David Clarkson on returning to South Melbourne FC with Nicholas Maikousis at the helm

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Image credit: South Melbourne FC

South Melbourne FC is one of the most successful and famous Australian clubs, a powerhouse in the National Soccer League and Victorian NPL and is now set to be part of the establishment for the National Second Tier (NST) to arrive in 2025.

David Clarkson is a hall of famer at South Melbourne and one of the prominent players during the golden years of their dominance in the NSL from 1996-2003.

After years in the A-League within development, he has recently returned to the club to become their Head of Community Football Programs.

Soccerscene recently sat down with Clarkson, alongside South Melbourne FC President Nicholas Maikousis, to ask about why he joined the club, what are some of the new initiatives, and how these fit into the club’s position in the NST and also the local community.

Congratulations on your new role David, what made you return to this club?

David Clarkson: I had played before with the club for seven years and had an amazing time. What we did speaks for itself with a great bunch of people on and off the pitch.

Nick’s been at the club for 35 years and he was around when I was playing, we have had a strong relationship and we’ve remained friends.

Why do you think you wanted to participate in this initiative?

David Clarkson: I do my best thinking when I’m running and one day I was out and thought I wanted to speak to Nick again, and I wanted to put another proposal.

Nick said that ultimately it was the timing that worked.

I’ve learned a lot over the journey and for many years I worked in the A-League.

As the football environment changed, I believe I’m able to bring those learnings back to this club which is part of my DNA and always in my heart; I know it sounds cliché but it’s the truth.

Where I feel I can add benefit to the club is in this community space, working with juniors and bringing people back. South Melbourne is a big brand, and a big brand must deliver.

I’m really excited about the opportunity for myself and the club.

What are the initiatives and strategies you were planning to roll out?

David Clarkson: We wanted to start with the basics and that is setting up holiday camps. We know in this day and age that parents are looking for things for their kids to do during the school holidays.

Why not go to your local football club and do something you enjoy?

We had very little lead-in time for these school holidays, and we got around 50 boys and girls each doing the program.

From these camps, we plan to grow and add in more initiatives, including things such as pre-academy programs and squad development programs.

Nicholas Maikousis: Due to our history, we have a lot of community clubs that are South Melbourne-friendly clubs for decades.

As a resource, David will be able to further support the relationship with these community clubs, so his role is critical in managing those relationships and adding value to those South Melbourne community clubs.

David Clarkson: On top of that, we must respect our past. This Club has an unbelievably rich history with not just players but terrific individuals.

We won four national championships over the journey and for these individuals, South Melbourne is still who they are. I want to reach out to those old members and bring them back, and I feel that’s an important part of this role.

South Melbourne is one of the establishment clubs for the upcoming National Second Tier. With the announcement of this community initiative, we were wondering how these two projects are connected.

Nicholas Maikousis: Unlike the A-League franchises, we are still a members-based club, our community owns this club and so the value we add to the NST can really take us back to our roots.

The national second division allows us to add resources back into the club. If we are truly back onto the national stage, then there are certain parts of the business that need to be strengthened – with the community support program being one of those areas.

David Clarkson: On that, we have a wonderful opportunity to create something special; the foundation is what you build on, we need a strong foundation for the future.

The NST is a pathway for young players, they don’t need to look elsewhere and they can come into the South Melbourne system that is structured and set up and now they can play in a national competition.

This really takes the ceiling off for the club to progress.

Nicholas Maikousis: We were Australia’s biggest club before the turn of the century and although we maintained momentum for years, thanks primarily to David’s team, we are only recently seeing that diminishing.

I believe the National Second Tier will be a renaissance for us.

The opportunity lets us play on the national stage and still maintain relationships with the clubs that are from the broader South Melbourne family. This will be key to David’s role.

Are these initiatives going to engage with these partner clubs and will it be solely football or aspects of the business be involved as well?

David Clarkson: Everything we do with our partner clubs has to be a 50/50 benefit for both. This is the way I’ve set up these programs before in the A-League. Because the question you need to ask is if there’s no profit, why are these clubs sending the kids to us?

What we plan to do is run programs in conjunction with the clubs, including player development programs which means the money that comes in will go to the club’s players, parents, and the registration.

