Australia A-League 2007 Premiership and Championship club Melbourne Victory is seeking to arrange off-season fixtures with big-name European sides to help it prepare for its title defence next season and to keep the commercial and spectator momentum generated by its championship cup win in front of a record home ground crowd of 56,000. "It's very important that we keep the interest levels going," Victory chairman Geoff Lord told Michael Lynch of The Age. "The momentum from the finals and the grand final has been fantastic. I have to pinch myself to think that its worked out as well as it has. Even if we finish bottom for the next 20 years we have at least had a game where we got 50,000 people and it was brilliant."
Asked whether he would be interested in seeing his side take on LA Galaxy, the USA Major Soccer League club that has signed England-star David Beckham, Lord said: "They are one of a number of clubs we would like to come out here, but nothing is confirmed at the moment. No proposal about them has come specifically to me. We want to play some high-quality games in the off-season and we are looking at attracting teams from Europe — one from Italy, one from Greece, and one from the UK."
Peter Abraam, CEO of the state of Victoria's major events corporation described Melbourne Victory "as big a drawcard in its home city as Australia's Socceroos" and said his organisation, charged with facilitating top-line events, is keen to be involved in staging Victory matches against high-flying international opposition.
Asked whether he would be interested in seeing his side take on LA Galaxy, the USA Major Soccer League club that has signed England-star David Beckham, Lord said: "They are one of a number of clubs we would like to come out here, but nothing is confirmed at the moment. No proposal about them has come specifically to me. We want to play some high-quality games in the off-season and we are looking at attracting teams from Europe — one from Italy, one from Greece, and one from the UK."
Peter Abraam, CEO of the state of Victoria's major events corporation described Melbourne Victory "as big a drawcard in its home city as Australia's Socceroos" and said his organisation, charged with facilitating top-line events, is keen to be involved in staging Victory matches against high-flying international opposition.