WHERE WERE THE VICTORY FANS?
Stadium defends low crowd for our A-League scorcher
KARDINIA Park Stadium Trust chief executive Michael Brown has strongly defended the low turnout at Saturday night’s match between Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners, citing extreme weather and extenuating circumstances as significant factors for the disappointing crowd.
The official tally of 8370 people was the smallest for a Melbourne Victory A-League clash in Victoria in the competition’s 13-season history, triggering certain sections of the club’s supporter group to call for an end to playing matches in Geelong.
But Brown said the crowd figure of 5207 for the Melbourne City and Wellington Phoenix clash at AAMI Park — played in the cool of Saturday evening — showed most fans across the state had clearly opted for the comfort of staying inside rather than venturing outside.
“Obviously we were a bit disappointed but it was a remarkable day, it was 44 degrees just before kick- off,” Brown said. “There were some train issues and buses replacing trains coming from Melbourne, and Melbourne Victory told me they were well down on the normal patronage of members that would come.
“But compare it to the Melbourne City and (Wellington) Phoenix game, and they only had 5000, so we had more people in Geelong than at a standard venue.
“It was just an exceptional day and you wouldn’t have gone out unless you had to in 40 degree heat, so it was exceptional circumstances … we deliberately started the game earlier (than in previous years) so it could meet family needs but you wouldn’t have taken young kids out in that weather.”
Crowd numbers for A-League games that Victory have hosted at Kardinia Park have declined annually, with the previous three matches, all in the first week of January, drawing attendances of 21,289 (2015), 14,268 (2016) and 14,081 for last year’s fixture with Newcastle.
A friendly with Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in July, 2016 saw 16,652 people in attendance. While discussions are yet to start about bringing another game to the city next year, Brown said he was confident Victory viewed Geelong as a longterm venue to host matches outside of Melbourne.
IT’S time for Geelong to have its own A-League identity.
Enough of the gimmick one-off games. The region needs its own club in the nation’s premier soccer competition.
That’s not to say we should be giving the finger to Melbourne Victory, which has made Geelong its second home during the past few years.
But there is a sense of staleness
starting to descend on Kardinia Park when these games come
to town.
That’s not the fault of anyone, it’s more a case of something that has naturally run its course.
Geelong has proven over that time it is capable of attending soccer matches in good numbers, and the Victorian Patriots’ bid is a strong one with plans for a rectangular stadium.
We just need the chance to attach ourselves to something that is Geelong because no matter how hard Victory tries it will never be a team that represents this region.
Just 8370 walked through the doors at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night for the clash between Melbourne Victory and Central Coast. It looks ordinary on paper, especially in comparison with last week’s Big Bash and previous soccer crowds. In reality it’s not that bad. A-League numbers have been on the decline this season. Then there is the drama surrounding FFA that has also left hardcore fans feeling disillusioned.
When you compare Geelong’s drop in attendance to the rest of the competition, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
Factor in the 44-degree afternoon, with a cool change coming through only minutes before kick-off, the delayed V/Line services and a struggling Mariners and it’s easy to understand why people didn’t bother leaving home.
So where to from here? If the A-League is serious about growing the game in Victoria, then Geelong is the only location worthy of hosting a franchise. Giving the town something to hold onto will see numbers come back through the gates.
Until that happens, it’s hard not to see these attendances stagnate.