This grows the game, and the money coming in from this can be reinvested back into football, new facilities and new equipment, and scholarship programs. These are really important to us.

From what you guys have said currently, do you think the National Second Tier is allowing the club to be more ambitious?

Nicholas Maikousis: The reality is we got to invest in the club and build its resources; the NST will double our expenses and revenue streams.

South Melbourne will turn into a four-million-dollar business from a two-million-dollar business right now including expenses.

In the old NSL days, we had about 4-5 individuals in the administrative team, and that is where we are going to be in this new second tier.

Also, the amount of talent these old clubs produced was because kids got an opportunity in the old NSL. We’d sell players overseas, it’s good for the game to have this back.

We only tick the basic boxes now, so much more we could and should be doing, David’s appointment is an example of that progression.

David Clarkson: There is money in football, the NST just needs to be supported and it will grow.

On the other hand, with the new NST in conjunction with these community initiatives, do you think South Melbourne and other NST clubs will be able to bridge the gap in Australian football between community clubs and the A-League?

Nicholas Maikousis: Football Australia has talked about building a proper football pyramid, which has been lacking because of the gap between the A-League and state competitions.

Our clubs in the NSD will be able to bridge that gap.

With the history and heritage of the club, is there a sense of responsibility for South Melbourne to deliver development to the community and the game in the NST?

Nicholas Maikousis: I’ve heard this argument before, of trustworthiness and integrity which is critical to us and something unique to us.

We have a responsibility to our own community and the broader footballing community because we have delivered before on so many levels.

So many of the great stories and personnel for the A-League and Australian football are from South Melbourne, the greatest of all of course is Ange Postecoglou.

Any final messages about your initiative and goals?

David Clarkson: South Melbourne is a club of the people, serving the community, girls, boys, and persons with disabilities, you are welcome at our football club.

We are going to provide programs and look after people, players and parents to try and give them everything from their first experience into football, to playing for the Matildas or Socceroos.

This badge means a lot to people but only if it keeps delivering and that’s what we intend to do.

David Clarkson and Nicholas Maikousis are proud of their club and ambitious about their new goals combining both community initiatives with their rise to the National Second Division.

More will come in the coming months from the “Oceania Club of the Century” both in the community and wider footballing spheres.

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“Break the ceiling”: South Melbourne’s A-League ambition

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Image Credits: South Melbourne FC

South Melbourne is knocking on the A-League’s door again. The four-time National Soccer League champions formally signalled their intention to enter the A-Leagues earlier this month, opening discussions with the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) over potential A-League Men’s and Women’s licences. The timing was significant; the announcement came a day after the APL terminated Western United’s licence.

But South Melbourne’s ambitions are bigger than simply replacing Western United. The club and its co-president, Bill Papastergiadis, believe its recent success has demonstrated that it is ready for professional football once again. South won the inaugural Australian Championship in 2025, is competing professionally in the Oceania Professional League and has continued to make its mark in the Australia Cup, including a 2-1 victory over Adelaide United in July.

Time to open up

For co-president Bill Papastergiadis, however, the push is ultimately about something bigger than South Melbourne.

“The aspirations of South Melbourne, regarding A-League football, are not just a story about South Melbourne. It’s a story for the football public and the football community,” Papastergiadis said.

“It’s a story for all of us because football is a metaphor for life’s aspirations and football revolves around the ability to inspire, to improve, and to succeed.”

Papastergiadis believes the current structure of Australian football has created a ceiling for clubs outside the A-Leagues, one that limits ambition and, ultimately, competition.

“At the moment, the glass ceiling stifles that competition and stifles those aspirations, and at that upper level, and it’s to its detriment,” he said.

South Melbourne’s argument is closely tied to the history of the NSL, when clubs could be promoted and relegated based on their performances rather than being permanently separated into different tiers. Papastergiadis remembers the intensity that came with that system when South resided in the top flight of Australian football.

“I myself remember the intensity of the matches for the clubs that were in the relegation zone. Back then during the National Soccer League,” he said.

“It keeps clubs on their toes. Everyone is engaged when they know that there are ramifications for their actions and conduct. If there are no ramifications for that, how do you have accountability?”

