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To give them a chance or not to give them a chance? Here are five reasons why South Melbourne must be the A-League’s next franchise.
1 History
Before the A-League even existed, South Melbourne won the title of Oceania ‘Team of the century’. They also won four league titles in the NSL, which is technically the most national titles by an Australian team to this day (tied with Sydney City – Also won four NSL titles).
The number of Socceroos legends that came through South Melbourne can not be ignored. Even our national coach Ange Postecoglou used to play for the mighty Hellas in the mid 80s to early 90s, and also coached them a few years later.
2 More derbies
Adding a third Melbourne team would give the league more Melbourne Derby matches! It’s a no brainer FFA, derbies attract the big crowds. Imagine AAMI Park or better yet, Lakeside Stadium (South’s home ground) , hosting the derby of Melbourne. The boutique ground that South Melbourne play at has a capacity of 12,000.
That’s a very respectable size for a stadium of a team that’s starting back in the top division. Imagine Lakeside Stadium sold out to watch the most successful A-League Franchise up against the most successful NSL powerhouse.
(AAP Image/Joe Castro)
3 Converting ‘Eurosnobs’ to the A-League
Eurosnob. It’s a derogatory term used to describe a football fan that follows their EPL team, or any team in Europe but do not attend an A-League fixture.
There are many of these Eurosnobs that only follow their local NPL teams because they supported them in the NSL era and refused to pledge allegiance to a franchise that was established to try and kill out these teams with rich history.
There is a huge divide in Australian football between A-League supporters and Eurosnobs, and giving South Melbourne an A-League licence would be a step in the right direction to bridging the gap between these sets of fans.
There are many already established fans of South Melbourne, and more fans of the A-League would be made too. Remember Western Sydney’s first season? Many non football fans jumped on the bandwagon and bought memberships the following season.
Who’s to say the Greek expat community wouldn’t get behind their team from yesteryear to relive the glory days and new football fans would be discovered too.
4 Roberto Carlos
Real Madrid and Brazil legend Roberto Carlos has long been linked to South Melbourne as a potential coach if they are granted a spot in the top division. Imagine the young talent he could bring across!
Surely he has many contacts in the footballing world that would land many young prospects the opportunity to showcase their skills here down under. Who knows, we could be watching the future Neymar running around in a South Melbourne jersey. One thing is for sure, Roberto Carlos would definitely be a God send for the A-League.
5 More opportunity for a young players
Milos Lujic was born to play in the A-League. If South were given the chance to be in the A-League, many of these young NPL players would get the chance to shine in the top division. We have too many players in the NPL that are ignored.
Hopefully one day a second division will give those players that chance. But that’s another sensitive topic for another time….
There you have it. My five reasons why South Melbourne should be included in the A-League. If you have any other reasons why they should be in the A-League, comment below.
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