So, the fixture for the upcoming season is finally out. It's got typos, and absurd clashes. It's also got the N.T.C. - the National Training Curriculum - in there as well; speculation has been simmering during the offseason that the Victory's youth would be included, and it appears that at least some of the players from that squad will be participating in this scheme.
So what does that mean? Probably trips to Darebin. In midweek. Not sure about their 'away' matches, which are also scheduled for midweek. Not that anyone makes a mint in this competition, but it's probably going to be like the AIS farce all over again on so many levels. Being a development squad, like the AIS, they'll probably be fielding squads whose quality will differ wildly from week to week, compromising the integrity of the competition. Like the AIS, they'll bring no more fans than a few family members. And like the AIS, their players will probably be likely targets for the A-League, including the Melbourne Heart franchise.
The behind the scenes people at South are reportedly quite unhappy with the draw. Altona away round 1? Northcote City gets it's wish to have their 50th anniversary game against us in round 3, which we were apparently in favpur of, and to which I have no objection. .The big drawing games, Thunder, Knights, Bergers, don't get their late summer/early autumn run at Lakeside - instead we get Bentleigh and Green Gully. No mention of where we'll play our remaining home games yet - though the Olympic Park solution has appeared to be a fait accompli for some time now. Not sure yet either how many games we'll get at Lakeside - the general reasoning was for 2-3 at the most. And Sunshine Georgies away to finish off - I'll give them credit for that one, but it really was a no brainer.
Apart from the midweek shenanigans, there's an extra Friday night game, with the return of Bentleigh, which will please the drunken lout element. Newcomers Northcote have opted for Saturday afternoons. There's Monday night games, courtesy of the Georgies who are playing at Knights Stadium this year after they farewell Chaplin Reserve last year by losing to Preston, but we miss out on that because we play them in the final round. A few teams are seemingly having a bet each with the fixture, different days and times being thrown in without a clear sense of direction, other than perhaps skimping on lighting bills against smaller teams. And all our home games, except for some reason the Heidelberg match, are at 5pm. Which will probably result in traffic jams outside the MCG if we are indeed playing out of Olympic Park - but otherwise provide convenience for those of our fans who like to double dip.
Lastly, the breaks. Orthodox Easter falls on the same weekend as Catholic/Protestant Easter this year, allowing the FFV to avoid dealing with one of the more unique cultural fixture concerns to the Victorian soccer calendar. The Queen's Birthday long weekend has been left open. And we all get nearly a month off in late June, early July, maybe for catch up games, or maybe because we'll all be sleep deprived after watching night after night of world cup action.
Round 1
28 February 3:00 PM, Altona Magic vs South Melbourne, Paisley Park
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
18 April 3:00 PM, Melbourne Knights vs South Melbourne, Knights Stadium
Round 8
25 April 3:00 PM, Hume City vs South Melbourne, Broadmeadows Valley Park
30 April 8:30 PM, Richmond vs South Melbourne, Kevin Bartlett Reserve
Round 10
Round 11
16 May 5:00 PM, South Melbourne vs Sunshine Georgies, Bob Jane Stadium
19 May 8:30 PM, N.T.C. vs South Melbourne, To Be Confirmed
23 May 5:00 PM, South Melbourne vs Altona Magic, Bob Jane Stadium
28 May 8:30 PM, Bentleigh Greens vs South Melbourne, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
6 June 5:00 PM, South Melbourne vs Northcote City, Bob Jane Stadium
20 June 3:00 PM, Green Gully Cavaliers vs South Melbourne Green Gully Reserve View
Round 16
Round 18
18 July 5:00 PM, South Melbourne vs Melbourne Knights, Bob Jane Stadium
25 July 5:00 PM, South Melbourne vs Hume City, Bob Jane Stadium
1 August 5:00 PM, South Melbourne vs Richmond, Bob Jane Stadium
Round 21
Round 22
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