Nope.  Passion and stupidity aren't the same thing.  They aren't mutually exclusive either.

How is this as a test for branding and contribution to the league.
I am based in Perth.
Last nights game for Perth Glory against Melb City drew 8500.
If South Melbourne came aboard, the same fixture would draw over 10000.
Keep in mind, this game would literally be on the other side of the country from South Melbourne's headquarters. Imagine how South Melbourne v Melbourne Victory would be.
Bring them in, I don't know what people are afraid of.
Another thing that people forget, it would be in South Melbourne's interest to be broadbased, draw more supporters and make more money (or lessen their losses). This idea that that club would forego commercial opportunities to express their 'greek roots' is absurd.

Fun fact

"It's Greek to me" is an expression coined by Shakespeare

If South miss out again are we going to have McNamee and South fans claiming the new board put the "boot into old soccer" as well? If South miss out this time, maybe they need to at ask why two disparately different administrations have said no to their bid.

If South cant get in with a stadium, facilities that many players note are better than most A league teams, every junior/womens age group covered all in a location that is well served by public transport and has endless pubs/cafes and eateries...well we will need to conceed that no "old sokkah" clubs will ever play a prominent role ever again.

My personal opinion is the A league will close up shop at 14 teams and that will be that. No 2nd division or pro/relegation. If the old guards flagship club cant get a sniff the rest are just as doomed as South.

McNamee witnessed the corruption first hand with the old board so its obviously a sore spot for him.

The biggest challenge for the SMFC bid this time around is their location.

Yes it has a stadium, but it is in the inner city and the FFA and the existing A-League clubs have appeared to be suggesting that they want to see different geographical areas represented, especially in the major markets. This will help grow the game, and not eat into existing club areas.

Southern Expansion, South West Sydney and South Melbourne appears to have had the most resistance, but we will wait and see what the new FFA Board decide.

Not knowing all the facts about their bid in 2008, I still feel it is a pity that the Southern Cross bid wasn’t given the green light, even as a Heart/City supporter. They do offer a fair bit, but seemingly can’t get the backing of the decision makers.

Question for south fans. Why haven't South made moves to become less Greek at board level over the last 10 years? The problem rightly or wrongly is that South Melbourne is a Greek social club first and a professional soccer club second. 

What we need to do is to think of every day situations around a club that can be adversely affected by having a leadership group all with the same background. Hundreds of little things that add up to bad things. At junior level we can see that at many ethic based clubs.

 When there is no diversity (90 pct Greek and male) then many old school cultural ideals prevail. This will hold back 'excellence' because people wont want to upset each other (on the board). Diversity leads to excellence (men, woman, young, old, variety of ethic backgrounds) because new ideas are not necessarily rejected because of some limited thinking. 

The players get smashed with Growth vs Fixed mindset. Board of Management Mostly Greek (Fixed or Growth mindset?). Open it up - what have you got to hide?

And for all the people who think South Melbourne run an excellent junior program - the realities on the ground are different. Too many kids in each NPL age group (money grab), poor facilties, bullyimg (kids who dont go on overseas trips don't get picked the following year...)

These are the sloppy and poor results around lack of diversity and poor management practice..

South are 100% football focused and I can't believe this is even coming up. South have dominated mens' and womens' State football for years, produced over 50 socceroos, and won four national titles.

In recent years South's women have won:
2011, 2014, 2015, 2017 State Championships
2016 NW Championship (the year they were inexplicably left out of the NPLW...)

South's men have won:
2014, 2016 State Championships
2015 Dockerty Cup
2015 Community Shield

South's first priority is football excellence whether it be in the A-League, B-League, State League or Sunday League and everyone at the club works bloody hard to achieve such.

South brings the game to schools, offers scholarships and supports programs in power-chair football, table football and futsal.

What else can you expect a club to do to show it's football first?

Whilst I understand the worry about SMFC being too greek, isnt Melb the city with the 3rd or 4th highest Greek population in the world (beating most cities in Greece). So even if they were Greek only, dont they have the community to service the club?

For the record it sounds to me like they have shed that part of their history, but some food for thought 

Unfortunately, being a real football club is not enough, with the FFA that is, they're actually not interested in football clubs

If he actually cares he'd be against creating more Closed-League licenses

South have a great history no doubt. With regards to being 100 pct footy focused I would suggest if you ask any leader at Heidelberg UTD, Apia Leichardt, Marconi - they will all say the same thing. The communities around those clubs should be proud of what they have achieved. My own local NPL club also have a great womans' set up and participates in various social programs - great stuff. But this is still not enough IMO to be granted an A-league licence.

