SO CLOSE TO DERBY AND YET SO FAR

The sight of Geelong's Aussie Rules Football Ground floodlights at Kardinia Park meant we were on Port Phillip Bay and already enjoying the first part of our Australian tour. What better then, than to find out that Melbourne City FC are playing Melbourne Victory in the local derby tomorrow? Victory are current champions and have held the A League title three times since the league was founded in 2004. The first Melbourne Derby took place on October 8th 2010, in front of nearly 26,000 at the AAMI sponsored stadium. Heart won 2-1. We should go.....no chance!

Ten teams take part in the league. Melbourne CIty FC founded in 2009 were once known as Melbourne Heart and changed their name in 2014. Melbourne Victory were founded in 2004 and have coach Kevin Muscat to guide them in front of consistently the largest crowds in the Hyundai A League.

Brisbane Roar (then Queensland Lions), Newcastle Jets, Adelaide United and Perth Glory existed as teams before the A League was formed. Add to these Central Coast Mariners, Sydney FC, Western Sydney Wanderers and New Zealand's Wellington Phoenix, then we have the complete make up of the A League.

I am not sure how successful this Antipodean league is going to be. It has been chugging along quietly for a number of years now but I cannot see any more big cities contributing teams and apart from building a pyramid, perhaps with Geelong and Noosa coming somewhere on the lower scale, the league is not going to take the world of soccer by storm. Here is the A League trophy, typically described tongue in cheek by the Aussies as the "Lavatory Seat".