The spectacle put on by Preston Lions and South Melbourne in the Australia Cup on Thursday night has got plenty in the Australian football community buzzing.
With 6,673 people (or more, depending on which report you believe) packed into Genis Steel Stadium, the National Premier League (NPL) Victoria rivals produced a superb atmosphere and a performance to match.
For many, it was an evening that renewed conversations over whether these clubs could one day have a future in the A-League.
Throughout 2026, the Building Blocks podcast on Football360 has examined the Australian football pyramid with a series of in-depth podcasts, available here. The show’s host, Matt Windley, was in attendance and described the clash as a “fantastic occasion”.
“People will remember that these two faced off in the Dockerty Cup to try and get into the Australia Cup a few years ago, and that was another fantastic occasion. But this one stepped up to another level,” he said on Thursday on a new episode of the podcast, alongside Football360’s Lachie Flannigan.
“… I mentioned on social media last night that these are the sort of atmospheres, these are the sort of experiences that I would love to see replicated in the A-League one day. Why couldn’t they be?
“I wouldn’t sit there and say that it was better than every single atmosphere I’ve ever experienced in the A-League. That would be unequivocally untrue. I’ve had some amazing times in A-League venues and at A-League games over the years.
“But this, as what hopefully could one day be a regular occurrence in an A1 or an A2, was just a great night.
“I don’t see why it couldn’t continue to take shape on the national stage throughout the course of the A-League’s history, whatever that looks like.”
It was Hellas’ 49th match of the season across all competitions – and if they play every game remaining across NPL Victoria, the Australia Cup and the Australian Championship that number could end up as high as 64 by the time 2026 is over.
The NSL giants have already professionalised by virtue of their participation in the OFC Pro League – reaching the final in the inaugural edition this year – but they continue to flag their intention to push for a spot in the A-League.
“There’s been a lot of talk over the years from South Melbourne and some would say a lot of bluster,” Windley explained.
“But I think really, over the course of the last 15 or 18 months, they’re walking the walk, not just talking the talk.
“… When it comes to potentially forecasting ahead, with no disrespect to Lions FC, who have got a massive chance, if South were to make it into the final, I think they will absolutely, on current form, give Sydney FC or Melbourne Victory a massive run for their money.
“They are clearly, I’d say, the most advanced of the NPL clubs when it comes to potential aspirations to professionalise.
“You could argue as well that they already have professionalised to a point when it comes to their OFC involvement and the fact that they’re more or less 12 months a year.
“They’re still, in amongst all that, doing incredibly well in the NPL and will make the finals this year while essentially a lot of the time rolling out a B team or a youth team. That’s a massive credit to the club.
“… We’re not sitting here and saying that everything about South Melbourne is perfect and that they’re ready to go into the A-League tomorrow. That is absolutely not the case.
“But they’re backing up the talk now with walking the walk, and it will be really interesting to see what unfolds for them over the course of the next 12 to 24 months with where their anchor competition is at.”
Talk over South Melbourne potentially pushing for an A-League license has intensified in recent months amid Western United dropping out of the competition.
The club publicly signified ‘its intention to open formal dialogue’ over the prospect of securing a spot in Australia’s top-flight on August 11, but is the prospect of Hellas actually making it there realistic?
“When they bid for the licence alongside Team 11 and Western United in 2018, there was no chance they were getting in. Zero chance. It was never going to happen,” Windley – who previously worked for the APL – said, caveating that this was his understanding of the situation, with some opinion laced in.
“(President) Bill (Papastergiadis) more or less confessed to that, or said that, in the Building Blocks podcast a few months ago.
“I think if you had asked me a couple of years ago, “Are South Melbourne any chance to come into the competition?” – and obviously that was part of the work that we were doing at APL at the time – it was a no.
“I think the answer today is: it’s not a yes, but it’s not an unequivocal no.
“The fact that it’s not an unequivocal no demonstrates to me the progress that is starting to be made and maybe the change of minds that are starting to take shape.
“Now, there’s been a lot of talk that South has already met with APL and there are discussions being had and all that sort of stuff.
