Mon 23rd Apr 2007

Melbourne Victory are set to face newcomers Wellington Phoenix in its opening match at Westpac Stadium. Victory will play all of its ten home matches at Telstra Dome, starting with a Round 2 clash against Perth Glory on Saturday, 1 September. Melbourne will then face arch-rivals Adelaide United the following week in a Grand Final rematch at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Victory CEO Geoff Miles said the club was excited to its home matches at Telstra Dome, which will feature blockbuster games against Sydney FC in Round 12 and Adelaide in Round 16.

“We look forward to playing all of our home games at Telstra Dome this season, where we had fantastic support from the Victorian public in creating attendance records for Australian domestic football,” Miles said.

“Our home match schedule includes a mix of Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon games, giving our members and supporters an excellent opportunity to get behind the team as we seek to defend our Hyundai A-League Premiership and Championship.

“Whilst we have an additional away trip compared to last season, we are confident that our team will again be well prepared by our coach Ernie Merrick and his support staff, which contributed to our outstanding record on the road in 2006/07.

“We’re eagerly anticipating the first match of the season against Wellington Phoenix, in front of what will be a big crowd at Westpac Stadium. It’s a new and exciting era for football in New Zealand and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

The Hyundai A-League 2007 Pre-Season Cup fixture has also been released, with Melbourne set to play games in Launceston, Geelong and Darwin as the game is taken to regional areas around Australia.

“The Pre-Season Cup gives us the opportunity to play in front of new fans in regional Victoria and Tasmania,” Miles added. “We’re excited about the opportunity to play against Adelaide at Aurora Stadium in Launceston and the Newcastle Jets at Skilled Stadium in Geelong,” Miles added.

Details regarding Victory memberships are also set to be confirmed within the next few weeks, as the club prepares to open a new merchandise shop and membership office in Swan Street, Richmond.

“We’ve decided to establish an in-house membership team and our new membership manager, Tayna Gallina, has commenced with us,” Miles said. “We will be establishing a new merchandise shop and membership office, and at this stage we expect to provide details about membership packages in mid-May.

“The great support from our members was a significant factor in the success of our club last season, and we look forward again to having them on board in the new season as we seek to defend our Premiership and Championship, and participate in the AFC Champions League.”