Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Soccer & Rugby
What many visitors know as 'football' in their home countries is referred to as 'soccer' in
Australia, despite the Football Federation's official assertion of the football tag. Consider-
ing all the competition, the game's rise in Melbourne has been spectacular. A new A-
League national competition was formed in 2005, running from October to May, and with
it came a large supporter base and a higher profile for the game. Australia's solid perform-
ance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup also contributed to its newfound popularity, as does its
status as the 'world game'. The city's original team, the Melbourne Victory
(
www.melbournevictory.com.au
)
, was joined in the competition by the Melbourne Heart
(
www. melbourneheartfc.com.au
)
in the 2010-11 season. Soccer's amazingly vocal sup-
porters (including a British-style cheer squad) make for some atmospheric play.
Melbourne Storm (
www.melbournestorm.com.au
)
, the first and only Victorian team in
the National Rugby League (NRL), enjoyed spectacular success over the last decade, win-
ning the premiership twice. They've actually won four titles, but sadly for Victorian league
fans, they were stripped of their 2007 and 2009 titles for salary-cap breaches.
Rugby union is also growing in popularity, with the Melbourne Rebels joining the Super
Rugby (Super 15) competition in 2011. Union does draw surprisingly large, often sell-out,
crowds to international tests at Etihad Stadium, which recorded its highest sporting attend-
ance - 56,605 - during a tour for the Wallabies (the national team).
Melbourne's new purpose-built rectangular stadium, AAMI Park, on the site of Olympic
Park Stadium, has a capacity of 30,000, showing the state's continued commitment to em-
bracing 'other' football codes in the future - hosting A-League soccer matches, NRL and
Super Rugby matches.
