Melbourne Victory was on the most part pleased with the upcoming Hyundai A-League 2011/12 fixture, which was released earlier this afternoon by Football Federation Australia (FFA).
Melbourne Victory was on the most part pleased with the upcoming Hyundai A-League 2011/12 fixture, which was released earlier this afternoon by Football Federation Australia (FFA).
The A-League-s most successful club will host 13 matches next season, with 8 of those to be played at AAMI Park and a further 5 at Etihad Stadium and will launch the season at the latter against arch-rival, Sydney FC, on Saturday, October 8.
As was the case last season, Melbourne Victory has again drawn the short-straw with respect to the Melbourne Derby and will host just one of the three blockbuster fixtures set down for 2011/12.
On a positive note, six of the clubs home games have been scheduled in prime time on a Saturday night, with three on a Friday night and a further three to be played in the Sunday twilight time slot. Melbourne Victory will also host one mid-week fixture – a Thursday afternoon kick-off on Australia Day.
The club will also deliver more blockbuster fixtures to its fans than last season, hosting both Sydney FC and Adelaide United twice, and Melbourne Heart once.
Melbourne Victory Chairman Anthony Di Pietro welcomed the fan-friendly draw for 2011/12, “we-re pleased with the cross-section of playing days and the number of blockbuster games on offer for our members and fans.
“It is also good to see that we have fewer mid-week games. The one we do host is the U-NITE game scheduled on Australia Day against Sydney FC, where we-ll expect a huge crowd for what is becoming an iconic match.
“The one disappointing aspect of the fixture is that we won-t be hosting Melbourne Heart twice. The FFA, in its discretion, has again scheduled us only one home game against Melbourne Heart for the second successive season and we have expressed our disappointment about this on behalf of our members and fans,” said Di Pietro.
