stand once and for all - that we are a spent force at anything above this state league level, and that so far as the senior men's team is concerned, we might as well pack it in.

They say that familiarity breeds contempt, and boy, is there a lot of familiarity about the place at the moment
There have been several coaching changes about the NPL, including one with quite the salacious story, but so far as South Melbourne senior men's team goes, it appears as if we will be making no change at the very top. Would a 2024 NSD have caused a shift? We will never know. 

One thing which has been confirmed has been the addition of ex-South NSL player (season 199519-96) Agim Sherifovski as an assistant coach. According to his LinkedIn page - where the news of his appointment was found - Sherifovski has spent the past five and a half years in coaching roles at Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City, which implies he's not joining us on a part time basis. LinkedIn also tells us that before taking the plunge into full time soccer coaching, Sherifovski worked at a bank, much like some other former coach of us - you know who I'm talking about.

As for players, ins and outs are being thrown about; Sawyer, Bonada, Cuba, some Wollongong keeper in; Elmazi out. But we have to wait for the club's social media guy to come back from overseas and get over his jet lag before we can actually start getting some proper, official announcements.

Now how are we supposed to watch this cesspool? In person?
Cluch TV, the company which provided streaming services for many community sporting organisations, has gone into administration. It remains to be seen how this effects the broadcasting of the NPL Victoria competition, and what consequences (if any) it has for the broadcasting of the National Second Division.

When's the next AGM?
Well?

No stress whatsoever - Port Melbourne 0 South Melbourne 4

Waited like a chump for the 234 at the usual stop at Banana Alley, for buses that would never arrive; at least not until after 7pm, apparently. I figured this out  eventually with a a fellow South fan by the name of Sam, after what should have been two scheduled buses failed to appear. A bit more signage would have helped. Maybe not having to exit the app to get to the website. Maybe a lot of things.

Walked down to the next best available stop for said bus - five minutes walk down the road - hoping that some bus would turn up in time. That wasn't happening. Started thinking might be worth turning around and going home. Contemplated a cab, but thought better of it. Tried calling a mate who lived nearby to watch it at their place, but no answer. Bus eventually shows up, gets stuck in traffic around the back end of the casino, all very predictable.

Got to the ground with about ten minutes having elapsed, but no score. Who knows if anything major or interesting had happened before I got there. but within minutes it was 2-0 to us, as utterly shithouse set-piece defending from the home side gave us a very solid foundation. After that, it all becomes a bit of a blur. We scored a couple more goals, gossiped a bit about the state leagues, about work, enjoyed some banter with the Port goalkeeper who was having one of those days, and added three points to the tally.

Insofar as I paid any attention to the game, it was to observe that while he's copped a lot of not completely undeserved stick over the past few seasons (including from your correspondent), Marcus Schroen is having a pretty good year. Playing a different role to what we're used to seeing from him, more than a few times this year he's been the one to win the ball or create the turnover which leads to a goal, which was never previously a strong part of his game. 

So, that's nice I suppose. Brad Norton up to 295 matches by count. Oakleigh lost to Altona Magic last week, and drew with Avondale last night, which helps us get one step closer to a top two spot. One more win will do it.

Next game
Altona Magic away on Saturday night.

Is there a curtain raiser this week?
Yes! The under 21s match takes place before the senior fixture.

National Second Division guff
So Melbourne Knights are taking their ball and going home. Apparently Football Australia is being intransigent with its demands. The NSD is on the verge of collapse before a ball has been kicked. For their part, FA put out something very vague about intending to do things next year as planned, kinda. The worst part of this, apart from having to re-join the anti-NSD faction (because it was never going to work, and you're kidding yourself if you ever thought otherwise), is having to emotionally recommit to NPL Victoria. More of the same! And not even Preston coming up to add some media vulture interest. 

