- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Should the Melbourne Victory host this season’s A-League grand final, Etihad Stadium will not be available, raising concerns over the A-League’s future in Melbourne.
Victory are set to play five matches at Etihad this year – two derbies, against Sydney FC, Brisbane Roar and Western Sydney.
The use of Etihad is due to the expected crowds being larger than the AAMI Park capacity of around 30,000.
Victory is a powerhouse of the A-League and one of the reasons the league could support smaller clubs through the initial growth period.
In 2025 the AFL assumes full ownership of Etihad Stadium. The AFL have had consistent conflicts with current management on behalf of its AFL tenant clubs and lost a motion in the Supreme Court to view the details of the agreement the stadium has with Victory. The AFL believe Victory get a better deal than AFL clubs in hosting matches at the stadium. Presumably in 2024-25, the AFL will drive a hard bargain with the Victory for use of the stadium.
The options open to the FFA and Melbourne Victory to ensure the ongoing success and growth of the A-League in Melbourne would be to deal with the AFL at Etihad, or increase the capacity of AAMI Park. Remember, AAMI Park was built with this expansion in mind, with foundations to accommodate a 50,000-seat stadium.
The FFA, let alone other tenants (Melbourne Storm, Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne Rising), would not be in a position financially to fund the hundreds of millions of dollars required for the expansion in the next 10 years. The expansion will be reliant on Government funding.
Government funding will require the support of more than just the passionate Melbourne Victory fans. It will require strong co-tenants. This is why the success of Melbourne City is so important to the future of Melbourne Victory (and fingers crossed for the rugby co-tenants too).
There is no point continuing beyond 2025 with Etihad, the AFL will most likely drive too hard a bargain in 2025, particularly if football is still growing.
The end goal should be a rectangular 50,000-seat stadium in the world’s sporting capital.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.