ozzieeagle

History is being made in this country. Melbourne Victory, will break the domestic football crowd attendance record for the 4th time in one year, within 18months of the club being created.

The tickets for the general public went on sale today, and despite the final being played at the unpopular time of 6pm on a Sunday, were sold out within two hours. 55,000 people plus will watch Melbourne Victory play Adelaide United at the Telstra dome here in Melbourne.

The season will not finish there either, with both Sydney and Adelaide competiting for the first time in the Asian Champions league. Sydney have been drawn again the biggest Club in Asia in Urawa reds of Japan, who will almost certainly be bringing around 3-5,000 supporters with them, when they play in Sydney sometime in June. International domestic club football is now here and will bring a new dimension to football viewing in this country. MV have to wait another 12 months before they venture into Asia.

There are 1,000's of MV supporters here reslishing the prospect of playing football in the Blokes utopia of Bangkok, What a venue for a weekend of more away supporting ones club

You aint seen nothing yet.


Here is footage of the passion of what Sydney are about to face. Plenty of whom are reported to be booking tickets to Sydney now.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93unkAJzXY


MV will eventually match this Club.

fraser

So they finished a distance in front of them, then knocked them out.
yet they can still lose it to them

It's not a final it's worthless, i can't believe there's enough gullible people to pay to watch it.

ozzieeagle

Early days yet Fraser, only the 2nd season in. You will find that in years to come this final phase will perhaps involve all clubs around Australia, Like South Melbourne, and Marconi, and Woolongong Wolves.

It's a little bit difficult to change the Aussie Physche of the Finals Series, it's being worked on by the FFA.

Have you seen Urawa before now ?

fraser

I may have done mate, if I knew what it was

Why do they need a final series, why not have a cup?

ozzieeagle

At this stage, its to satisfy the football public here with enough competition to sustain them over the course of a season plus give exposure to the game, in as much it is now free of the old ethnic tensions that pervaded the sport before the advent of the Aleague. This end season finals wind up will be totally different in 5 years time.


Urawa have about 4 or 5 European clubs scalps under their belts, from the world club Championships. Bayern Munich have certainly been beaten by them, in the past.

Bordy

They sure do have a lot to learn. Victory could have had the league flag presented to them at Telstra dome in front of thousands of their fans. Instead the powers that be said it had to be presented up at Newcastle I think it was in front of 24 Victory fans & a dog.


Still, only one more week to go until we get into the Aussie rules.

ozzieeagle

It's going to be interesting venue wise next season Bordy, as the football seasons will clash for the first 2 months at least of the AFL season here in Melbourne because of MV's entry into the Asian Champions League. There is a strong probabilty that if MV play Shanghai, or Shandung from China, or Urawa or Tokyo, that the MV freindly Telstra dome will not be big enough to cope with the patronage. IE: a much larger crowd is anticipated than Tdomes capacity. Not sure what will happen, but with Tdome bending over backwards to accomodate MVictory, there may have to be some rescheduling done.

With a Audience of over 1,000 Million people for the ACL finals, it's hard to see the Vic Government standing in the way of the potential exposure of MV getting exactly what it wants venue wise.

IE: there is going to be a bun fight next season over scheduling clashes for the football codes possibly (depending on how MV fare) up until July 2008 at least.

bridie

How come they hold the final at one of the team's home cities and not somewhere neutral?

Fraser: I dont really understand all this finals rubbish either, just have a league and let the winner be the one with the most points at the end!!

ozzieeagle

I'll admit to being not to fond of this system Either. But hell for my part, I'm grateful to take the whole thing on board. After about 12 years (I've said this before) Getting up at 4.00 am to watch a game, from the UK, on ones lonesome, really gets irksome and lacks a certain necessary vibe. After 26 years here, I'm gagging for this experience.

Tickets are now available on Ebay if you change your mind, at 229 bucks for General admission or 429 bucks for premium tickets. As it's reported that around 30,000 people missed out on getting tickets, then I'd say they may well go at that price.

The price for General admission for a family of four, two adults and two kids, was 90.00 bucks plus 6 dollars admin fee. Not a bad price for this grade of football, especially when you combine the atmosphere which is definitely world class.

Out of finals the price for a family of four is 40 bucks, thats definitely worth paying.

Bordy

Just been listening to SEN at work here & vast majority of MV supporters don't want any games at MCG.
They say its not a Soccer friendly ground as crowd are to far from the action.

bridie

Not bad really, let's hope the Glory make it to next year's finals then

OMG can't believe it's only a few weeks until aerial ping pong starts again, already the news is full of boringness about the Eagles and Dockers...

Fat Bloke

I just can't get in to this A league lark, wish I could but it just seems fake and plastic, like a cheap watch.

I have not been to see a live game yet and can't really see myself going next season either. it is almost like I would be cheating on my wife (My Premiership side) by flirting with the Roar.

The bits and bobs I have watched on the box looks good but there is zero atmosphere and no singing, it just won't do.

Another thing is the pace of the game, it is at least 3 yards short of the standard we have all been used to back home.

I hope you enjoy the final but it is just not for me.

wmoore

It's not the Premier League but give it a go. The atmosphere doesn't always seem to translate to the TV but it's usually pretty good at Suncorp for Roar games. Bear in mind that the league is only 2 years old and has come on in leaps and bounds since the first game. It will get better still, more fans will come into it and the atmosphere will improve.

I know what you mean about the 'cheating' too. The first time I went, I wore my Boro shirt, just to ease the guilt

wmoore

Bring it on!

Carl B

I've been to all three codes of football in Melbourne and football or "soccer" (I hate that word) was by far the best atmosphere. At Victory v NZ Knights, just before Christmas, all four sides of Olympic Park were singing in the 2nd half, not to mention in the streets of Richmond after the game. I don't look on it as cheating my British football team. I look on it as supporting my local team and feel part of something, having started going during last season. As for the standard not being as good, fair enough, but you're comparing a league that's in it's 2nd season to one that's over 100 years old.