South Melbourne Football Club is an Australian semi-professional association football club based in Albert Park, Melbourne. The club was formed in 1959 as three clubs South Melbourne United, Hellenic and Yarra Park before it was shortly renamed to South Melbourne Hellas in 1960.

Before their entrance into the National Soccer League in 1977, South Melbourne won 8 premierships, 2 Dockerty Cups and 2 Ampol Cups. It was until the 1984 season, where South Melbourne won their first national competitive league in the Southern Conference. During the club's stadium move to Bob Jane Stadium (now Lakeside Stadium), the club were known as the South Melbourne Lakers with failure aspects afterward, they won the 1997–98 season of the National Soccer League and won another championship the next season which was their last in their National Soccer League career.

A move to the Bob Jane Stadium and a nickname change in the mid 90s injected new life into the club. South were known as the Lakers and after the 'failure' - by South's high standards - of the early to mid 90s (five Preliminary Final defeats), South Melbourne were able to shrug the finals monkey off its back by winning the 1997–98 Ericsson Cup.

As of the end of the 2020–21 season, the club's first team have spent 28 seasons in the National Soccer League, 33 in the top division of Victoria and the one in the second division of Victoria. Their worst finish to date is 14th in the National Soccer League, their placing at the end of the 1979 season. The club's longest period without a competitive honour is 7 years, between the 2007 and 2013 seasons.

The club set to play for Australian Championship from October 2025 after participating in NPL Victoria. On 6 December 2025, South Melbourne FC won the inaugural Australian Championship title.

On 29 August 2025, South Melbourne were announced as one of the eight founding members of the OFC Professional League by the Oceanian Football Confederation (OFC), as Australia's only member in the competition and also the only member outside of the OFC.

Key Key to league competitions:

National Soccer League (NSL) OFC Professional League (OFC Pro League) Australian Championship (AC) National Premier Leagues Victoria (NPL Victoria)

Victorian State League (State League) Victorian Metropolitan League First Division (Metro League 1)

Key to colours and symbols: 1st or WWinners2nd or RURunners-up3rd Third place Promoted Relegated ♦ Top scorer in division

Key to league record: Season = The year and article of the season Pos = Final position Pld = Matches played W = Matches won D = Matches drawn L = Matches lost GF = Goals scored GA = Goals against Pts = Points

Key to cup record: En-dash (–) = South Melbourne did not participate DNE = The club did not enter cup/finals play Group = Group stage R1 = First round R2 = Second round, etc. R32 = Round of 32 R16 = Round of 16 QF = Quarter-finals SF = Semi-finals RU = Runners-up W = Winners

Seasons + Results of league and cup competitions by seasonSeasonDivisionPldWDLGFGAPtsPosFinalsNational CupDockerty CupCompetitionResultName(s)GoalsLeagueOther / OceaniaTop goalscorer(s)1960Metro One North 181710791135 SF 1961State League221057453825 R5 1962State League221525512132 GS 1963State League22697283021 DNEAmpol CupRU 1964State League221345554130 SF ——1965State League221543531934 R5 ——1966State League221354472431 SFAmpol CupRUKostas Nestoridis211967State League221075503627 RU ——1968State League22976382925 RU ——1969State League229310403921DNQ DNEAmpol CupW——1970State League22994362727DNQ RUAmpol CupW——1971State League221282411632RU DNEAmpol CupRU——1972State League221633501335 R1 ——1973State League221354482731GS QF ——1974State League221372472333GS W ——1975State League221165281928GS WAmpol CupRU——1976State League221732402137RU R2Ampol CupW——1977NSL267811273522 R1 Peter Ollerton61978NSL261286453032SFR2 Duncan Cummings111979NSL266317264516DNQR1 Alun Evans71980NSL261556422135PFR2 Branko Buljevic121981NSL3013134412739 R1 Alun Evans141982NSL3011910463731DNQR1 Charlie Egan201983NSL301578443652 SF Duggie Brown191984NSL Southern281846482040WSF Duggie Brown221985NSL Southern221453392133PFR1 Charlie Egan211986NSL Southern221057272025DNQR2 1987NSL24978323425DNQRU 1988NSL261385362934EFSF 1989NSL26989443726DNQSF 1989–90NSL261565422336SFW 1990–91NSL261466453334WSF 1991–92NSL261358512831PFR1 1992–93NSL261844512358SFR2 1993–94NSL261385392047PFSF 1994–95NSL249510423644PFSF 1995–96NSL33141217473354DNQW 1996–97NSL261448392546PFSF 1997–98NSL261394564148W 1998–99NSL281765502657W 1999–2000NSL281765502657DNQ Club ChampionshipW2000–01NSL282163702469RU 2001–02NSL241068302236SF 2002–03NSL241059363735DNQ 2003–04NSL241149392137SF 2005Prem261376301746PF 2006Prem261277452842W 2007Prem261079393337DNQ 2008Prem2610412353234DNQ 2009Prem221075412237EF 2010Prem221066412830DNQ 2011Prem241257393341SF R5 2012Prem22958343132DNQ R5 2013Prem22967403331DNQ PF 2014NPL Victoria262132592266 DNQQF 2015NPL Victoria261844582258RUR32QF 2016NPL Victoria261826643953WDNQQF 2017NPL Victoria261538492848SFSFSF 2018NPL Victoria268414485328DNQDNQR5 2019NPL Victoria2610412274234DNQDNQQF 2020NPL Victoria5131776 2021NPL Victoria18675191825 R32SF Harry Sawyer22022NPL Victoria262024592062RU4R4R 2023NPL Victoria262024542162RU4R4R Ajak Riak102024NPL Victoria261934532060RUSFW Harry Sawyer162025NPL Victoria267712294628 R16W Australian ChampionshipW2026NPL Victoria R5 Australian Championship OFC Pro LeagueRU

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