Official South Melbourne Hellas thread 🔵⚪

[southmelb]

I left the club in the 90's because it just seemed we were just a bunch of Nationalistic types.

But due to both external forces and my own internal development, I returned in 2012.

I was hoping that others would do the same. But alas .....

To me felt like the club changed in the period between 2000-2004. The Ange era was the last of the "ultra Greek" South. You could see it in the crowds when more people were turning up to games against the mainstream clubs as opposed to our older ethnically alligned rivals.

 

[Hellenic_blue&white]

All valid especially if we continue to want to grow beyond the closed circle, great that parents get involved but as we know that isnt enough alone to sustain a club that wants to be at the forefront, thats local club mentality at best.. but again as we know, never ever at the detriment of the traditional fan base bc thats catastrophic in and of itself, if so we may aswell have all either joined a franchise or left the sport altogether.

Our goals shouldve been very simple moving forward, strongest possible senior side (incl coaching) and heads focused on all comps to make up ground/regain some of the necessary exposure we lost so many years now, and a marketing team that is as aggressively active in and out of our communties (greek, non greek, local and even broader engagement) to attract/bring back all those on the fringes of aleague... we dont even seem to be utilizing the hype regarding the AU champs feom what i see ... tad simplistic approach perhaps, but if we get the simple things right now and maintain a broader focus then all the rest becomes easier and its not at the expense of tradition either whichbis what we all desire... thats the common good right there, in my opinion.

Note: great point you make about the emblem..... the sentimentalist in me will always love the previous badge, but the pragmatist in me likes and understands the current one outside of commemorative tops which should be a regular for a club with our history (we did a great job a few years back with the jersey release), the current is a great example of covering the whole of what we discussed above successfully.

Just thoughts out loud for healthy debate with people that love this club all in our own way and whose opinions are welcome even when they tend to not be quite as kosher as should be.. No communist overlords here..

I myself have gained some perspectives i hadnt previously considered, so that in iself is a win for a stubborn Hellene!!

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

All valid especially if we continue to want to grow beyond the closed circle, great that parents get involved but as we know that isnt enough alone to sustain a club that wants to be at the forefront, thats local club mentality at best.. but again as we know, never ever at the detriment of the traditional fan base bc thats catastrophic in and of itself, if so we may aswell have all either joined a franchise or left the sport altogether.

Our goals shouldve been very simple moving forward, strongest possible senior side (incl coaching) and heads focused on all comps to make up ground/regain some of the necessary exposure we lost so many years now, and a marketing team that is as aggressively active in and out of our communties (greek, non greek, local and even broader engagement) to attract/bring back all those on the fringes of aleague... we dont even seem to be utilizing the hype regarding the AU champs feom what i see ... tad simplistic approach perhaps, but if we get the simple things right now and maintain a broader focus then all the rest becomes easier and its not at the expense of tradition either whichbis what we all desire... thats the common good right there, in my opinion.

Note: great point you make about the emblem..... the sentimentalist in me will always love the previous badge, but the pragmatist in me likes and understands the current one outside of commemorative tops which should be a regular for a club with our history (we did a great job a few years back with the jersey release), the current is a great example of covering the whole of what we discussed above successfully.

Just thoughts out loud for healthy debate with people that love this club all in our own way and whose opinions are welcome even when they tend to not be quite as kosher as should be.. No communist overlords here..

I myself have gained some perspectives i hadnt previously considered, so that in iself is a win for a stubborn Hellene!!

100% We dont need to chant in Greek or have Greek players to be a Greek club .... and never forget that being born an Ellina is divine gift from God, NOT a personal achievement you can take credit for...

 

[Hellenic_blue&white]

I left the club in the 90's because it just seemed we were just a bunch of Nationalistic types.

But due to both external forces and my own internal development, I returned in 2012.

I was hoping that others would do the same. But alas .....

I think for the most part it was a display of continued belonging pride etc not a golden dawn rally!! Aside from the specific moments fuelled by the political undercurrents of that time which got out of hand i mean.

To me felt like the club changed in the period between 2000-2004. The Ange era was the last of the "ultra Greek" South. You could see it in the crowds when more people were turning up to games against the mainstream clubs as opposed to our older ethnically alligned rivals.

