Back to Senior Footy > News
Monday 12th December saw the VAFA 2022 AGM, held at Elsternwick Park- VAFA HQ.
Paddy, Cliffo and Hammer were able to attend to collect our 2022 Division 3 Premiership Flags!
Congratulations again to all players and coaches for the huge successes of 2022!!!
SMDFC is delighted to announce our coaching team across both Senior Men’s and Women’s Football for the 2023 season!
Introducing Nick Abbott as our senior men’s coach- bringing a wealth of experience in coaching Premier side teams, he’s here to help us continue moving up the divisions and build on the success Paddy has well and truly kicked off! Brett will return as our wonderful reserves coach and we are thrilled to have Nick Scott joining us as the 2023 Seniors Men’s thirds coach!
Our women’s team have a familiar face stepping into the coaching role for 2023, and beyond, Deb Konopnicki is returning to the Bloods having spent the last few years gaining experiences far and wide in the Premier and NAB leagues and has some exciting plans for South to move forwards on the field!
Please join us in welcoming them to the club and team- if you have any questions for any coaches please email us and they will get back to you!
Men's Seniors
Hawthorn vs. SMDFC
2pm
Rathmines Road Reserve
Men's Reserves
Hawthorn vs. SMDFC Reserves
11:40am
Rathmines Road Reserve
Women's
Elsternwick vs. SMDFC
9:20am
Holmes Todd Oval
Men's Thirds- TBC
SMDFC are excited to announce that we have appointed a new senior women's coach for the 2022 season.
Alan Chung has joined the Bloods after having recent senior coaching roles with the VAFA Mens Div 4 team at Box Hill North as well as with the womens Premier EFL team at Donvale. Prior to that he has an extensive coaching career in Basketball. Alan and his wife have 3 young boys and is a self confessed footy tragic!!
Alan is keen to get started now lockdown is lifting and said, "Having taken on many different coaching challenges in my life, it is very clear this going to be one heck of a memorable adventure and one with unlimited potential!
Something incredibly exciting is brewing in the women’s football space, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with the fabulous crew at SMDFC."
After leading South Melbourne Districts to 10 wins from their 11 games in 2021 we have re-appointed Patrick O'Callaghan as Senior Men's Coach for the 2022 season.
Jack Eastman, former club captain will join the coaching panel as a development coach and Scott Moran will again join as a Playing Assistant.
The club expects that there will be more additions to the coaching team before the 2022 season starts, including an Under 19s coaching team.
“The 42 lads that played senior footy in 2021 did everything right and the group thoroughly deserved a crack at finals. It was a shame COVID interrupted that opportunity ,” O'Callaghan said in the club’s announcement.
"The missed opportunity has left us hungry and I cannot wait to get the group back together and continue to strive to get even better in 2022. We hope to be playing our footy in D3 in 2022 and look forward to the step up in competition".
Simon McMahon, Club President, expressed excitement at having Paddy back at the helm in 2022. He knows the support crew of Jack, Scott and the thirds and reserves coaching panels will ensure the playing group is well prepared for the year.
“We look forward to seeing three teams on the park again in 2022 and our seniors pushing hard in D3 for finals footy,” he said.
O'Callaghan took the reins in 2020 after serving his apprenticeship as a senior assistant from 2018-2019.
We are recruiting for a Senior Women's Coach for our 2022 season!
https://www.smdsc.com.au/s/SouthMelbourneWomensFootballCoachPositionDescription2022.pdf
Contact Robbo on: davidrobertson@smdsc.com.au, for more information
A huge moment for the club, after initially getting declined, we'll have a Thirds team running around this Saturday. The most satisfying feeling is knowing we get to have 22 more lads get a game each week, which will keep the numbers on the track.
A really tough but exciting match up this week against a Premier A club in Old Brighton. I'm sure the boys will bring the intensity and we'll show them how to play some Bloods footy. I'm most looking forward to seeing how the new boys go, Mitch & John 'Queensland'. And one player I'm really happy for is Harrie Bantick, he's been putting in the work each training and especially on the Saturday development sessions.
