Ask any Victory supporter what they are most looking forward to when Victory kick off their ACL campaign next March and the answer you are most likely to receive is, “sitting in the new home of football in victory, the Bubbledome”.
Construction of the new stadium has been ongoing now for several months and age newspaper today published a stunning photo (see below) of the progress.
Of course the stadium won’t be officially named the Bubbledome. I am sure the powers that be will sell the naming rights to some corporation but it is fast becoming the name used most by the fans to describe the stadium. And of course it can be easy to see why with its distinctive roof structure.
It goes without saying the anticipation of the new stadium is extremely high amongst Victory supporters, including myself. The Bubbledome will provide a true home to Victory and the atmosphere it will provide cannot be understated. Melbourne fans have always prided themselves on providing their team support unmatched in the A-league and with the smaller size (approx. capacity of 31,000), the Bubbledome is expected to literally buzz on match days.
With the Dome and Olympic park before it, Victory supporters have never had a prefect stadium where they are close to the action. The new stadium will change all that, with its purpose built rectangle surface and compact stands, all fans will be closer to the action and with Victory fast approaching 20,000 members this year, competition for the prime seats is also going to be fierce. It will be interesting to see just how many non-reserved seats are available to the public when the 2010/11 season rolls around.
One of the disappointing factors of the new stadium is that 31,000 will most likely be inadequate for the matches against Victory biggest rivals, Sydney FC and Adelaide United, and these games will have to be moved to Etihad Stadium. Of course this is not very popular amongst the most die hard of Victory members as these are exactly the type of games where a sell within the new stadium would enhance the experience.
The stadium is expected to also be used by the second Melbourne team when they enter the competition in the 2010/11 season so Melbourne football fans can expect to see football every week at this wonderful new venue.
At this time the Stadium is expected to be completed by Feb/March next year. So hopefully Victory can christen the turf with a home game to kick off the ACL campaign.
12 Days to Season V
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