They’re shouting it from the rooftops now – four-time national champions South Melbourne want in the A-League. Make no mistake, this is a huge moment in Australian football.
After reports of attempted takeovers of the Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Heart, the NSL mainstays last night laid their cards on the table.
An offer “in excess of $3.5 million” was recently made to take 100 percent control of the Heart’s license after “several discussions between Heart and SMFC directors,” said a press release.
The club also declared it had major sponsors lined up and that “Emerson (Brazilian Legend)” is keen to coach.
Now, they didn’t specify which Emerson that was.
Presumably they refer to the one that played for Juventus and Real Madrid and was capped 73 times for the national team – Emerson Ferreira da Rosa.
But that namedrop is South Melbourne’s way of reminding you that despite being stowed away in Australian football’s attic for years, they’re still around. And they’re still relevant.
Whether Football Federation Australia will acknowledge them as such by way of an A-League license is now the crucial question.
It’s a fork in the road. If SMFC are not accepted now, you can just about rule out any future possibility of an ‘ethnic club’ joining the A-League, ever.
The sense is if it’s going to happen, it has to be sooner rather than later. And now ‘Hellas’ has stormed to the front of the queue, just waiting for someone to slip up so they can be there.
Eventually it will come down to the key question – is Australian football open to the addition of an ‘ethnic club’ to the A-League?
This has been the elephant in the room for years.
There is no doubt the A-League has blossomed largely because it represented a clean break from the NSL and pitched football to everyone in the country in a different and radical way.
But there is also no doubting that South Melbourne is a fantastic club with a rich history, standing links with the wider football world and, potentially, a little bit of pull.
Yes, it was founded by Greeks, and many of the supporters are Greek. The club’s culture is heavily influenced by Greece and its symbols.
But it is not exclusively Greek.
There are scores of South Melbourne devotees that don’t have a vowel and the letter ‘s’ at the end of their surnames.
I don’t know any personally – I’m an Adelaide boy. I do know hundreds of ex-Adelaide City fans who weren’t of Italian decent, though.
Still, this is one of the key objections – that bringing a Greek club into an the current A-League (save for the Dutch up in Brisbane) would muddy the idea of a new dawn for football.
Given football’s rolling problems with supporter behaviour – and more specifically, the heavy-handed and disproportionate media coverage of it – this is where it gets risky.
Imagine if the usual prejudicial media outlets could spin a bit of ethnic violence into another beat-up about a troublesome crowd. It would be relentless and damaging.
That makes South Melbourne a huge gamble, particularly at a time when there are more eyes fixed on the A-League than ever before.
But this risk is potentially outweighed by the rewards. South Melbourne could very well turn out to be a strong, sustainable club.
If the club is capable of earning its own keep, how can the game ignore them?
The A-League must grow. Ten teams isn’t enough, as everyone knows. More will be needed eventually and since we’ve already scorched earth on the Gold Coast, in Townsville and a little bit in Canberra, beggars cannot really afford to be choosers.
The question is if FFA will ever be prepared to accommodate a club like South Melbourne. Can they be part of the A-League masterplan? Over to you, Frank.
Dionisios
Guest
Why are people so afraid of sth melbourne? The club has provided so much to Australian sport of its own back. No major sponsors, no tv deals, no or minimal corporate support and no ongoing government grants ! And you all think that sth is only good enough to become a feeder club to the a league ? Keep dreaming ! Sth is Oceania club of century awarded by FIFA You all afraid that sth will knock off victory ? Why so much hatred, sth does not ask for ur support just the right to play in the top league based on merit! Next time your eating a souvlaki have a think about it!