Around the grounds
Slightly perverse
Weren't you supposed to be at work, or school? OK, if you are a northern hemispherean, or a retiree, or otherwise on holidays, I get it. But what was everyone else doing at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on a 12:30pm on a Friday? Sure, I was also there, and I do have a job of sorts which I don't get paid for if I decide not to turn up for whatever reason. It's like when I first moved to Sunshine eight years ago (and even now, really), and I'm at the main shops on Hampshire Road on a weekday, and there's a full car park and people everywhere, and it's the same question - don't you people have somewhere else to be? Anyway, Canada vs Nigeria was a strange contest, not so much for what happened on the field, but what happened off it. It's not that Australians are averse to supporting the underdog, but their wilful support of the vintage Green Gully VPL tackling (no colour pun intended) Nigerians was wild. Poor nice little Canada. You win one Olympic gold medal, and everyone turns against you so they can support the heel team. Good game, though, thorough entertainment during that 65 odd minutes Nigeria weren't stacking everyone behind the ball, reminiscent of a certain team which doesn't wear green.

The world got itself in a big damn hurry
Finished work on Monday about three o'clock. Too early for the game, but too late to go home and come back into town. So I walked slowly down William Street to eventually have a quiet meal somewhere, and figure out how to kill two and a bit hours afterwards. Ended up instead helping some guy who'd just finished a six-year prison stint find the nearest branch of the Commonwealth Bank. No, it's not what you think. Probably. Chatting with him, of course he notices the things that have changed about the city and the world as a whole in the time he'd been locked up, things that seemed normal to those of us on the outside. Well, I got him to where he needed to get to, and then I got called back to work, which ended up going all the way to six o'clock. Damn judge. Managed to make it from Flagstaff to my seat at the stadium with five minutes to spare. Germany vs Morocco. Well, Morocco to their credit didn't try to sit back, and looked good in patches and moments, but never quite good enough. Thus there were lots of goals, and so many VAR moments. And this is the thing: somewhat like our ex-con friend, I get disoriented whenever I dip into a tournament every few years after a diet made up exclusively of non-VAR leagues. So now it seems refs and assistants are not even calling blatantly obvious fouls and especially offsides, because there's a machine somewhere which will let them know. 

But here's the thing - most of the crowd doesn't seem to care. So me, in my bad position and with my even more decrepit eyesight, I can still tell (or feel that I can tell) that a goal is not going to stand several seconds in advance. So what looks to me like a situation that should be called offside instantly, the sequence of play instead continues, a goal is scored, the crowd goes wild, and I just wait in my seat. I can't get excited, or upset, or anxious, or even interested, because my instincts for what a game should look like and how it should be officiated are stuck in the past. I've got tickets to four more games, and it just doesn't feel right. The way we - or rather, they - watch the game has completely changed. They've turned it into rugby league.

Final thought
Who knows how many actually pay to watch a game in NPL Victoria these days, but there is this: Port Melbourne issue numbered tickets specific to individual matches. They also break them down by adult and concession categories; no cheapo stubs for them. Last year, rocking up early to the equivalent fixture, and having forgotten my media pass, I was concession ticket no. 90. This year, arriving ten minutes late, and no longer bothering to apply for a media pass because clearly I am less than half-arsing this thing these days, I was adult ticket no. 30. Makes you think.

A Reason To Believe - South Melbourne 3 Avondale 0

I don't know who or what is ultimately responsible for the recent change in this team. I can spuriously speculate, and will happily do so privately, but for the sake of public consumption I am content to remain merely dumbfounded. But also a little bit amazed, and relieved, and also a bit annoyed. I did not see this coming. I am glad that it has arrived. I am upset it did not happen sooner.

I wondered, coming up against an undefeated team going at an absurd four goals a game, how could we not be tempted to crawl back into our shell even just a bit? But that's not what happened. For the most part, we continued with the approach that had seen us start smashing goals in the preceding two games and look like a contender, instead of a miserable, grinding, ridiculously lucky also-ran.

I was told that Avondale were missing the services of key central midfielder Kristian Trajceski (out with five yellows), and it kinda showed - so much of what they tried to do ended up being wide things - not that there's anything wrong with that. And they controlled chunks of the first half, in a way that was disconcerting; after we started off the first ten or so minutes looking the slightly more likely, Avondale took control over the next 10-15 minutes, and they seemed to be inching closer to the opener. They even started using the long throw (if this is anyone but but Max Mikkola, you're stealing our bit), and got closer to making it work than you would have liked them to. 

