SMFC boys please give us info on your president.

What does he stand for?
What has he done?
What do you guys think about him?

What can one say about Leo? he's a suburban accountant who, much like the rest of the board post-NSL, has found himself in a position he would never thought likely, leading a once prestigious and powerful club in difficult times with few if any others looking to place themselves in the same position. Had the NSL apocalypse not happened, it's likely we would have had the same types of jokers we had before.

He bleeds for the club, but to single him out as the main force behind our improving fortunes off the field would be a misnomer, as it is the majority of the people who have served on the board who have collectively given their time and resources to keep the club going.

This is the type of info we need to know about, people need credit were credit is due.

What is then the main drive behind SMFC being the best run club in OZ

The main drive is if we didn't and don't continue to run the club properly, it won't be here for long. It's about putting yourself in the best position to be able to handle any future changes and challenges in Australian soccer, which we failed to do before on a catastrophic scale.

Leo and his board made up mainly of lawyers and accountants have worked tiresly over several years to put the club back on track after the clubs top flight 'exit'. Hasn't been easy for him as many fans have abandoned the club/VPL which is understandable somewhat given we were the most successfull club in the country.
Off field we've been excellent the past 3-4 years, financers seem to be in order, the board negotiated a super BJS redevelopment deal which will enable all of its teams from under 10's, womens and seniors to play within the BJS precint in Albert Park, has been trying to further expose itself by participating in the Singapore Cup, has it's own TV show on channel 31, held a brilliant 50th birthday bash at Crown Casino attended by around 1000 and is one of the few clubs that fully comply with the FFA's accredited junior development program. Not bad from a bunch of volunteers. All this 6 years after nearly going bankrupt due to the NSL's demise and on top of the usual kick in the guts from the FFA/V. To me it's more important to be stable off field than blowing the bank on the pursuit of a VPL title which no one really cares about. Unlike all other VPL clubs South is in a unique position of having a substantial stake in BJS and must make sure it stays in our hands. The board is cluey enough to understand this and has planned acordingly.
Leo's a good bloke, loves the club passionately and wants to see it return to its rightfull place one day. If anyone deserves it he does.

Leo is a very nice bloke. He also gets along well with alot of people and even played in our muck around match at the end of 2009 on BJS. Very friendly and approachable bloke who loves the club to death. Best moment I've seen of him was when we beat Gombak United in the Singapore Cup he came into the changerooms and ripped out a chant to which all the players joined in with him.

nice info guys

SMFC to the top, one day

I used to watch South when I could back in the day but my (albeit distant) understanding of the Melbourne scene is that the Government built Bob Jane for South for that Albert Park track, how did South come to 'own' that stadium. Didn't some old AFL own the land in that area (only been to Melbourne Grand Prix in 1997)

Edited by WaMackie: 29/1/2011 09:18:12 AM

If vitory had a 99 year head lease on AAMI park thats better than owning it that is what south has on BJS but there not good enough for the a-league lol

Very few clubs in Melbourne, of any sport, own their own grounds. The Lake Oval/Lakeside Stadium is no different.

South was at Middle Park from the club's inception in 1959, along with Hakoah. The ground was a public park, which the two clubs enclosed and built facilities on - most without the requisite building approvals, or so people say.

When the Grand Prix was announced, there were preliminary steps to add a second stand to Middle Park on the other side, which would apparently also be used for the Grand Prix (some sort of double sided arrangement). A realignment of the pit lane though, scuppered that, and required the demolition of the venue.

Lakeside Oval was the home of the South Melbourne aussie rules club. They didn't own it, and had left in 1981 for Sydney. After that, the local cricket club kept playing there (and there seemed to be some sort of intermittent use by footy), and a nightclub operated out of what is now the one remaining stand from the footy ground.