jordan
Guest
What is an "ethnic " club? What is an "ethnic" supporter? I am Australian born .My surname ends with "poulos", so I am automatically branded as "ethnic". That is a fallacious and rascist arguement. If I follow Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC am I still an ethnic? No. If I follow Hellas or Sydney Olympic , am I "ethnic"? Yes, according to many. But when I turned up last week to cheer on the Socceroos against Iraq was I "ethnic" then? I am proud of my Greek Heritage, I will never trade that in for anything. However,there appears to be a hyprocrytical element involved. Postecoglou now is considered a great "Aussie" manager. But when he played for Hellas he was considered an " ethnic " player . When he coached Hellas he was considered an "ethnic " manager. If his name was Bob Smith ( and born somewhere in Great Britain) there would be no issue. The same with South Melbourne Hellas. If they were called South Melbourne England they would never be dubbed "ethnic". What this shows is the inherent pro Anglo Saxon tilt of Australian Culture and the Media. That has to change. It is time to bury this "ethnic" issue. We are all Australians, whether we support Olympic, Hellas or Dubbo United. South Melbourne for the NSL. ? Of course. They can be no worse than the other A League debacles North Queensland Fury and the Gold Coast.
On The Volley
Guest
Pertinent response Stevo. Despite all the best of intentions and a strong and proud history in Australian football, I am not 100% confident SMFC could co-exist alongside corporatised A-League franchises.
Ian Syson
Guest
Isn't Celtic ethnic?
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@Mr Celery I don't understand your jibe about "Photoshop". Which part of the photo of Edensor Park, on the FFA's website, do you consider to be fake. 1. Lakeside Stadium is FFA-compliant 2. Campbelltown Stadium was used for an A-League match this season 3. LaTrobe City Stadium, Morwell was used for an A-League match in 2011
Mr Celery
Guest
Yes Fussball. Amazing what Photoshop can do isn't it? Pity it's nothing like the reality. Credit to them for owning their own ground though. I doubt any old NSL Club apart from Canberra at Bruce Stadium would go remotely near meeting A-League stadium criteria. Marconi and their magnificent licenced club would tick some boxes, but I suspect even they would not measure up to current stadium requirements.
Mr Celery
Guest
OK. The Macadamians bit was in jest. But Romania IS considered part of the Balkans. Look it up on Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkans#The_Balkans
Presidio
Guest
It's absolutely true, those videos were on sale and the recruitment drive is no myth. As for South Melbourne, it is utterly ridiculous they should even contemplate joining the A-League.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Zach, Read my most recent article, hopefully that will help.
zach
Guest
So a generation has come and gone and you equate 1996 with 2013 and believe that the children of that generation who would now be teenagers and more themselves would hold the same view.. this is where the words exclusion and racism need to be clearly understood.. My son in his last year of being a teenager understands where the club he follows (SMFC) was born from and i understand that the word "Hellas"with regards to football in this country is not part of his speak!!! The facts are that SMFC are loosing their "ethnic" tag whatever in the world that means in a multicultural society, have a youth problem for young Australian children that would be the envy of every AL club are financially strong, have a stadium that again would be the envy of most AL clubs especially when looking at the running costs.. How can most AL clubs compete with that in this instance Melbourne Heart, they are simply non financial History, Tradition, Passion all in the footballing context are the things that SMFC brings to the fore, the two most important points though are, they are an Australian Club, i challenge you to tell my son otherwise and they have ambition based on the football knowledge that football people bring to the table
Sky Blue
Guest
If they're let in keep an eye on them, South Melbourne have shown they are an ambitious club despite the circumstances they find themselves in. I think if they are let in the A-League they'll understand that they can't only play to the Greek community. Saying this, I think the fans won't get the message, you tell them your name is Johhny Smith in the stands and see how many invites you get for after game drinks. I used to be a fan of Marconi but not many of their fans accepted an Irish Australian, this kind of mentality is hard to police within fan circles. Just to summise, I think the club is proffessionally run and can be successful, but the fans are a different monster and some fans will take any success as Greek pride brining back the "Bad old days"
Stevo
Guest
LOL at the comments here about "racism" and "racial profiling". The question I posed is not dissimilar to that in this article about multicultural Australian cricket http://www.footyalmanac.com.au/a-multicultural-australian-test-side/. It looked at surnames as an 'indicator' of cultural diversity. The FFA setup the HAL to be accessible to mainstream Australia across all cultures and genders. To that end we should be seeing diversity on the pitch and in the boardroom. Good luck to SMFC but I think the FFA got it right when launching the A-league.