But then Riak won the penalty which Mikkola converted, and it was advantage South. And speaking of Trajceski's absence, it was his replacement (ex-South man) Gavin De Niese who coughed the ball up in a bad spot (and how good to see Marcus Schroen making important tackles in forward areas), and then forward/midfielder Manny Aguek (another ex-South man) giving away the penalty. Right players in right positions, vs wrong players in wrong positions.

Riak was excellent. I don't think anyone played a bad game for us, it was a pretty solid effort right across the park for us, but Ajak was the man. He won the penalty, forced the own goal, and then scored one of his own. More than anything, each of those goals showed the value in having a forward who could run at defenders with the ball at his feet. He was too strong for their fullbacks, and too quick for their centre-backs. NPL central defenders (the good ones at least) are great when you bomb the ball at them, but attack them on the ground, and things start getting a bit more iffy.

The other standout on the day, apart from Mikkola, was Jack Painter-Andrews, who replaced Ben Djiba in the starting lineup, and held his side of the fort down well on he right. If Morgan Evans is doing a bang-up job at left fullback, then Painter-Andrews' performance in his first start after his injury layoff was also good to see - the more competition for places, the better, instead of wondering who to chuck on out of desperation. 

It wasn't all smooth sailing - at those points in time where we didn't have the ball, Avondale did look good, and our ability to play out from the back wasn't always the best. The outlet ball to the wings from defence was a problem at times, but we struck a balance between just bombing it long, and holding the ball on the 18 yard box forever. Some of the finishing once we got on top and they were chasing the game could have been better, too.

But all these are minor, fixable gripes. In just three games we've come a long way from the side that looked like it didn't believe it was allowed to cross the half way line.

Next game

North Geelong at home on Sunday, to close out the first half of the home and away season on Mother's Day. Ah, Mother's Day - the mother of all "excuse not to come to the game" days. Anyway, without wanting to assume that this will be a walk in the park, this and the Moreland game next week should in theory provide a chance to get six points, improve goal difference, and get some game time into a few players who have been in and out of the starting eleven. Or we could just power up and go nuts.

Also, if it starts getting a bit dark, can someone turn the floodlights on a bit earlier this week? They came on so late on Sunday that it felt we were back in the pre-athletics track, George Koukoulas penny-pinching days.

Is there a curtain raiser this week?
Yes. Our senior women take on Calder United, kickoff at 1:30.

National Second Division news - Welcome to Phase II
People were starting to freak out, and be all like, when's the next stage of the NSD happening? Why isn't there any news? Oh, I bet Football Australia is just trying to stooge us and/or all the old clubs again. But I wasn't thinking that, and not just because I love and have full faith in FA and the NSD, and always have. No, it's also because I was at the South Melbourne Hellas AGM not too long ago where our board (who I also love and have tremendous faith in, and have never said or thought otherwise) said that news of the successful clubs moving on from Phase I to Phase II (he attends a couple of trial days about haematology meds, and he's abandoned his humanities training for hard sciences lingo) would be announced in a couple of weeks.

And here we are. So, from 32 parties who expressed an interest, we are down to 26, of which we are one. What a relief. Of those excluded from the next phase, I suppose the most notable are Valentine FC, which means no northern New South Wales participation; the combined Western Australian bid, which means no super expensive trips to the far west; Bentleigh Greens (the only Victorian team to be ditched so far); and Blacktown City, the very successful NSW club, who have thrown a massive and eerily familiar to South fans tanty about being left out, as is their prerogative.

So now, onto whatever the next bit is, copy pasting stuff from the A-League bid but making sure to update the dates and other references to make it more relevant. 

Final thought

Woof, bark, grr, etc.

Here comes the Aldi NSL...

Disclaimer - a good chunk of what follows assumes that South Melbourne will be a successful applicant for a national second division.

Well, knock me down with a feather, it's finally here. Or somewhat more precisely, just over there, somewhere between reality and social media clamouring.

The other week Football Australia announced that expressions of interest for the National Second Tier were now open. The competition format isn't settled yet, as that will depend on the level of interest from prospective parties. Assuming that enough clubs are capable of competing in a league competition, the NST competition would be a standalone tier between the A-League and NPL, with promotion and relegation happening only once the NST had become "mature". If not enough suitable clubs are found - a minimum of ten - then we're looking at a Champions League style, post-season group format.