“That hasn’t happened, as far as I’m concerned. It hasn’t happened.
“But will it happen in the future? And is there a willingness on the part of some within APL to meet with people from South to discuss the possibility of entering the competition one day?
“My understanding is that it is a yes.
“Again, that’s a long way from them coming into the competition, but I do believe that there is an openness to at least having the conversation, and that absolutely has not been the case in the past.
“Is South’s ambition to make the A-League or play in the A-League real? Yes.”
He continued: “Again, Bill said as much in the interview with me a few months ago. They’ve said it privately and they’ve obviously come out publicly with that statement a few weeks ago and said so.
“Is it a simple case of there’s a third Victorian licence up for grabs now because Western United have gone out of the competition? No, that’s not the case.
“Obviously, APL can go anywhere with those extra licences. They can also choose to go nowhere with those licences.
“They’ve got 12 at the moment. They might not necessarily see a need.
“We all know that Canberra is being seriously considered and has been seriously considered for a long time. I think if they find the right owner, Canberra will come into the competition.
“I believe Gold Coast will still get a team at some point in time.
“We absolutely need a second team, if not a third team, in South-East Queensland. Between Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and a second Brisbane team, something needs to happen in that space.
“But if there was to be a third A-League team, with no promotion-relegation, in Melbourne, the only option right now is South Melbourne.
It’s not greenfield. It’s South Melbourne.
“Personally, I would love to see it happen. I think they would be fantastic.
“But it becomes a really interesting one.”
However, don’t expect to see South Melbourne enter the top-flight without paying their way.
“I think anyone out there who thinks that South Melbourne can rock into the A-League without paying a licence fee has rocks in their head. It’s not going to happen,” Windley said.
“They’re in a world at the moment where it’s a closed shop, whether we like it or not.
“There’s no promotion-relegation. It’s not on sporting merit at the moment, so they will have to buy a licence.
“What that licence is worth is obviously going to be the real nub of the conversations.
“Those licence values have fluctuated over time. Where that value sits right now, ultimately, if South Melbourne want to buy a licence into the competition, it’s APL’s to give away.
“The fact that they’re even entering into the conversation means that they obviously see some sort of value on that licence.
“Then it comes down to the negotiations as to what that is worth and whether what South Melbourne has the ability to, or wants to, put on the table is palatable to those at the APL.
“I think that will end up being one of the key sticking points.
“If they can find a middle ground on that that works for all parties, I genuinely see a world where South Melbourne could come into the A-League. I really do.
“Again, to reiterate, that absolutely wouldn’t have been the case a few years ago.”
Should Hellas actually make their way into the A-League, it could open the door for more historic NPL clubs to stake their case for a spot.
“I think a South Melbourne coming in and being successful and having incredible derbies with Melbourne Victory, pretty good derbies with Melbourne City, and re-engaging old rivalries potentially against the likes of Perth Glory and, even to a lesser extent, Adelaide United will demonstrate: okay, well, if South have done this, why can’t Marconi do it? That’d be cool.
“Why couldn’t Adelaide City do it? That’d be cool.
“Why couldn’t Brisbane Strikers do it? That’d be cool.
“All of a sudden you’ve got this groundswell of clubs starting to move into the ecosystem that are unequivocally providing value, not just to the competition but also to the existing clubs.
“You’ve increased memberships, you’ve increased ticket sales, therefore sponsorships are more valuable, all that sort of stuff.
“The ecosystem starts to flourish on the back of that.
“Then, of course, ipso facto, TV rights go up, investment increases, yada yada yada.
“South Melbourne coming in is a really important first step, I think, to moving towards a unified pyramid.
“It doesn’t in and of itself say that we’re one day going to have promotion-relegation.
“It might also move to a world where South Melbourne actually has to take a bullet for the rest of the clubs around that want to do it.”
They might have to pay a licence fee that in 10 years’ time is demonstrated to be overs because others come in on a differentiated licence or a participation fee that is less because the trapdoor is slightly open.
But someone’s going to have to take the first step.
South right now is the one that’s best positioned to do so.