I would suggest that just about everyone around the clubs (parents, players etc) would add that these clubs still fall well short of being professionally run organisations. I also noticed you did not rebuff any of my points re lack of diversity. Also I wonder how many of these clubs would be happy if a cultural / social outsider (read not Greek) were to go through the clubs finances and general governance?

Open it up - have more diversity on the board and you will get my vote. 

Otherwise keep being a great social club doing some nice things for ground roots football. Your history can never be taken away from you. 

When you say "two disparately different administrations", I assume you understand that the new board consists of 3 Lowy people and 3 new people, with one of the Lowy people carrying the decisive vote?  I also assume you realise that the process is being overseen by two Lowy appointees and an outside body of consultants hired (and briefed) by Lowy...  Make no mistake - this is the same people as before.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sport/soccer/former-ffa-board-member-danny-moulis-backs-canberra-a-league-bid-20181203-p50jt2.html
Former Football Federation Australia director Danny Moulis has thrown his support behind A-League expansion hopefuls Canberra and South Melbourne, declaring the bids "streets ahead" of the four others.

You're right one would have to ask what's going in FFA HQ.

Whilst you are quoting from my repetitive and boring (I admit) play-sheet, it has been pointed out to me numerous times that Perth, Newcastle, and Brisbane arose from "Old Soccer".
It is also acknowledged that Sydney and Central Coast had links to NSL Clubs and even Melbourne had a core of people behind it that were intrinsically linked to the NSL.

There surely was a number of the loudest of the old NSL, that were smug (bitter) and declared that they would never support the A League and that it would certainly fail quickly.
There was also a lot of us that were fence sitters and thought that it had at least to be given a go as it did promise a direct return into the areas of the game that badly needed addressing:
Professional teams,
Quality match day experience,
Centralised marketing and promotion,
Funding base for National Team and expanding the youth team international calendar.

It worked as promised, but it suddenly became clear a couple of years back (Townsville) that a model that relied on sugar daddies was going to hit its ceiling way too quickly and therefore the promise of taking the professional game to the whole of the country was going to fall back to fly in/fly out promo tours.

We are clearly in another transition period.

SMFC are probably a great part of the answer to the future.  I fear that future will be murky if SMFC are captured by the current arrangement.  Until next year we won't know how the League will be run.  Until somebody, somewhere, somehow reveals that much talked about new ownership and operating model we won't know if there will ever be any organic growth here in the professional game.

I don't give a damn whether or not SMFC gain entry to the A League.  Perhaps I do, if that means they suddenly shut up and we see the pigs and the humans are all sat down at the same table to eat lobster buffet together.

Frankly, if they are the champion club they claim to be and are the true believers, then I would rather them focus on where I believe the brightest future for the game lies right now:
A second division.

A second division by its simple existence becomes a driver for change, a powerhouse for player production, a place to test and prove ownership models, and a platform to build a Club and its supporter base at a pace that individual circumstances can accommodate.  It's not about if you support an independent Macedonia or love or hate Roman Catholics.
Nobody gives a fuck about that stuff any more (ok maybe just some old people that sit around sipping poisonous coffee while smoking horse dung) and it will continue to lose the  little of it that is left as the years roll by.  It's over.  All that is important now is the football and that is worth saving.

Most South fans I talk to understand South is an outside chance for a licence and will accept that, but that isn't my annoyance here. What South fans shouldn't have to accept is members of the wider football community questioning the club's purpose. The club proves in its actions that it has, does and will always deliver results for the benefit of Austrian football.

On professionalism no State League club can call its operations professional, but South leads the way giving players access to qualified coaches, international football relationships, VIS training and recovery facilities. South is delivering amazing services for its level, has a great understanding of football needs, and is set up to professionalise when the opportunity arises. All other bids aren't only not professional but don't exist as clubs. South in the A-League wouldn't be the same club as it is in the NPL but it would use the NPL foundation to build in to an A-League club. With or without the A-League South will continue to do its best for players and members.

South is an open and transparent club and you can see this by its actions.

• South's accounts like all companies receive an independent audit annually.
• Anyone can become a member and join the AGM to vote for the board and read financial statements. Anyone. Other A-League club memberships are that in name only and although provide season tickets provide no access to vote who is on the board and change the direction of the club.
• South has been pushing hard to increase its fan base, notably working with Chinese Australian Football Federation (I think that's what they're called) and bringing Guangzhou R&F down for a friendly which South won, in front for a large crowd.

I don't like to count ethnic names because it validates an argument I feel is hurtful. The fact is South is open to everyone, encourages the biggest crowds it can get and anyone can be a member to vote, scrutinise or stand for the board.

You can become a member and do all this in time for next season (once they release the new packages, 2018 season is over) but funnily enough you haven't got this access at any other A-League clubs. South has a radio program on FNR. It has lead the way for club content on YouTube. The club engages with a huge community and welcomes everyone who wants to see the club win. Heck in two years you could become a South Board member if you wanted to.

