Any remote existing hopes of a Western United return to the A-League were put to bed officially on Monday when the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) cancelled their participation agreement due to ongoing financial and administrative issues.
South Melbourne have made no secret of their ambitions to return to Australia's top-flight since the 2004 collapse of the National Soccer League (NSL), which they won four times throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
The 'Hellas' were not admitted to the A-League in 2005 as the national governing body made a concerted effort to 'de-ethnicise' Australian football by establishing new clubs without deep ties to an overseas country or an expatriate community.
South Melbourne have long felt worthy of a seat at the table and last made a serious bid to join the A-League in 2018 when applying for the licence that was eventually granted to Western United ahead of the Hellas and and a south-eastern Melbourne venture known as 'Team 11'.
They have spread their wings and further established their credentials to become a fully professional outfit in recent years by winning the inaugural 2025 Australian Championship and reaching the final of the first OFC Pro League in 2026, losing to Auckland FC.
That, according to co-President South Bill Papastergiadis, has helped form "the technical base for a club that’s needed to enter the A-League".
“The supporter base is there, the crowds we get are in excess of what some A-League clubs get," Papastergiadis told the Herald Sun on Tuesday.
“We’re a ready made club … we’ve made a significant investment in football.
“We will be submitting documents (to the APL) and our supporters demand it”.
In a club memo on Tuesday afternoon, South Melbourne told their supporters that they "believe the time is right to explore a return to the highest level of domestic football, building on the significant progress South Melbourne has made both on and off the pitch."
"South Melbourne is ready made. We know who we are, we know our identity and we have generations of supporters who have grown up with this club," co-President Andrew Mesourouni declared.
The APL are set to discuss the 13th licence at their next board meeting, with new Canberra United owners Australian Sports Group going after a 2028/29 entry into the A-League Men's competition to complement their existing A-League Women's side.
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