Nick
Guest
Name me ONE single comment by the SMFC board or a any current fan forum where fans are asking to wave Greek flags now? Yes that did happen in the old NSL as it was a "wog" game back then with ethnics playing the game and growing the game in Australia. Stop living in the past, SMFC has.
Nick
Guest
I am also a member at WSW mate, I like the A-League too. But you gotta compare apples with apples. Marketing dollars given, TV contracts etc. Sheilas wogs n pooftas era mate. The NSL was run in a very different era, where only immigrants followed the sport and carried the sport to where it is. I am also ex-Sydney Olympic and don't believe they deserve at look at the a-league, but Souths were a different better outfit as a club all round. I haven't said a 100% SMFC model is best for the a-League, but a fair merger would be a very very smart model if a medium was found. Here the A-league has pumped millions into bad franchises in areas with no football support, and on the other we are knocking back a football frenzied community with people ready to invest millions. Just crazy IMO.
Nick
Guest
MelbCro, Incorrect again champ. @149k You are only counting 1st gen immigrants. Not 2nd generation 45-50 year olds, 3rd gen etc. I have been involved in marketing and media in the Greek community in the past. I have no reason to lie or hide it.
Stevo
Guest
It's probably dawning on many people that the SMFC bid is a publicity stunt during the HAL off season aimed at simply shouting "here we are and we're not going away" . The $3.5M offer is a joke that would not cut it with HeartFC or FFA and it would be far easier for HeartFC to buy SMFC than the other way round.
Evan Askew
Guest
Troll, I think. The Macedamians rmark gives it away. Plus the fact that he considers Romania to be part of the Balkans. He'lle saying Austria is part of the Balkans next.
nearpost
Guest
SMFC has no chance and it's surprising they don't realise this. Do the FFA even talk to them about A-League aspirations? I suspect not. The FFA Cup is a nice test for these aspirations and clubs. No flares, no national colours and no violence over three or more years and then maybe then we are ready. Have a look at how and why the FFA has branded the league and given out the licences despite football clubs existing, passionately, in this country for many years. We ain't going back!
SlickAs
Guest
It is not xenophobia at all. It's the opposite. It says nobody has a monopoly on the culture of Australia. The sort of "we all have a common background, ancestry, language, culture" thing is exclusionary, it is after all the way Pauline Hanson sees Australia. Waving your Greek flags and saying "us, the Greeks won today, we're better than you" sets us up to disagree. It sets up a racial conflict. Nobody wants that but the Greeks and the Cros. We embrace everyone into the A league and you want to split it up along ethnonationalist lines.
j binnie
Guest
With the passing of time and the human tendency to remember the good things in life I thought it a good time to do a sample on South Melb's performance in the NSL. Here are some facts (as presented nb,nb,nb). In the opening season ,1977, the club played 13 home games with a "high gate" of 15,000 (nb,nb,nb), and a low gate of 2,000 ,(nb.nb,nb). They finished 11th out of 13 in the comp. with an average gate of 5168. In season 89/90 they played 13 home games with a "high" of 9,000 (nb nb) and a "low" of 2,000 (nb,nb). They finished 2nd out of 13 in the comp. and finshed with an average gate of 4240. Then to 03/04,the last in the NSL, the club played 12 home games with a "high" of 11,642 and a "low" 3,750,and finished 5th out of 13 in the comp. with an average gate of 6382. I should explain the "nb,nb,nb". The reader will note that in every instance where I used them the gate 'figures" all ended in 000 and the number of times this occurred during the first 2 samples (10 in 26 home games) actually point to a not too accurate counting or recording of the actual numbers that attended.This anomaly had disappeared by the last season sampled. Hope this is of some interest to those who are writing in. jb