form condemning the club to finish outside the top 5 and miss out on finals once again. In July 2013, Tsolakis resigned from his post after the board sacked five senior squad members without his consultation and the club appointed former Sunshine George Cross FC, Melbourne Knights and Dandenong Thunder manager Chris Taylor on a two-year deal. South finished the season in fourth place. In 2014, the club entered the National Premier Leagues Victoria competition, which replaced the old Victorian Premier League. South had a fantastic season, taking out their first league title since their 2000–01 NSL title. In the NPL National Finals Series, South Melbourne beat South Hobart FC 1–0 at South Hobart Ground, but lost to North Eastern MetroStars SC in the semi-final 2–1. In 2015, the club retained the NPL Victoria premiership, but lost to rivals Bentleigh Greens SC in the Grand Final. South also won the Dockerty Cup, but lost to Palm Beach SC in the 2015 FFA Cup Round of 32. South Melbourne then recruited the likes of Matthew Foschini, Matt Millar and Marcus Schroen for the following season. South got season 2016 off on a bad note, losing the FFV Community Shield 3–0 to Bentleigh, but opened the NPL Victoria season on an emphatic note, beating traditional rivals Heidelberg United 6–0 in front of over 3,000 fans at Lakeside. On 30 March 2016, South Melbourne announced that it had secured a 40-year lease of Lakeside Stadium, with the club now "able to commence building its new administrational offices, museum, futsal court and bistro / social room in its exclusive areas." South bowed out of the 2016 FFA Cup Qualifying Rounds at the final qualifying round, losing 4–0 to rivals Bentleigh Greens. The club finished in 3rd place in the league, but went on to win the Championship through the finals series, beating Hume City 3-0 and then Oakleigh Cannons 3–2 in the grand final. South Melbourne began construction on its exclusive areas at Lakeside Stadium in October 2016, with the development including the building of a new social club, futsal court and club offices. In 2017, South finished runners-up in the league behind traditional rivals Heidelberg United. In the finals series, Hellas lost to eventual champions Bentleigh Greens in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-final. After reaching the 2017 FFA Cup national stages, South Melbourne defeated Edgeworth, Sorrento and Gold Coast City to reach