22: AAMI Park

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole Ole, We're the city, on the Yarra, We're Melbourne all the way!

I used to play soccer all throughout high school, I was a referee for two years and now I work at Football Victoria. That said, when I sit down and actually watch soccer for entertainment it is the World Cup, EPL or bits of the Champion’s League. I never really gave the local Australian competition a fair go, so I wanted to see how the A-League compared to the best soccer competitions in the world.

I have been to some incredible stadiums around the world, and what each of them has in common is that they all have character. So driving past AAMI Park as it was being built I could see the character being forged next to Australia’s biggest stadiums – the MCG and Rod Laver Arena. But never took the time to go inside and experience it myself.

Enough was enough. It was time to go to a Melbourne home game and experience AAMI Park for the first time.

Over the summer Dad and I booked the top of the table clash between Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory. Firstly, the seats were incredible; two rows from the pitch and right next to the corner flag. Secondly, the atmosphere was electric. The Melbourne fans were singing the entire match with just as much passion as the Australian fans I sat next to during the Russia World Cup 4 months earlier. The stadium was loud, and when the Perth Glory captain lined up for a penalty in the 60th minute I couldn’t even hear my own voice over the Melbourne whistles and boos. Finally, the match was played at a high quality, 2-1 to Perth being the final result.

I would 100% go back to AAMI Park for another Melbourne game and would recommend that you give it a try too.