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Home » Destinations » Oceania » Australia

Sydney FC vs. Melbourne Victory

Modified: Feb 22, 2008 · Published: Jan 31, 2008 by Dave Lee |

Aussie Stadium

I caught a glimpse of the Australian A-League soccer schedule when I was couchsurfing with Ben in Brisbane. I had noticed Sydney FC had a home game around the time I'd be there so I picked a flight from Cairns that would give me a fighting chance to see it live.

After checking into Original Backpackers in the King's Cross area of Sydney, I decided to hurry my way over to Aussie Stadium for the match. I waited in a special events bus queue that got me to the stadium (adjacent to the cricket grounds), and then another 20 minutes under the blazing sun to get tickets (about $25 USD).

My seating area was general admission which worked out fine even though I was late. Sydney scored within the 10-minute mark. Melbourne answered back, and a tit-for-tat resulted in a 2-2 tie. Sydney had already clinched a playoff spot (there are only 8 teams in the 3-year old league, with the top 4 going to the semifinals). The skill level was comparable to Major League Soccer, though the crowd was much larger. They had a regular season record 33,000 in attendance.

Sydney FC fan section

The Sydney fans covered the entire section behind the goal in the photo above. Melbourne had a smaller, though quite vocal, showing at the opposite end. Every time a goal was scored, signal flares and smoke bombs were lit. The security would then jump into the stands and remove the flares. Sydney supporters had some big flags, and most were dressed in their team's light blue jersey. It reminded me of going to DC United games at home.

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About Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 68 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.

Comments

  1. Kango Suz says

    February 01, 2008 at 4:39 pm

    Way cool. When abroad there's just nothing like a soccer game. Seems like the universal pastime!

    Hey, a shout out- my blog is finally getting going over at startgo.com. Check it out if you've a chance! Mostly preping for travel type stuff, you know, but still exciting!

    -Kango Suz

  2. Kango Suz says

    February 01, 2008 at 9:39 pm

    Way cool. When abroad there's just nothing like a soccer game. Seems like the universal pastime!

    Hey, a shout out- my blog is finally getting going over at startgo.com. Check it out if you've a chance! Mostly preping for travel type stuff, you know, but still exciting!

    -Kango Suz

  3. Karl says

    July 17, 2008 at 9:22 am

    You think 33,000 is big. Melbourne Victory got 50,333 for our home game against Sydney. Melbourne Fans are loud, and known for there atmosphere. You want an atmosphere, COme to Melbourne and see the Big City Derby. Always big crowds and loud atmosphere!

  4. Karl says

    July 17, 2008 at 4:22 am

    You think 33,000 is big. Melbourne Victory got 50,333 for our home game against Sydney. Melbourne Fans are loud, and known for there atmosphere. You want an atmosphere, COme to Melbourne and see the Big City Derby. Always big crowds and loud atmosphere!

  5. Jann Numkena says

    October 29, 2010 at 5:25 am

    I absolutely adore reading your blog posts, the variety of writing is smashing.This blog as usual was educational, I have had to bookmark your site and subscribe to your feed in ifeed. Your theme looks lovely.

Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

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