After it was revealed by Hume City that they would host their FFA Cup semi-final against Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium, reports have circulated that the FFA were against the move.
It was confirmed by the club and Etihad Stadium yesterday that Hume would move the fixture away from their traditional home ABD Stadium to the 50,000-plus seater, despite the FFA being yet to sign off on the deal.
Sources close to Outside90 revealed that the FFA tried to stop the move to Etihad, and preferred Hume to host the match at Heidelberg United’s home ground, Olympic Village. The venue has a capacity of 12,000, as opposed to ABD Stadium which holds roughly 4,000.
Olympic Village hosted an FFA Cup quarter-final between Heidelberg United and Melbourne City which drew a crowd of 11,372 people – the second highest in FFA Cup history.
CLUB STATEMENT | Hume City puts fan comfort ahead of home ground advantage http://t.co/0Kp0vRbaPh #HCFC #FFACup — Hume City (@FCHumeCity) October 2, 2015
In the statement, Hume City President Steve Kaya said “I want to give as many fans of Hume City the opportunity to support their team against the giants of Melbourne Victory.”
“It was tough to give up our home advantage but if we insisted on playing at home our small capacity means that thousands of Hume City fans, neutrals and Melbourne Victory fans would miss out.”
“Meeting and agreeing to play the game at Etihad Stadium means that all football fans will get access to a modern and comfortable stadium and no one has to miss out.”
Meanwhile, Etihad Stadium CEO Paul Sergeant said “this is a great outcome for fans from grassroots to supporters of the elite game.”
“It’s a win-win for football and we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone on what will be a fantastic night for the game here in Melbourne.”
Hume would certainly reap the financial rewards by hosting the final at Etihad Stadium, after earning their right to host the match which will be the biggest in the club’s history.
Reports suggest that the stadium deal is worth in excess of $100,000 to the Hume City, with these numbers set to rise dramatically should the semi-final draw a threshold of 20,000 people – which is almost a certainty.
Considering the Melbourne Victory boasted the highest average attendance in the league last season with 27,260 (including a season-high attendance of 50, 873 in the A-League semi-final against Melbourne City), Hume will be in for a sizeable financial return and dreaming of a massive crowd.
It is the Victory’s first FFA Cup semi-final as well and it is likely their fans will come out in droves for the October 28 fixture.
This money would be re-invested back into the club in coaching, junior development and facilities, and would be a welcome reward for a club who has progressed this far in Australian football’s premier cup competition.
Why shouldn’t the club cash in against the A-League champions on the biggest stage of all?
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
