Melbourne Seeking Derby Bragging Rights

Saturday night will mark the eighth A-League derby between Melbourne clubs Victory and Heart, a fixture that in it’s short existence has already proved to be the season’s marquee match up for fans of both teams.  The round one opener between the two sides back in October attracted a crowd of 42,032 to Etihad Stadium, the largest attendance of the season so far and a clear endorsement of the rivalry that has been created.

It’s no secret that the tribalism of the game is it’s most useful tool in galvanising support and this concept is certainly not lost on the A-League hierarchy who actively pump up rivalries between clubs through canny fixturing.  Over the years, perhaps even more than seeking to satisfy the needs of a particular geographical market, the expansion of the league has been based on creating neighbourhood bouts, purely because of the instant “us versus them” basis for identity.

In the early years, as the club with the largest and most active supporter base, it was Victory’s match ups with traditional rivals in Sydney and Adelaide that stirred up the most passion.  With the flames between those clubs steadily burning and a brand new specialty football stadium ready to go, Melbourne Heart became the next log to be thrown on the fire, instantly catching alight.    

Since arriving on the scene in 2010 to forge the league’s first intra-city match up, the derby nature of their clashes has enabled them to consistently fill their shared home base at AAMI Park and create the kind of lively atmosphere that doubles as the perfect advertisement to neutrals.  Despite Heart’s lean crowd averages, the match up with Victory has never failed to draw the masses and it’s to these masses that football types pin their hopes of capturing the imagination of the wider public.

Last week up north, the Sydney derby between the Sky Blues and new kids on the block the Wanderers provided the kind of attention grabbing atmosphere that will have had Frank Lowy and league CEO David Gallop smiling in their sleep.  Given the region’s importance as a spiritual home to the sport in this country, there were concerns that the decision to usher in Western Sydney on the short notice of Gold Coast United’s demise could prove disastrous for the long term future of the league if it failed to work out.

But thanks largely to the coup of signing Tony Popovic as manager and the vocality of their already infamous Red and Black Bloc active supporter base the gamble of the rush job seems to be paying off. For the first seven seasons Victory’s Blue and White Brigade has been peerless in providing a virtual extra man on the field for the club but now we might finally being seeing the emergence of a contender for that mantle.

There are no apologies made for the fact the Melbourne and Sydney derbies are a manufactured form of rivalry, but that the fans are speaking in support of both in their droves says much for the “If you build it they will come” method.  While the naysayers scoff at the lack of history on which to base their passion, the pro-active fans who want to create their own are out in force. 

Time will tell whether Heart’s handicap of a bully-ish big brother 5 years their senior proves too big a shadow to escape but for now it’s their clashes with Victory that are the foundation on which to build an identity.  That ‘little brother’ has managed 3 wins to Victory’s 1 from their meetings so far won’t sit well with the blue team but it’s precisely this kind of early niggle that has gotten the blood pumping between Melbourne’s opposing fans and players. 

Come Saturday night as Sydney takes it’s turn to watch, it will become a matter of state pride that the two Melbourne clubs and their fans put on a show to reaffirm this fixture’s billing as the A-League’s main event.  Bragging rights will be fought out not only between Heart and Victory but between this country’s two biggest cities. It’s exactly what the men upstairs will have hoped for and can only provide another kick in establishing the code as a major player in the Australian sporting landscape. 

Melbourne Heart vs Melbourne Victory

Saturday December 22 @ AAMI Park

Kickoff 7.45pm