Victory To Cash In On Juve Friendly
Melbourne Victory look set to secure an off-season financial bonus from next month’s friendly against Italian giants Juventus
A sell-out crowd of 55,000 is expected at the Telstra Dome on May 30, which could see Victory receive in excess of $500,000 (AUD) while Juventus would collect something in the vicinity of $1 million after the clubs agreed to split the gate money 40-60.
At least 30,000 patrons must turn up at Docklands if Victory are to break even, but with Melbourne’s strong Italian population and Juve’s promise of bringing a full-strength squad, the prospect of a full house is very realistic – especially as there are no Australian Football League (AFL) games taking place in the city that evening.
While Gianluigi Buffon, Mauro Camoranesi, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alessandro Del Piero are as yet unconfirmed due to commitments to the Italian national team, the likes of French striker David Trezeguet and Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved are definitely booked in for the trip Down Under.
Major Step
Nonetheless, Victory officials are expecting the worldwide appeal of Juventus to draw a big crowd regardless of who they field on the night.
"Juventus is one of the all-time great clubs in the world, so we are hoping it will be a major sporting event for Melbourne," Victory chairman Geoff Lord said.
"For us, it's a major step. In three years we've tried to build this club into something that's important to this city."
First Of Many
The A-League club was able to secure the potentially lucrative fixture thanks to support from Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Melbourne general secretary Luca Battollo and local business Give Me Football, among various contributing parties.
And Lord hopes Victory can make an annual event of hosting big clubs from across the globe.
"We hope this will be the first of numerous events," Lord said.
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