Southern FC, a club on the rise

Written by @DamianPGill

Southern FC are one of the new clubs to join the Southern Championship, the club from Blackmans Bay has been on a significant journey to reach the heights of Championship Football.

Southern FC was an amalgamation of the old Rapid and Christian United and it was not long ago that the club was in dire straits.

“Four years ago it was a basket case,” a club spokesman said.

“The club was struggling financially with substantial debts and the playing  group was dwindling , with players having to double up for games,” they added.

In 2011 came the turning point for the club and they haven’t looked back since.

“A group of players came across from Kingborough, the likes of Scott Pepper, Colin Hughes, Brad Nelson, Andy Taylor and they along with Southern stalwarts Dave Noble, Eddie Margetts, Steve Guduici, Leno Taglieri, Mirko Milic and John Devries have turned the club around.”

The club is in the strongest position it has been in a long time, both on and off the pitch.

“The club now sees itself with no debt and in a very sound position.

“Our major sponsor The Queens Head Hotel in North Hobart has been in place for the past three seasons and we are greatful for their support and the support of our many other sponsors.

“The club has a strong committee in place led by president Rod Morley who has plenty of ideas to drive the club forward,” said the club spokesman.

The move to the Southern Championship has only helped the progress of the club further after a strong year in 2014, that saw them claim the Division 1 title.

“The club is very excited to be accepted into the Southern Championship something that has been an aim over the past four years.

“Southern FC sees itself as a viable alternative for players in the Kingborough area who want to play at a reasonable level without the full on commitment that is required to play at PS4 Victory League Level.

“We have tasted some recent success in winning the Southern Division 1 Title in 2013 and were runners up to Metro last year.

“Our club philosophy is enjoyment in a warm and friendly family atmosphere, neither coaches nor players are paid at Southern, sure we like to be competitive and win but that is not the be all and end all  of a club. But we do take our football seriously.

“Our Football Philosophy is to play good attacking football, with the emphasis on passing and quick ball movement we would rather lose 5-4 than 1-0.

“We are fortunate to have some quality players in our club, the likes of  Francis Kenyi, Andy Taylor and team captain Issac Gwolo are all capable of playing at a higher level.

“But they would be the first to acknowledge the work of their teammates around them, we are very team orientated at Southern.

“In addition we have a few talented youngsters like Aiden King, Jono Fletcher, Eammon Hanna who are the future of the club,” said the club spokesman.

Four weeks into the competition, Southern FC are two wins from three games, including a massive upset win against last season’s champions, University. Coach Mike Trotter said the start to the season has given the group belief.

“Our introduction to the championship has been a roller coaster ride a first up win against Nelson was quickly shattered by a loss to Clarence which highlighted a few things to us intensity wise,” said Trotter.

“The boys stood up the following week with a concerted effort against Uni, and whilst Uni may feel like they let three points slip, we took our chances and the players worked their socks off to achieve probably our biggest scalp to date.

“This win gave our boys confidence and a belief that we can compete at this level.

“We will continue to work hard and consolidate our position in the championship, the foundations have been laid and we want to build on that over coming seasons.”

The club play out of Sherburd Park in Blackmans bay.

“Our ground is having a major makeover with new lights installed and ground works commencing at seasons end for an upgrade in the drainage.”

Southern FC’s next clash sees them take on New Town Eagles at Clare Street on Sunday 26 April from 2:00PM.