While we only get a short 10 game season, it's great competition for the club, and keeps the heat on the lads in the Ones and Twos. Go Bloods!
Saturday 10th April 2021 saw not only the first home Round 1 in many years but also the first, whole club, opportunity to unfurl the 2019 Premiership Flag won by the Men’s Reserves team.
Seeing the men out there with their flag was a special moment and a great reminder of what we are all playing for this year- so let’s behind our 3 teams and CHEER the red and white!
Words from Senior Coach Pat O'Callaghan about our elevation
Martin Luther King Jr. once said - “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he Stands at times of challenge and controversy”.
Now Divisional Football in the VAFA and the struggle for civil rights in America are not quite comparable. But in our relative context we find today that we enter a time of ‘challenge’. Where we choose to stand over this next year as a club, as a coaching group and most importantly you as players will be a measure of our character.
We find ourselves today in Division 3. A grade higher than we thought we would play next year.
Many may react at first with trepidation. We are going up a division, are we ready for this you might ask yourself? I will not pretend I have no fear as your new senior coach. To compete seriously again we need to improve, we need to work harder and we need to rise to a level quickly that is not often asked of a club.
But in all honesty my major sentiment about this news is I am bloody excited about it! An immediate opportunity for us to accept a challenge that scares us, an immediate opportunity to restore this great club to the heights we belong at. Bring it on!
I have full faith that within our group and the new players coming onto the senior list we have the talent, grit and most importantly the reason to compete with any team in Division 3 next year.
There are some more practical reasons to be excited and to see this promotion as an opportunity
We are one of four teams who technically should be playing Division 4 football next year
We beat Albert Park last year who did qualify to go up; and
Only one team was relegated from Division 2.
Lastly, history provides us with what is possible when a team in the VAFA rises to the challenge of an unexpected opportunity. A story that I remember well, that should give us belief, is the Marcellin A- Grade flag of 2001.
2001 - A challenge accepted.
Marcellin Old Collegians Football Club finished the 2000 A-Grade home and away season in second last. As we know, the usual occurrence is that in 2001 they should have lined up in B-Grade but due to a highly unusual situation Marcellin was spared from the dreaded drop. In 2001 when they lined up in A-Grade the amateur footballer record read - “Simon Dalrymple (Marcelin’s new coach) has the unenviable task of transforming Marcellin from a meek team of also-rans into a powerful, finals threatening club.” To add to the difficulty of the challenge Marcellin had only three new players who did not play in 2000 play in 2001.
Just five months later on a windy day at Elsternwick park September 22 nd Marcellin beat a strong St.Kevins comfortably to claim their first and only A-Grade premiership. They had a challenge, they had an opportunity at a higher level than they expected and they rose to it.
I believe that if we have the character to do the work then we can rise to the challenge next year. We should be entitled to dream of a 2020 where anything is possible. The first step you can take is committing to get down for as much pre-season as you can. This will build the squad with the fitness, the unity and the game plan we need to make the improbable possible.
So get down to a Monday or Wednesday training before Christmas and rise to the challenge!
Pat has rounded out his senior coaching panel in 2020 with the appointment of Scott Moran and Sean Connell as his assistants.
With these appointments now made focus is shifting to the start of the Christmas Preseason training block starting Monday 18th November 6:15pm, with sessions continuing Monday and Wednesday leading into the 18th December 2019.
Having served as the senior assistant coach for the past two seasons Pat’s passion for the club was already well known, however it was his vision for the playing group, an updated modern game style and his commitment to the continued development of our talented crop of younger players that confirmed him as the best man for the job.
Patrick has outlined a mature strategy for a successful Men’s Football program at the Districts, and will be a great leader for our club. He believes that anything is possible for our Senior Men’s, Reserves and U/19’s teams