South Melbourne FC is mourning the passing of its first ever coach, Christos Georgoussis.

Passing away on Tuesday night, Mr Georgoussis was South Melbourne’s coach from 1960 and presided over the club’s very first game.

South Melbourne FC president Leo Athanasakis said Mr Georgoussis had an immense impact on the club’s early years.

“We have lost a man who was an enormous influence during the earliest days of South Melbourne in 1960,” he told smfc.com

Mr Georgoussis started out as a soccer player in the 1950s, considered a star player of Greek Thessaloniki team Iraklis.

He was even given the great honour of being asked to play for the Greek national team, but due to injury, Mr Georgoussis’ international career was prematurely cut short.

He later migrated to Melbourne, which would see him have a profound impact on the sport he loved.

With South Melbourne United and South Melbourne Hellenic merging in 1959 to form South Melbourne Hellas, Mr Georgoussis came on board as their first ever coach.

To date, South Melbourne Hellas enjoyed its best League season on record in the 1960 Victorian Metropolitan Division One North Competition, thanks to Georgoussis’ direction.

The team won 17 of 18 matches, with one draw, seeing the undefeated club promoted as League Champions into the 1961 Victorian State League.

“Mr Georgoussis was the man who guided our club from division one into the old State League on the first attempt and he helped bring players to the club that guided us to four Victorian State League Championships throughout the 1960s,” Athanasakis said.

“We are deeply indebted to Mr Georgoussis for all that he did for our great club.”

In 1961, after just two seasons, Mr Georgoussis stepped down from his title as coach, maintaining his ties with the club and playing under coach Len Young, followed by Manny Poulakakis.

In his short time at the club, Mr Georgoussis was the first to turn the focus on bringing Greek players from Greece.

Players such as goalkeeper George Karpouzas, Jordan Ieremiadis, George Papadopoulos and John Margaritis helped the club go from strength to strength, winning Victorian State League Championships in 1962, 1964, 1965 and 1966.