Participating clubs would be required to withdraw their senior team from their state NPL competitions.  You'd hope and assume that our upper age youth team (the 20/21/reserves) would still play in their NPL competition.

(but there's also this requirement: "investment in and operation of a full talent development pathway within their club structure", whatever that means)

Among the concerns I've seen is what happens if the whole thing falls over after a year or two - what happens to us then? Do we get straight back into the NPL competition, or would it be a complete mess like after the dissolution of the National Soccer League? 

The first thing to remember is that in 2004 there was overlap between the end of the last NSL season and the beginning of that year's Victorian Premier League season. That wasn't an issue that couldn't be overcome - it's just there wasn't the willingness (hello fridge magnets!) from some people to make the effort. The other thing to remember is that it's not 2004 anymore. Let's assume for argument's sake that this thing gets up, at least for one season., but then goes belly-up. There were changes made to the rules after the 2004 debacle in the event of something similar happening to an A-League team. While you could never rule out colossal stupidity on the part of a governing body to stuff something like this up, you'd like to assume that such provisions would be carried over to the NST; especially since the eventual goal is to implement promotion and relegation.

At first, the NST will have a winter season, with a March 2024 start. Not a great outcome for those hoping to boost crowds by getting out of the winter soccer quagmire. I suppose if you're of the belief that merely being back in a (quasi) national competition will be enough to get people out of their boycott of what we do now, that's not an issue. For those who believe that winter and competing soccer (senior and juniors) and AFL seasons - in addition to ongoing degraded prestige - have a substantial impact on our current numbers, there's a lot more doubt about how many people would return, and for how long.

That goes also for the potential "revival" of old rivalries. Assuming that most of the NST's participants will be former national league teams - and throughout the process, that has been the main assumption of both NST supporters and detractors - will there really be enough and sustained interest? It's easy to point to classic/pinnacle NSL matches with big crowds. It's also easy to point out matches where crowds were not so good. And away crowds for interstate travel - never a strong point in the old days, even taking into account much higher travel costs - well, I'm not sure how many even the "big" clubs will be bringing to an interstate match. 

There's additionally a requirement to have access to "a suitable high-quality match day facility 12 months of the year", which seems fair. I suspect that requirement is in place in the event that the competition eventually moves to a summer alignment. Such a requirement does pose an interesting question about how South's tenure at Lakeside qualifies. It's not that we don't have access to the venue 12 months of the year; but our winter priority period does muddy the waters a little, assuming an eventual summer switch. There's also the grand prix and other special events which sees our access to Lakeside curtailed from time to time. I'm sure it'll be fine, though.

I've also seen some contention about the requirement of squads being made up of players on professional contracts, being paid 52 weeks of the year. Some people have inferred that this will mean full-time (and thus non-affordable) professionalism, when it's not quite clear that that's the case. In Australian soccer, we tend to get too much confusion about professionalism means. There are two different concepts which should not be conflated: professionals vs semi-professionals, and professionals vs amateurs. The first concept is a social distinction, while the second is an administrative one. 

So we don't know yet how many, if any, NST teams will field squads made up of full-time professionals. It's got to be the aim at some point that full-time professionalism will be the default, as opposed to the exception. In South's case, at any rate, the club has long moved to a contract and payment system adhering to these standards (or so we've been told), in part to spread the payment load across an entire year, and to avoid contractual disputes (not always avoidable, but you know).

For those who come from outside the South supporters bubble - especially those who get most of their knowledge about the views of our fanbase from social media - it's hard to get the point across that the views of our supporters are much more varied than is actually the case. Those holding the view of getting into the A-League or NST at any cost are just one part of who we are as South supporters. So while on social media you see the gung-ho attitude of the loudest people, on our forum it's a lot more circumspect and cautious. 

Is this idea actually viable? Does our board really think that the NST's financial and attendance targets are achievable for us? How much of it is being driven by the fear that if we don't apply and get in, that we'll be left even further behind? But despite the many unknowns of an NST, we do know what we've had to put up with for the past 18 years, and thus it's a choice between two unsustainable competitions, one which is moribund, and the other which is, at best, untested. For us, it looks like "better the devil you know" is likely to give way to "swim, until you can't see land". 

