South Melbourne aggressively pursuing Western United's cancelled licence

[p]Any remote existing hopes of a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/western-united/j1EBZq33/"]Western United[/a] return to the A-League were put to bed officially on Monday when the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/western-united-revival-off-the-table-after-interim-licence-cancelled/K09SvXJi/"]cancelled their participation agreement[/a] due to ongoing financial and administrative issues.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-melbourne/6ciKPSEO/"]South Melbourne[/a] 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. [/p][p]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.[/p][p]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'.[/p][p]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 [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/auckland-fc/2J7jacL6/"]Auckland FC[/a].[/p][embed guid="fdc0eb34-eb67-40a4-bcbc-81ef29410015" url="https://x.com/smfc/status/2087006756933427254" social-type="twitter" /][p]That, according to co-President South Bill Papastergiadis, has helped form "[b]the technical base for a club that’s needed to enter the A-League[/b]".[/p][p]“[b]The supporter base is there, the crowds we get are in excess of what some A-League clubs get,[/b]" Papastergiadis told the Herald Sun on Tuesday.[/p][p]“We’re a ready made club … we’ve made a significant investment in football.[/p][p]“[b]We will be submitting documents [/b](to the APL)[b] and our supporters demand it[/b]”.[/p][p]In a club memo on Tuesday afternoon, South Melbourne told their supporters that they "[b]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.[/b]"[/p][p]"[b]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[/b]," co-President Andrew Mesourouni declared.[/p][p]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.[/p][infobox id="d39bc573-b9dd-4b87-acb9-2de1f22d36c7" /]