I think this, coupled with the rise of the franchises and the sudden death killed the interest in club and sport suddenly for the devoted many and it was a shock to the system which it never really recover from..

I personally never really left, but i did go through numeorous phases of dissapointment, prolonged absences, revert to local clubs even (proudly never aleague), always found my way back however and thats was always due to the attachment of community, history, love of club and sport..

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

I think for the most part it was a display of continued belonging pride etc not a golden dawn rally!! Aside from the specific moments fuelled by the political undercurrents of that time which got out of hand i mean.

I think this, coupled with the rise of the franchises and the sudden death killed the interest in club and sport suddenly for the devoted many and it was a shock to the system which it never really recover from..

I personally never really left, but i did go through numeorous phases of dissapointment, prolonged absences, revert to local clubs even (proudly never aleague), always found my way back however and thats was always due to the attachment of community, history, love of club and sport..

always found my way back ... the most crucial comment in all the above.... Like many others, I "disappeared" after the NSL disbanded and only came back "home" around a 12 years ago now ... just before NPL proper.. There are heaps of apostates around, lying dormant, like I was, just watching overseas leagues on telly and going to the occasional Socceroos game.... maybe even tried going to Aleague a few times (I went twice... didnt like it) and just sticking to their old junior clubs, watching their kids play and maybe going to a senior match once in a while.... Those people need to be made to feel compelled to come back again ... back home to Lakeside, where they once belonged...

My love of Hellas mirrors yours, I too value the "attachment of community, history, love of club and sport.." There are many that also did, we need to remind them of the past and excite them about the future .... "welcome back home, where you belong" is the PERFECT marketing slogan....

 

[southmelb]

A lot of our supporters are laying dormant, watching local Greek clubs instead. These people do need a compelling reason to come back...if they've turned on youtube lately they're more likely to run the other way.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

A lot of our supporters are laying dormant, watching local Greek clubs instead. These people do need a compelling reason to come back...if they've turned on youtube lately they're more likely to run the other way.

I would hope the chance to play Marconi, APIA, Sydney Olympic, Wolves and Preston for meaningful points again would do that? Throw in Adelaide City, a decent Brisbane outfit and something in Hobart and it just might pique someones interest?

For the last 20 years its been Knights and Bergers twice a year (sometimes more if cup and finals align) thats NOT enough to keep anyone but the diehards coming back... As trashy as the mini CL format is going to be this year, I reckon quite a few will turn up for the Marconi match for example, especially considering we would have had a few decent size turn outs against Preston by then... thats the hope anyway? Why none of the foundation clubs are laying in the groundwork to market this thing yet is odd though? What about the FA? No news is bad news in this case.

 

[southmelb]

Im just not sure what sort of momentum we will have if we actually get relegated. I just cant see anyone taking us seriously if this occurs. Every week im getting more and more "wtf was that" msgs after games. The club seems oblivious to the fact that our games are the most streamed on youtube and many are watching the current circus.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Im just not sure what sort of momentum we will have if we actually get relegated. I just cant see anyone taking us seriously if this occurs. Every week im getting more and more "wtf was that" msgs after games. The club seems oblivious to the fact that our games are the most streamed on youtube and many are watching the current circus.

Hated, Adored, Never Ignored mate ... I get the same msgs don't worry.. NEVER got ANY messages last year or the year before when we creamed a few teams funnily enough... Every hero wants to kick us when we are down... They aren't watching or "must have missed that" when we beat Bergers in the Dockerty cup Semi, or beating Hume 5 out of 5 mathes last year with that great 2-3 QF... or the 4 we put past Altona last year... they will jump on on Saturday when we lose to Altona this year though....... AND many of them will slink back into Lakeside pretending they never left when we are playing some interstate rivals again.

As for being relegated .... c'mon we are dross sure, but there is still plenty of football to be played, we wont get relegated... we WONT play finals but we wont get relegated...

 

[Son of Sam]

What is the end game for the club here?

If this Oceania League starts in January next year, then I can only assume the club will prepare itself for the NSD and subsequent Oceania League, by recruiting BIG TIME during the Transfer window 8 weeks before the end of the NPL season.

Whether or not that saves us from relegation, appears to be irrelevant, as we will be focusing on those two new competitions.

But, my goodness, that is fraught with danger. How stable are these 2 new competitions?