Notes from the 2021 AGM

South Melbourne Hellas members are now well used to AGMs being delayed for unorthodox reasons, but the pandemic is the unimpeachable get out clause for everything these days. Attendance from committee members was poor, but that of the members was worse. A lot of regular faces at these things did not show up. Why, I do not know. Indifference? Covid? Inconvenient time-slot? Heaven help us if the senior men's preferred match day discussion ever gets combined with this topic.

And goodness knows where the armada of junior parents now eligible to attend such meetings was - thanks to Football Victoria constitutional changes some years back - because they weren't there, and have seldom ever attended since they have bee able to. Well, maybe they were at junior games. Still the meeting went ahead, and some useful information was parlayed to the small audience. 

As per usual, this is not a complete account of the AGM, because I did not take such detailed notes; nor should everything be made known to people who did not attend the meeting, or so I'm told. Then again, some people don't like any AGM details making their way into the public domain, but that ship sailed a long time ago.

There were two key presenters on the day, treasurer Mario Vinaccia, and president Nick Maikousis. At times the meeting resembled a conversation rather than a one-way information session, with the odd spiky exchange. But we get but one formal opportunity per year  (on average) to grill our representatives, and one would be wise to take it. 

Insofar as the treasurer's report went, there was generally good news in regards to the club's financial position as it ended at June 2021. The club made a profit of about $160,000, a good result considering the difficulties created by the pandemic with regards to sponsorship and match day revenue. The club is also on target to clear its external debts by June 2022. 

The club's business structure was once again explained. Essentially, the South Melbourne Hellas Club acts as the umbrella for a set of subsidiary organisations. Half of these are for profit businesses (the Bar & Grill, the Futsal Court, etc), and the other half are the various teams and clubs we operate (NPL and NPLW teams, miniroos, state league women's teams).

The assertion was made by the board that contrary to popular wisdom, it is the finances of the senior men's team which fills in the budgetary gaps (if and where they exist, though most teams break even) in other parts of the football business. How one gets that message out to a soccer public which takes as gospel that junior money funds senior wages (across many clubs, not just ours) is a difficult task. Because much more of the 2021 season was played compared to the 2020 season, there was less damage done in terms of refunds of fees to junior players due to the cancellation of the season.

The Bar & Grill more or less breaks even on match days, but does much better on special events. Of course, club hosted special events and the hiring of the function room by the general public have been hindered by the pandemic, but one hopes that will change as things open up again. The club's leasing of the futsal space to the Combat Institute of Australia for use as its National Performance Centre, which became official in January 2022, will see the club receive an annual six figure sum in rental fees. I think most of us will be glad that that space is finally earning its keep, albeit in an unorthodox manner. 

On the question of why no Sunday matches, it was made reiterated that much of the cost savings achieved by the club in recent times have been due to avoiding hosting Sunday matches, and especially the staff penalty rates that make Sunday games unappealing from a financial point of view. The four senior men's Friday night matches in 2022 are also being used as part of the attempt to garner and maintain sponsor networks.

Sponsorship is in a strong position, with the number of principle partners increasing substantially, as the club continues to leverage the business links of the current board. What might happen to that generosity should those members of the board - especially in the financial services sector, which we seem to have a focus on - depart, is a question left to the future. This approach is a variant of the construction industry funded teams in our league. Realistically, there would be few clubs in Victoria who can get by predominantly on gate takings, and in that sense we are not an outlier.

In short, gate takings and membership dues play second fiddle to sponsorship and other business ventures. While the club made a reasonable sum on the 2022 Melbourne City FFA Cup game given the circumstances, restrictive pandemic related trading circumstances diminished what could have been a higher taking. Still, it's nice to know that the club has a not insignificant item for its next financial report. Also to be taken into account for next year, is the already improved takings from merchandise sales. 

Though hampered by Lakeside Stadium being under the control of the state government rather than a local council, the club has improved its accessing of government grants. Most of these grants are relatively small, but collectively they help offset costs across our various football departments.

