Melbourne Victory staying loyal to AAMI Park despite being on verge of ‘outgrowing’ home

MELBOURNE Victory will not shift more games to Etihad Stadium or expand AAMI Park, despite risk of outgrowing the 30,050 capacity rectangular venue.

MELBOURNE Victory will not shift more games to Etihad Stadium, nor are there plans to expand AAMI Park, despite the A-League champion being on the verge of outgrowing the 30,050 capacity rectangular venue.

Hundreds of fans walked away from Friday night’s blockbuster between Victory and Brisbane Roar without a ticket, despite a crowd of just 23,207 being posted.

Victory has signed a record 27,054 members this season, but member no shows routinely mean crowds max out at about 23,000 even if all general public tickets have sold.

A new 10-year deal was signed with Etihad Stadium last month to play a minimum of five games per season there, but Victory chief operating officer Trent Jacobs said more games would not be taken to Docklands as a knee-jerk reaction to the AAMI Park conundrum, a problem which he described as “a good one to have”.

Victory has introduced a member on-sell scheme whereby season ticket holders can, for games which they know they cannot attend, put their seat up for sale.

If sold, the member receives 50 per cent of the sale price.

The scheme is catching on, but slowly, with only 750 member seats sold for Friday’s game.

“Turning away patrons isn’t what we want to be doing, which is why we have to continue to work with all of our stakeholders to increase the awareness of our ticket exchange program,” Jacobs said.

Victory will play five home matches at the Etihad Stadium each year for the next decade.

“We also need to encourage fans to be pre-purchasing tickets.

“Growing our club — and the game — is paramount, so introducing new fans to our games at AAMI Park and Etihad Stadium remains a priority.

“We foresee that it is going to take time to alter member behaviours, and it is going to take time to increase that awareness of our ticket exchange program.

“But we are absolutely committed to getting this right because it is going to enable more fans to be able to come to our games, which, if we continue to grow as we hope, the need for more available seats for our games at AAMI Park is critical.”

In 2009 the-then Labor Victorian government said the $267.5m ground could be expanded to 50,000.

But that prospect appears bleak for now.

“What makes AAMI Park great is its intimate feel,” Victorian sports minister John Eren said yesterday.

“The boutique size offers uninterrupted views of the arena, and perfectly supports the codes that play there, as well as lots of other great events.

“Melbourne boasts an unrivalled array of world-class stadia, giving local clubs great opportunities to cater to a range of attendances.”

Originally published as Melbourne Victory staying loyal to AAMI Park despite being on verge of ‘outgrowing’ home