Celebrating South Melbourne Hellas

Ye Olde Grapes is an archive and celebration of Australian football visionary and lifelong South Melbourne FC fan John Patitsas. Frustrated with the lack of football coverage in his local paper, which shied away from the multicultural nature of its community, John lobbied for South's inclusion as part of the paper's local sport section.

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Impressed by his dedication for the sport and club, the Emerald Hill Times gave John a job, writing match reports for South during the mid-to-late 80s. John would go on to have multiple stints on the board of South Melbourne, first on the committee during the 80s, and eventually becoming Vice President of the club from 2007-09. 

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John would then go on to Manage Central City FC, an association football club based in Melbourne's city centre, after being approached by Football Federation Victoria, which achieved success during the 2008/09 season. 

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He continues to follow South, brainstorming ways to innovate and improve the quality and accessibility of Australian football. John's stint as a utility player for the futsal side Gippstars has also been archived.

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