The president's report had some crossover with the treasurer's report, but also included other matters as you would expect. The relationship with the regular, match day staff of the Trust is currently good. However, the high turnover of bureaucrats at the Trust continues to make the management of that part of the relationship more difficult.

There was some discussion about further cementing our presence at some of our other locations, and the hope that there would be funding made available for the relaying of the synthetic pitches at Middle Park, among other improvements to our amenities.

With regards to Lakeside being used as a training venue for the 2023 Women's World Cup, there was little concrete news as of yet. There is the possibility of minor improvements being made to player amenities. It is also possible that the venue may be unavailable for several weeks, but otherwise there is scant detail on what the 2023 Women's World Cup will mean for us in an operational sense. That's something to keep an eye on for next year.

There was also discussion on the prospects of a National Soccer Division, but precious little of certainty to latch on to. There remain many open-ended questions about whether the NSD would be held during a winter or summer season; how long inaugural NSD clubs would be given to settle in, without the threat of being relegated themselves; how quickly full-time professionalism would be introduced; and of course, about how many clubs could realistically be expected to participate.

There was an acknowledgment that there would be need to be significant increases to membership, sponsorship, and attendance in order to the transition to an NSD work, with the club needing a large increase in turnover from its current position. The board however asserted confidence in its ability to make a successful transition to an NSD. In addition, the board was confident that the club could participate successfully in an NSD regardless of the ultimate format of the NSD,

Those members in attendance, while sharing the club's ingrained ambition to play at the highest level possible, generally had a more a wary disposition on the matter. Having said that, there are a wide range of opinions within the South community about the merits of an NSD, and the course of action the club should take. Thus it was disappointing not to have a greater attendance to have the range of those views considered. One hopes that the next AGM, which will hopefully see more concrete details released on the actual NSD format, will attract more interest from members.

A full-time sponsorship person has been hired.

The membership database issue is still an ongoing matter. 

Medium term, if the circumstances allow, the board is interested in re-aligning AGM dates and financial reporting to match the senior men's season, rather than going by the financial year.

At the end of the meeting, it was announced that Mario Vinaccia would be stepping down as treasurer, due to increased family commitments. The change will happen as soon as a suitable successor for the treasurer position is found. The membership thanked Mario for his efforts not only in cleaning up the club's books, but also for his efforts in changing the club's culture around transparency on these matters.

Notes from today's members forum

As usual, these notes are not the complete picture of what goes on at such meetings, but rather the version which results from my tasteful curation - just in case that wasn't clear to any long term readers. As for the new people - are there still new people?

I didn't really take any notes, except for about four compact notepad lines on my phone. If I missed something important, it was probably while I accidentally spilled about eight Eclipse mints across the table. 

Anyway, slightly smaller attendance than I'd anticipated, but what did I anticipate? It doesn't matter. I think there's still people who are COVID-shy, which is totally understandable, and hey - it's the week before Christmas, which is hardly the big ticket time for attracting people to non-AGM related South gatherings.

And maybe people had better or more important things to do. Having relocated what might be an apricot sapling from a pot to an empty space in my front yard, all my tasks for the day were done; and thus I was free to attend a South event for the first time since April.

Representation from the board on an official front was from president Nick Maikousis, and secretary and treasurer Mario Vinaccia. 

Speaking of the AGM, the club has received a COVID extension from ASIC, and thus the AGM will be held some time in February. One reason given for this is that the auditor needs to visit the club in person to see the books, something which has not been possible thus far because of the pandemic; or something like that. 

We are assured that unlike all the other times, this time it is genuinely all above board. And I believe them, not least because I'm too tired to argue, but also as an extension of goodwill on my part to people working hard under difficult circumstances to make the club better.

There was some discussion on the club's attempts at establishing its business coterie group, which has been hampered by the pandemic. The discussion from the floor seemed focused mostly on finding ways for the pleb South Melbourne member to be able to make use of the networking opportunities the coterie is designed to provide to its clientele.

On the matter of the composition of the senior men's team for next season, I would not expect too many more new faces. The club appears to believe that it has a strong contingent of youth prospects - even if it also appears that the club is not sure if it fluked this cohort, or actually somehow planned for them to become available all at once. 

