Fan Focus: ESCAPE TO VICTORY

In this edition of our "Die Hard Fans of the A-League" series, we travel down to Melbourne to talk with Die hard Melbourne Victory fan Steven Chang. InsidetheboxFC would like to thank Steve for taking the time to answer our questions, his answers are so in depth we have split the interview into two parts.

Part One

1. First lets talk Victory vs Liverpool, Did you go to the game and what was it like?

The Victory vs Liverpool game was a contradictory affair. For obvious reasons, it was an incredible experience in some respects. Especially as I support both Victory and Liverpool. I'm stating the obvious here, but Melbourne's rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was surreal. Seeing tens of thousands of us hold our red and white scarves aloft and sing one of the iconic football anthems of the world was a highly emotional moment. I'll admit to shedding a few tears during YNWA!

But it wasn't all spectacular. For much of the game, there was a notable absence of singing and chanting that you might hear at a Liverpool home game at Anfield, or even at a Melbourne Victory match at AAMI Park. Famous Anfield songs about Steven Gerrard and 'The Fields of Anfield Road' barely got off the ground, except in the makeshift Liverpool active area, which some referred to as "Australian Kop End". It was clear that the crowd was very mixed. Hardcore Liverpool fans with Scouse accents could be found sitting alongside casual sports fans adventuring out to their first football game in Australia. The Melbourne Victory faithful, too, were present, decking out the home active area with Victorian blue and white.

2. 8 years ago when the Victory were born did you ever think that your Club would pack out the MCG playing mighty Liverpool FC?

Sadly, I joined the A-League party late compared to many people, and I wasn't around in Season 1. But I'd say even the most optimistic Victory fans wouldn't have dreamed of hosting one of the most renowned European football teams at the time of the A-League's inception. Even on the day of the game, I could scarcely believe it was happening. When I first heard rumours that Victory would be hosting Liverpool in Melbourne, I was both shocked (in a pleasant way) and skeptical. To fill up the MCG with 94,000 fans is a testament to the hunger for football and potential success of the game in Australia.

3. Do you think Victory should make it a annual event? It would be good to form a partnership with one of the worlds biggest clubs ?.

Yes - a no-brainer, for me. In fact, it was reported in the Herald Sun that Melbourne Victory are planning a trip to Anfield to further consolidate the new relationship with Liverpool, as well as future Victory vs Liverpool exhibition matches in Melbourne. Huge positive benefits to forming a partnership with club like Liverpool. Chief among them is exposure for Victory to a broader audience in both Europe and a key target area for the club - Asia. There has been a convergence between Australian and Asian football in recent years, and the inclusion of Australia in Liverpool's regular Asian tours would be a definite plus. That said, I think it's also worth critically reflecting on the highly corporate and somewhat superficial nature of these exhibition matches. But that's another story altogether!

4. Which Victory player impressed you most in that match?.

Connor Pain impressed me the most against Liverpool. His marauding runs down the left flank were a constant danger, and he seemed to feature in every attack that Victory launched to breach Liverpool's defence. I think his most valuable characteristic is his raw speed. But he's also an intelligent footballer who makes smart runs, and can also beat his man to create space.

5. Your new CEO Ian Robson is quite a controversial appointment,  as a fan what do you expect from him in his new role?

 

Robson's appointment as Victory CEO is indeed controversial. I can certainly understand why some A-League fans are wary, given the drama at Essendon and the circumstances of his departure from the AFL scene. Controversies aside, though, he seems to have a strong record as ex-Chief Executive at Essendon. I don't follow AFL, so I can't comment in detail. But others who are keen footy fans seem quite adamant that he is a wise appointment, if you can look past the potential powder keg of the AFL drug saga.

6. Melbourne Victory is currently the biggest club in the country but Western Sydney are snapping at their heels, is that a tag u want to keep ?.

As with any large club, the size and success of the club is something that Melbourne Victory supporters wear with pride. If we take pure numbers as a mark to measure Victory's "big club" tag, I think it is largely an accurate description. Victory aims to hit 23,000 members for the 2013/14 A-League season, and with less than two months until the opening round, the current MVFC membership total stands at 15,171. We have consistently achieved the highest average home crowds and are known for the atmosphere created at our home games, particularly at AAMI Park.

That said, Western Sydney had a tremendous inaugural A-League season. I never anticipated that they'd manage to be so successful - in fact, I predicted that the Wanderers would finish bottom of the league! Turned out to be very wrong, obviously. To me, though, the greatest achievement of the Wanderers is not on the field but off the field. The atmosphere created in the stands at Parramatta Stadium is sensational. I've experienced it myself when I went there for Victory vs Wanderers, and the cauldron of noise ignited by the Red and Black Bloc is seriously impressive. What also stands out is the interaction between the active area and the Wanderers fans on the wings. It's all a breath of fresh air, and yes, I do think that Western Sydney is beginning to challenge our self-proclaimed status as the most passionately supported club. It should provide impetus for Victory to improve both on and off the pitch to keep up or stay ahead of the Wanderers.

 7. With AFL so dominant in Melbourne, the Victory have been very successful  in establishing its own brand, how do you think they achieved that?

I think there are a number of reasons behind Melbourne Victory's success in a city so utterly obsessed with AFL. The first factor is Victory's early success. If we can conveniently erase Season 1 from our collective memories, Season 2 saw MVFC embarking on a rampage of winning streaks and pulling in an average of 28,000 fans a game.

Secondly - being the only A-League club in Melbourne at the time, I think the club became strongly identified with Victorian pride and love for the city of Melbourne, with its iconic "Big V" boldly emblazoned on the front of the jersey. Through its broad sweeping appeal, Victory attracted both fans of the old NSL and also a wider football crowd who hadn't invested themselves in an Australian club yet.

Thirdly, the momentum generated from these first two factors effectively snowballed - success breeds success, you could say. For example, broad appeal and championship-winning success generated more revenue via committed sponsorships, bigger crowds, and increased gate receipts.

8. Talking of South Melbourne, if they did take over bitter rivals Melbourne Heart do u think it would be good or bad for the game?

While personally I would welcome South Melbourne back into the top flight of Australian football, I'm not sure a South takeover of Melbourne Heart would be good for the A-League. It would immediately raise a number of problematic issues. Firstly, it would be a recognition of the failure of FFA's initial Heart model. 

Secondly, it would throw up the issue of club colours - there is a direct clash between South Melbourne's traditional blue and white, and Melbourne Heart's red and white stripes. It's not simply about aesthetics, but also of the fundamental identity of the club. The question on everyone's lips would be: Is this more South Melbourne, or is this more Melbourne Heart? Hence the jokes on Twitter about South Melbourne Heart Hellas and so on.

All that said - I think Lakeside stadium would be quite an appropriate place for Heart to play at.

9. As a Victory fan would you agree that a second team in Melbourne has been good for the game ie the Melbourne Derby?.

Absolutely no doubt. I don't like Melbourne Heart, and they are major rivals, but in no way do I wish for their demise. The existence of expansion clubs in Melbourne and Sydney is a sign of the A-League's maturity and capacity to sustain two clubs in each city. And as you alluded to, the Melbourne derby has been a blessing for Australian football. Many would consider the derby to be the flagship achievement of the league in the last few years. 

It seems to have become A-League custom now to kick off the opening weekend of the season with a big derby at Etihad stadium, attracting crowds of more than 40,000 on several occasions. There have already been some classic encounters between Heart and Victory, and I don't think any MVFC fan present on the day can forget the surreal scenes and subsequent pitch invasion celebrations after Archie Thompson's 90th-minute winner at the Christmas derby last year.