That philosophy sits at the heart of South Melbourne’s A-League push. The club does not simply want to join the existing system; it wants to challenge the idea that the highest level of Australian football should be closed off from the rest of the pyramid. South Melbourne won the inaugural Australian Championship but, unlike in other systems, is not rewarded with top-flight football. The club has continued strongly in 2026, knocking out A-League side Adelaide United in the Australia Cup.

South Melbourne and Bill Papastergiadis celebrate a win in the Australia Cup Image Credits: Bill Papastergiadis

“Where is it in the football dictionary that winning a title doesn’t give you the opportunity to progress within the football pyramid?” Papastergiadis asked.

“All of the matches involving A-League clubs have been incredibly tight, and the majority of them were knocked out in the earlier rounds by numerous NPL clubs.

“So we can compete on the field; our crowds in the Australian Championship were more than comparable to the A-League crowds, quite often far better.”

That, he argues, makes South Melbourne a viable proposition.

“We are a viable option. It’s time to open up football and give it back to the public. The public deserves it, and it belongs to everyone.”

A familiar ambition

This is not the first time South Melbourne has tried to enter the A-League.

The club was overlooked when the competition was established in the mid-2000s and again in 2018, when the licence ultimately went to Western United. The latest attempt therefore carries history. The club that missed out on the opportunity to join the A-League in 2018 is now pursuing a place in the competition following Western United’s exit. But Papastergiadis is reluctant to predict what happens next. For now, South Melbourne has done what it believes it needs to do: start the conversation.

“It’s very early for me to comment on our prospects in relation to the A-League at this point,” he said.

“What we’ve simply done is done the appropriate thing, which is to write to the APL. Advise of our intention, advise of our interest.

“It’s in their hands to tell us if they’re interested in this story, if they’re interested in this outcome, and if they’re interested in this conversation.”

Papastergiadis has already spoken with APL chief executive Steve Rosich, who responded to South Melbourne’s initial approach.

“I had a conversation with Steve Rosich. He responded immediately, and we spoke on the phone, and it was appropriate, courteous, and responding quickly is what I’m trying to say,” Papastergiadis said.

“We advised of our intention. He thanked us for that. I indicated that we would progress to an even more formal document and he said he’ll wait to see that.

South Melbourne is ready to make their bid Image Credits: Greek Herald

There is no guarantee that South Melbourne will receive a licence, and Papastergiadis is clear that the next step is not entirely in the club’s hands.

“There is no certainty in this process,” Papastergiadis said.

“If you don’t ask, you don’t get. It’s up to Football Australia too, to show us the path forward. We need a path forward, and it’s up to the governing body to also work with us.”

The sustainability for Melbourne

The collapse of Western United has inevitably changed the context around South Melbourne’s bid.

Western United announced that the APL had terminated its participation agreement on August 10, while saying it would seek new ownership and a pathway back into the A-League. The club also emphasised the importance of maintaining a professional football presence in Melbourne’s west and continuing its academy and community programs. South Melbourne is now one of the clubs looking towards the opening created by Western United’s departure. But Papastergiadis does not celebrate another club’s demise.

Western United’s fans are left without an A-League club Image Credits: AAP

“I do want to make the point that I’m not happy about any club folding,” he said.

“I believe in football and in the football product, and I believe in football clubs.

For the players from juniors to senior levels, they must be gutted at Western United. Their administration staff, their coaching staff, they must all be gutted. So I feel for them.”

It is a notable distinction. South Melbourne’s ambition may have been reignited by the circumstances surrounding Western United. But for South there is a new opportunity to add to Melbourne football rather than take something away from it. The prospect of South Melbourne joining Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory in the A-League would immediately raise questions about whether the market could sustain another club.

A benefit to all

Papastergiadis has little doubt and points to Melbourne’s size, sporting culture and existing interest in football as reasons for optimism.

“Absolutely. We won’t cannibalise the football-attending public. We will increase it.” He said.

“There is significant potential within the Melbourne market. We reside in the largest city in Australia, and we reside in the sporting capital of Australia, if not the world.

“We will add to the fabric of football and will increase the attendance through derbies. It’s a positive.”

That is ultimately the argument behind South Melbourne’s latest attempt to break into the A-League. The club believes the benefits would extend beyond Lakeside Stadium. South Melbourne’s recent Australian Championship success, professional status in Oceania and strong performances against A-League opposition strengthen it’s case. NPL clubs can compete at the highest level, even if promotion and relegation remain off the table.