There was talk, as there has been in previous seasons, that the club is cutting costs on its senior wage bill. If the club uses more youth team players to fill out the senior men's squad, there's every chance that this claim of cutting the senior men's team wage bill might actually be true this time; or at least more true.

Apparently, rather than the wage bills of NPL Victoria senior men's teams taking a hit because of the pandemic, the suggestion seemed to be made that in fact more money was being spent on senior men's teams for the coming NPL season. If that's true, then I wish those players raking it in all the best. Take 'em for every last cent!

On the matter of memberships for next season, as promised the question was thrown open to the floor, with the board to take on - but not necessarily act upon - the advice offered. The main question is of course for 2020 financial members who were if not outright promised that their 2020 membership would rollover to 2021, than at least had that possibility offered as a suggestion earlier this year by Maikousis during one of his pre-recorded briefings to the members. 

Unsurprisingly, the board's starting and/or preferred position seemed to be that 2020 members should pay the regular rate of membership dues. The supporters in attendance tended to veer to the opposite view, but there was also the suggestion made by some supporters that 2020 members could pay a discounted rate of $50, which is analogous to the rate paid by active life members. It will of course be interesting to see what the board settles on, because I don't think they were all that thrilled with the $50 amount. 

At the same time, the pandemic has impacted people in a variety of ways, and of course the club should take that into consideration, not forgetting also that apart from the shortened season, we only got two home games in anyway. One member managed to articulate the question that seemed to have hitherto gone unspoken; that being the question of establishing goodwill from the board's part. I assume we'll find out what the board finally settle on in the new year.

But generating goodwill between the board and ordinary members, however difficult, needs to be a top priority. The relationship between the late Athanasakis-era board and the ordinary supporter got to a frankly poisonous stage. Goodwill takes a lot of time to build up, and mere seconds to destroy.

On to the matter of the National Second Division. There will be a white paper released (I think) next month. The club is of the position that it would prefer a 2022 start, but it seems we could end up with a 2023 start. Some people from the floor were less optimistic than even that. Assuming we get in to the NSD of course! So much yet remains to be made official that it is difficult to talk with any certainty about the future of promotion-relegation and a National Second Division. 

COVID has thrown its own spanner in the works, including creating realignments within the balance of power of Australian soccer, probably weakening almost everyone, but some groups more than others. Using my powers of discretion I won't elaborate too much on the thoughts of Maikousis on the scheme as a whole, except to say: 

• that the goal remains for South to enter such a competition at the earliest opportunity.
• that despite the high degree of interest from clubs around the country in participating in a National Second Division, that the cost of doing so may prove to be more prohibitive than people would like.

The NSD is not a favourite topic of mine, in part because I acknowledge that I am largely incapable of understanding and assessing the merits of what is being proposed as it relates to the scheme's practicality. I recognise my deficiencies in matters of finance, accounting, and logistics, and leave these matters to people who have more information than I do, and hopefully comprehend it to a suitable level.

Ah, there I go apologising for dodging the question again. One observation of mine from a cultural perspective, is that the goal of establishing an NSD along with promotion-relegation to all tiers, is that such a scheme is in a race against the desires of the extant A-League licence holders. Who will get to their promised land first, and will the imminent unbundling of the A-League from Football Australia bring riches or disaster upon the house of A-League?

And my goodness, until this pandemic business gets sorted out, and the top-flight's long-term broadcast deal with it, there's too many variables. But I digress. 

 

While it appears certain that our first game of the 2021 season will be played away at Heidelberg, the club seemed hopeful that it would still manage to get two home games within the first six rounds of the coming season. From what I understand from a sidebar conversation I had during the meeting, the 2021 fixture is more or less settled.

There has been a mutual and apparently amicable termination of the social club catering arrangement with the lease holder. The club is exploring its options on that front.

It appears that the taekwondo folk could end up hiring the futsal court space for some time yet, providing a welcome medium term revenue source to the club.

There were a brief mention of the improved relationship with the Trust, and the soon be signed deal for the pavillion down at Middle Park.

That about covers the main points of the meeting.