City of Melbourne Honours South Melbourne’s Australia Cup Triumph at Town Hall
by Arthur G · Greek City TimesSouth Melbourne FC were welcomed to Melbourne Town Hall on Thursday 12 November as Australia Cup champions, with Lord Mayor Nick Reece and the City of Melbourne hosting a civic reception for the club’s players, staff and board.
South Melbourne flags hung from the front of the Town Hall as the squad arrived with the trophy, just over a month after the club’s historic win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park.
A night that made history
The final on Saturday 10 October finished 1-1 after extra time. Denis Genreau put Victory ahead in the 95th minute before substitute Max Mikkola equalised in the 117th, and South won the shootout 4-3. Goalkeeper Javier López saved Harrison Sawyer’s penalty twice after the first save was ordered to be retaken, and Victory captain Jason Davidson sent the deciding kick over the bar.
Read more: Kosta Barbarouses Chooses South Melbourne After World Cup
A sell-out crowd of 29,911, a record for an Australia Cup final, watched South become the first National Premier Leagues club, and the first side from outside the A-Leagues, to lift the trophy. The win also secured the club a place in next year’s AFC Champions League Two.
Founded by Greek migrants in 1959 and still widely known as Hellas, South Melbourne won four National Soccer League championships before the A-League era. ESPN counted the Australia Cup as the club’s tenth top-tier national trophy, alongside those four NSL titles, three NSL premierships and two NSL Cups. GCT has also reported on how the club came back from the brink of extinction.
“A national trophy in hand”
Cr Reece said the city wanted to recognise an achievement of rare significance for both the club and Melbourne.
“South Melbourne has helped shape the history of football in Melbourne. Generations of families across our city have grown up supporting this club, and its Australia Cup win was an incredibly special moment for Melbourne,” he said.
“It’s rare to welcome a football club to Melbourne Town Hall with its flags draped across the building and a national trophy in hand. This triumph deserved that level of celebration.”
He added that he hoped the win was “the start of something special for football in this country”.
“Part of the fabric of our great city”
Club co-president Bill Papastergiadis OAM said the reception reflected South Melbourne’s long relationship with the City of Melbourne.
“South Melbourne Hellas truly embodies all the best characteristics of our city. It’s a cosmopolitan and multicultural club that is aspirational and which also has a big presence in community development. Our club is an important part of the fabric of our great city and today’s event solidifies this relationship,” he said.
He thanked Cr Reece, who he said had “for many years been part of the club, attending our matches and events”, and City of Melbourne CEO Alison Leighton.
Captain Marco Janković, who scored South’s first penalty in the shootout, said the playing group felt the weight of the club’s history.
“We had people in the stands at AAMI Park who have followed this club their whole lives. You think about them when you walk into Town Hall with the trophy and see our flags out the front,” he said.
“As players, we know how much it means to wear this shirt. To be there representing South Melbourne on a day like this is something I’ll remember long after I’ve finished playing.”
The club said that while it would always remember the night it lifted the Cup, the day the city welcomed Hellas to Town Hall would have “a place of its own” in its history.
Sources:
South Melbourne FC, https://www.smfc.com.au/2026/11/12/melbourne-town-hall-and-city-of-melbourne-honours-south-melbournes-historic-australia-cup-triumph/
Australia Cup, https://australiacup.com.au/news/south-melbourne-lift-hahn-australia-cup-trophy-front-historic-aami-park-crowd
A-Leagues, https://aleagues.com.au/news/australia-cup-south-melbourne-melbourne-victory-match-report/
ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-11/south-melbourne-stun-victory-to-claim-australia-cup/107251996
ESPN, https://www.espn.com.au/football/story/_/id/50145700/australia-cup-final-news-analysis-no-excuse-deny-south-melbourne-league-spot
Photos: South Melbourne FC
Stay connected to Greek City Times for Free on Google News
Click NOW
Stay updated with the latest news from Greece and around the world on greekcitytimes.com.
Contact our newsroom to share your updates, stories, photos, or videos. Follow GCT on WhatsApp, Google News and Apple News.
Related coverage
- Kairidis Takes a South Melbourne Scarf Into Greek Parliament
- Hellas vs Victory: The Australia Cup final Greek Melbourne has waited 21 years to see
- South Melbourne Win Bonus Point Shootout Against Sydney United 58 at Lakeside
- South Melbourne Apologises for Welcome to Country Jeering
Advertising