To appease Hellas due to the forced relocation from Middle Park (on which it still had several years left on its lease), the Lake Oval was reconfigured to create the Lakeside Stadium, with a new stand. In addition, Hellas was promised by the Kennett government that whatever money it could raise from its own efforts, the government would match it dollar for dollar to add to the stadium/social club, or something along those lines. I can't remember the exact details, nor the amount raised, but I believe it was in the order of 2-4 million dollars.

The club I believe was given the maximum amount crown land could be leased for, which is 21 years. And in the end, finding itself in the right place at the right time - that is, with several years left on the lease and with the Victorian government desperate to find somewhere to relocate the various athletics organisations - the club correctly took advantage of that situation and got an extended lease (40 years), and was party to several improvements in its lease arrangements.

Just to provide a different perspective from what has been written above

Leo (and his wife and kids) put in countless hours around the club and there is always a level of representation at all levels - not only at board level and catering the execs and sposors on matchdays but also at junior level

9:00 am on a sunday morning expect to see Leo refereeing under 8's girls in a small sided game whilst his wife is a team manager and participant in a mum's team and their kids playing sub juniors

A true football family .....as are some of the other board members including Tom Kallas and Nick Galanis - one moment they are negotiating a multi - million dollar agreement for the ground - the next they are dealing with authorities at singapore and then on a sunday morning they are putting up nets for the juniors and refereeing or providing oranges whilst having genuine conversation with mums and dads from all backgrounds and gaining valuable feedback

I do not think many appreciate what committee means at a club like smfc

Worth a mention that Leo was an Olyroo and was around the place during the NSL days

He loves a chat with all fans he literally consumes football 24/7

Also very successful with his day job

The current board view themselves as gatekeepers - not only protecting the club - but placing it as the best proposal outside of the franchise system - we cannot control what happens outside our space - but we can control how capable the club is should an opportunity come our way

Many football observers are keeping a close eye on smfc - "smfc is the alternative to the franchise-trademark system"

South appear to be run very professionally, if they can match the off-field success on the park then I think the FFA will have trouble not granting them a license in the future. Particularly if they have the financial clout to dominate the VPL in the coming years.

With the strong lease agreement at BJS and the ability to have good matchday income from food & drink sales SMFC would be in a best position to survive on crowds under 5k, which is a number they could maintain easily with relative onfield success IMO.

You make obvious sense but does the FFA and its business pals within the game(caterers, ticket providers, stadium operators, merchandisers, apparell providers, sponsors etc) want a team/franchise making money and deals that don't involve all the above middle-men?

That's why South need to become the dominant force in the VPL in the coming years and prove to the FFA that they are clearly to big for a State based competition. If South can get good crowds through the gates, show constant profit and win the VPL constantly then the FFA would have to take them seriously.

The FFA are relaxing some of their stronghold over the A-League licences (e.g apparel providers, freedom of speech, etc) and hopefully this will lead the way for future involvement of clubs that can sustain themselves finiacially in the future.

Further to this at the '09 AGM the club informed its members that the market valuation at the time in BJS had been independantly valued at around $7 million(and constantly rising). That is what the club over the years had put into BJS in terms of leasehold improvements, fixtures, repaires etc etc. Not a bad position to be in when you are negotiating with the govt.
During the BJS rebuilding the club is playing out of Northcote's ground and this 'expense' is also being covered by the deal. The club is to receive a one off payment of around $1 million to refurbish its social club. The club will also be receiving a % of signage and naming rights revenue at the new aths/soccer complex. For a VPL club it's pretty good stuff.

Leo and his board have done a remarkable job in organising all of this(and more). Very smart operators.

Know what your saying but the VPL or any lower tier is for the die hards only. A good crowd is 2,000 nowdays(a bit like GCU lol). The FFV don't give a fuck about it, they're letting it rot, no sponsors, no media, no promotion but plenty of fines, fees and unreasonable security demands from them.
Like I said I'd rather South concentrate on its off field assets/strength rather than persue on field VPL glory. The football landscape is very volatile here and the club needs to be ready for any future oppurtunities.

very well said SMFC and proud very very well said