For now, South Melbourne can only wait. The APL and Football Australia will determine whether that football product has earned it a place at the top table. But Papastergiadis believes the question is worth asking, not just for South Melbourne, but for Australian football itself.

“Whatever South can achieve in regards to breaking through that glass barrier, then that’s not just the win for South, but it’s a win for football across the board.”

South Melbourne’s A-League dream is still a bridge too far

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Image Credits: Soccerscene

The A-League has just lost a Victorian club. The death of Western United and the suspension of its license by the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) on August 10th was inevitable. The club says it wants to rebuild and eventually return to the competition. That is unlikely to happen considering the search for new owners has to begin.

But one day after the announcement from Western United, South Melbourne stepped forward. The four-time NSL winners announced their intention to begin formal discussions with the APL about joining the A-Leagues. They believe the timing is right. Their argument is understandable. Their football credentials and history are stronger than most A-League teams.

But there is a problem. South Melbourne may have the history. It may have the supporters. It may even have one of the most attractive potential derbies in Australian football. But that does not mean it will get an A-League licence.

In fact, the more realistic prediction from my perspective is that South Melbourne will once again be told no.

South Melbourne has never been better placed

There is plenty to like about South Melbourne’s position. The club is not simply relying on its history. South Melbourne returned to national competition through the inaugural Australian Championship in 2025. It did not merely participate. South Melbourne won it. The club defeated Marconi Stallions 2-0 in the final to become the competition’s first champion.

That achievement matters. The Australian Championship was created to bridge state-based football and the professional game. Whilst it is seen as a second tier, there is no promotion and relegation with the A-League. But it has also continued to perform on the national stage. In the 2026 Australia Cup, which South Melbourne qualified for, they reached the final rounds and then produced one of the biggest results of the tournament.

Adelaide United came to Lakeside Stadium. South Melbourne won 2-1. Adelaide had won the Australia Cup three times. South knocked them out in front of its own supporters. They’re now into the quarter-finals of the 2026 Australia Cup.

South Melbourne celebrating the Australian Championship Image Credits: South Melbourne FC

The club also has a much bigger story to tell than its recent results. Alongside its four NSL victories, the club also won the 1999 Oceania Club Championship and represented Oceania at the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship. The club has a dedicated supporter base and the history to deserve a place.

The club says its Oceania Professional League participation has helped make it Australia’s 13th professional football club. It has more than 150 businesses supporting it in 2026 and a long-term arrangement at Lakeside Stadium, in the heart of South Melbourne.

On the football side, it wants to continue competing in the NPL, Australian Championship and Oceania competition even if it enters the A-Leagues. It also has lofty ambitions to introduce an A-League women’s side.

On paper, it is difficult to argue that South Melbourne is not ready. The problem is that readiness and admission are two different things.

Third time’s the charm?

South Melbourne’s current push is not new. It has been here before. The club was pursuing an A-League return almost immediately after the NSL disappeared. In 2007, South announced its interest in becoming the second Victorian A-League club.

Then came the 2008-09 process. South Melbourne backed the Southern Cross bid for the second Victorian licence. The club proposed a new team based around the redevelopment of Bob Jane Stadium and involvement from the broader Victorian football community.

It lost. The Melbourne Heart bid won the race and eventually became Melbourne City. That was South Melbourne’s first major warning. Its football heritage was not enough. Its second major attempt came almost a decade later.

The 2017-18 expansion process produced the most serious South Melbourne bid yet. South made the shortlist for an expanded A-League licence. It ultimately lost to Western United. Bill Papastergiadis has since explained that he did not genuinely expect South Melbourne to win in 2018, despite believing strongly that the club belonged in the A-League. He also reflected on the barriers facing a traditional club trying to enter the existing Victorian professional football ecosystem.

That is important context for today’s bid. South Melbourne is not entering negotiations without understanding how difficult the politics and economics of the Victorian football market can be. The club has tried the direct route twice. Neither time worked.

The Western United lesson

This is where the current situation becomes complicated. In isolation, adding South Melbourne would be fantastic for the A-League. Imagine South Melbourne against Melbourne Victory. The atmosphere would be enormous.

