South edged one step closer to re-joining the top tier of Australian football when Football Federation Australia (FFA) included the former NSL club as part of the 10 bidders who made the shortlist for A-League expansion.

The governing body plans to expand the A-League by two new teams for the 2019/20 season and are aiming to announce the new licences by October 31, 2018.

Papastergiadis told FourFourTwo that the former NSL powerhouse’s reputation would proceed it if their bid to re-join the upper echelons of Australian football was successful.

“South Melbourne is a club that people either love or hate,” he said.

“That is an essential in football and we can bring back that passion whether fans are with us or against us.

“We are pleased that we are still part of the discussion that will hopefully deliver the ultimate outcome and prize which is a seat on the A-League table. “

Last season South’s FFA Cup semi-final run and the exposure that came with it allowed the club to showcase their A-League credentials on a national stage.

However this term the club were knocked out of the FFA Cup in the early rounds and have been languishing near the Victorian NPL relegation zone.

Despite the poor run of results Papastergiadis believes the club’s bid strengths should not be overlooked.

“We are a club with almost 60 years of history and we are talking about 12 weeks that is in our recent history - I don’t believe that is relevant,” he said.

“If anything, one should look at the fact that most of the club that are bidding don’t even have teams so we are already a step ahead in that regard.

“We have a ready-made and available stadium facility, social club, futsal centre and an administrative headquarters - along with a team that has been proven to play at the top end with a strong supporter base and deep commitment and roots in Victoria and Melbourne.”

Of the 10 shortlisted bidders only three - South Melbourne, Brisbane City and Wollongong Wolves have played in the former NSL, with the remaining seven being completely new entities.

When it comes to which bid will be successful in joining the A-League, Papastergiadis doesn’t agree that it’s a fight between ‘Old Soccer’ versus ‘New football.’

“Hopefully not,” he said.

“Hopefully what the FFA will do is to pick the team that ticks all the boxes and meets all of the criteria, whether it’s an existing club or a club that starts from scratch.

“I’m confident that it will become apparent to decision makers that on merit our bid is very competitive.”

Papastergiadis added: “Our bid is also about our football infrastructure, the success of our junior teams winning practically all the titles for boys and girls and our senior men’s and women’s success.

“Not forgetting the junior coaching structure and the School’s Programs that sees us as the larger provider of football programs of schools in Victoria - all of these things can only be achieved over a significant period of time.”