Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday night I celebrated with my friends at the South Melbourne Football Club the opening of the 2009 season and 50 years of tradition of the great South Melbourne Football Club. I want to congratulate President Leo Athanasakis and his commilla on a glittering event and on a wonderful beginning to the year, with South Melbourne winning the Hellenic Cup, defeating Heidelberg United by 3-0. It was a good beginning to the year and I hope the club will have continuing success under its coach, Michael Michalakopoulos.

It is very interesting to see the development of the South Melbourne team. Its new captain is a young Turkish Australian called Rama Tavsancioglu. My friend Martin Foley, the member for Albert Park, and I are working very hard with the SMFC on the refurbishment of the South Melbourne ground—the Bob Jane Stadium—and, with Victorian Athletics, the Victorian government is looking into a proposal for a $74 million refurbishment of the whole ground.

Ultimately, South Melbourne deserves its place in the A-League—it will get back there as it must get back into national competition. It is now exclusively hooked up to the local community in training youngsters. It is not simply an ethnic based club any more and South Melbourne will get its rightful place in the A-League when it is recognised as a more widely based club. When a new round of clubs are being asked to join the A-League, SMFC should be considered on its merits. (Time expired)