There is a genuine football rivalry waiting to happen. South itself points to the potential for ready-made derbies and commercial interest. But the argument that Melbourne should simply have three A-League clubs because Melbourne is a huge city ignores what has just happened to Western United.

Western United was supposed to represent Melbourne’s rapidly growing west. Its original vision centred on a major project in Geelong. The club eventually moved into Ironbark Fields in Tarneit in 2024.

Yet the geographic separation never became as clear as the original concept suggested. Western United was not a Geelong club. It was not a regional Victorian club in the traditional sense. It was a western Melbourne club based and that matters.

The A-League already has Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory. Adding South Melbourne would give the competition three clubs operating within the same metropolitan football market. It is not necessarily brilliant for the business model, which has already lost a club operating on the outskirts of Melbourne.

The NSL offers an interesting historical comparison. The Falcons provide an even more striking Victorian example. They became the first and only regional Victorian club to play in the NSL, reaching the finals in 1996. The distinction is important.

A national competition can expand its footprint by adding genuinely new markets. That is different from adding another club inside an existing Melbourne metropolitan market. That was what was envisioned for Western United, and it failed quickly.

Will the APL see South Melbourne as a safe investment? Despite the fact they’re a well-established club, I’d argue the answer is no.

Promotion and relegation is the only realistic route

There is one scenario where South Melbourne could eventually force its way into the A-League, and that’s the great missing piece of Australian football. Promotion and relegation. South Melbourne would not need somebody to decide that Melbourne suddenly has room for another licence. It would simply need to earn it.

They would have done just that in 2025, winning the Australian Championship if the football pyramid was open. Football Australia originally designed the National Second Tier with the possibility of promotion and relegation being considered once the competition matured.

The format connects NPL clubs and established foundation clubs with national competition. It does not provide a sporting pathway into the A-League. South Melbourne can win the Australian Championship, NSL and Australia Cup but none of those achievements automatically produce an A-League licence.

South Melbourne in the Oceania Championship Image Credits: Oceania Championship

Opening the pyramid is far more complicated than simply announcing promotion and relegation. Australia’s football calendar is fragmented. The A-League operates primarily through the summer months. The NPL operates through the winter and early spring. For the 2026-27 season, the A-League Men runs from October to June, while the NPL begins in February and finishes in September.

That creates an enormous structural problem for a fully connected pyramid. The clubs below the A-League would need to operate at a level capable of supporting professional football. If the A-League aligned with the NPL and the lower pyramid, it would compete in a football calendar that already has to coexist with Australia’s other major winter sports. That is a difficult feat against bigger leagues such as the AFL and NRL.

Beyond that, clubs lower down would need travel budgets and to survive commercially would take real sacrifice from all parties to make that work. The A-League’s existing clubs also have something to lose. They have invested heavily in their licences and their businesses.

Historically, A-League licences were extended through to 2034, while those licence arrangements have included provisions allowing promotion and relegation to be introduced. But the existing clubs will do everything in their power to block it. Promotion and relegation removes certainty. An A-League club can finish last in the current system with no threat to their place. Under relegation, its place is no longer guaranteed.

That is a major commercial change for clubs that have invested in securing their position in the competition. It is therefore difficult to imagine the A-League opening the door. The A-League’s licensing system gives the competition enormous control over who enters, and for South Melbourne historically they’ve been left out in the cold.

South Melbourne deserves the conversation.

The frustrating part is South Melbourne has probably never had a stronger argument. It has history, supporters, infrastructure, commercial support and most importantly, ambition. Beating A-League clubs in national competition proves the capability is there.

It deserves to be in the conversation. But being in the conversation is not the same as being selected. The Western United experience should be a warning. If the A-League could not make the Western United project work, it is difficult to see why it would suddenly decide that another Melbourne club is the answer.

South Melbourne may be the better football story. It may even be the better football club. But the A-League is not simply selecting the best football story.

It is selecting a professional competition, and until Australia embraces a genuine promotion and relegation system, South Melbourne’s path back to the top flight will remain dependent on someone handing it a licence.

That is the part of the dream that looks unrealistic. South Melbourne can keep knocking and it should. They always say third time’s the charm. But unless the pyramid is opened, I expect the door to remain closed.

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