A great argument. Thanks for the reasonable and reasoned response. Get more diversity on the board and you have my vote. 

I would have assumed that you realised that the new board appointments followed a transparent and inclusive process, but alas, this assumption appears to be incorrect.   You have cleverly ignored the process that was undertaken and masterfully ignored the appointments of people unrelated to the old board.  And to add the cherry to the top of the "Everyone Hates South/Old Soccer Pie"  you you are still able to reach the conclusion that this board is the "same people as before" or Lowy-Light. 

OK, the old board and the new board both hate South and old soccer, feel better?  

It's a little sad that he has supported them now that he's out of an FFA job.  It could make some question the motivation behind his statement.  The statement would have carried more weight if it was made 6 or more months ago.  Nevertheless, good luck to South and Canberra.

https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/meet-the-cashed-up-tycoon-bankrolling-south-melbourne-s-a-league-bid

So that now means that Souths bid will not depend on a single cent of government assistance. They can’t have ticked anymore boxes really.

Arthur - 10 Dec 2018 12:07 PM
aok - 10 Dec 2018 9:12 AM
If South miss out again are we going to have McNamee and South fans claiming the new board put the "boot into old soccer" as well? If South miss out this time, maybe they need to at ask why two disparately different administrations have said no to their bid.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sport/soccer/former-ffa-board-member-danny-moulis-backs-canberra-a-league-bid-20181203-p50jt2.html
Former Football Federation Australia director Danny Moulis has thrown his support behind A-League expansion hopefuls Canberra and South Melbourne, declaring the bids "streets ahead" of the four others.

You're right one would have to ask what's going in FFA HQ.

It's a little sad that he has supported them now that he's out of an FFA job. It could make some question the motivation behind his statement. The statement would have carried more weight if it was made 6 or more months ago. Nevertheless, good luck to South and Canberra.

Moulis isn't an FFA board member any longer hence his comments regarding South and Canberra. He's free to say what he likes now and probably has some idea about football given his background as a player and in boardroom. There's simply no way in the world he or any other FFA board member could make any PUBLIC comments re the bids whilst still in office. It would be prejudicial and scandalous..
Moulis, McNamee and Postecoglou have made some good positive arguments for South in recent days. Credible, high profile people who have an idea of what South is about and what they can offer. Why would they put their arses on the line otherwise.

Maybe put a bigger tick in the cash up front box.

Reid is flapping her gums it  seems

I don't believe that getting press like this does anything and selling the concept to the public achieves nothing.  What was needed from all bidders was a professional bid with nothing held back that made the best possible case for inclusion.  The decision is going to be made by professional Board members considering the documents and on the advice of internal staff and expert consultants and that decision has to be in the best interest of the game and the company.  Noise like in recent articles is just noise.

The decision making process to select the board was transparent - but those decisions having been made, which of the following is incorrect:

(1) The 6 person board includes 3 'Lowy people'
(2) The 'Lowy person' who stood for re-election and missed out was the only one who came out publicly to say NCIP should be scrapped.
(3) The chairman of the board, who carries the deciding vote, was a Lowy person (who talked out against the NPL and supported NCIP)
(4) The CEO of the FFA is a Lowy appointee on a huge wage
(5) The head of the A-league is a Lowy appointee
(6) The consultants hired to run the selection process for expansion were hired and briefed at Lowy's request
(7) The final decision on who to bring in as expansion options will be made by a 6 person board, with 3 Lowy-people who can outvote the 3 non-Lowy people courtesy of the controlling vote of a man who dislikes the NPL and likes the NCIP
(8) They will make their decision based on analyis by a Lowy appointed CEO, Head of A-League, and consultancy firm.

Maybe after detailed analysis 2 non-South bids may be the best options - perhaps Team11 or WMG have been able to demonstrate that their key point of difference (the regional stadiums) will actually happen; but it can't be denied that the FFA that ends this process isn't that far from the FFA that started the process.

I think people are getting confused with what is in the bid documents presented to the FFA and what the bid teams are releasing in the media.
Everything you are seeing now has already been given to the FFA.

You have consistently been the voice of reason for South.  Seems you have started on the negative track already.  Announcement not even made yet and South have started in on the "they hate cos we're wogs" and "they're all corrupt, there is no way anybody can be better than us", "it doesn't matter how good our bid, it will never be accepted by the dark forces arranged against us." 

You lot are worse than Pauline Hanson supporters.

With Nogarotto, Reid and Carrozzi have stated they will recuse themselves from the Board process.
I'm wondering does that mean the Board doesn't have a quorum?

been wondering the same thing, nice to hear an answer from someone who knows about this sort of stuff