THE Melbourne Victory is keen to keep having home games in Geelong.<\/p>\n
Victory chief executive officer Trent Jacobs and head coach Kevin Muscat visited GMHBA Stadium last week ahead of the A League club\u2019s sixth competitive game at the venue, which will be against the Newcastle Jets on March 2.<\/p>\n
Mr Jacobs said the partnership between the soccer club and the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust was now five years old, and the Victory would look to extend it to a sixth year and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been really pleased with the engagement in Geelong, whether it\u2019s how we\u2019ve worked in the community with the relationships and partnerships we\u2019ve built with junior clubs and local schools, and we have a number of significant, long term partners based in Geelong, being WorkSafe and the TAC and others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe average about 15,000 by way of crowds down here, so for the first time we\u2019re now going to play a game in the month of March where I think we\u2019ll have a greater capacity to be able to connect with the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trust chief executive officer Michael Brown said the trust had hosted several events at the stadium in summer \u2013 including rugby league and Big Bash League \u2013 and had learned a lot as a result.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting people from holiday parks (to attend) is not as easy as probably even we thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Western Melbourne Group received its A-League licence in 2018 and will eventually play out of a new stadium in Wyndham, but has sounded out using GMHBA Stadium as a base in its early years.<\/p>\n
Mr Brown said there had been a meeting between the trust and the Western Melbourne Group but no agreements had been reached, and the trust was seeking further details.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re getting a really busy stadium; we\u2019ve had over 80 events a year. It\u2019s a matter of if we can assist, we will.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is an interim discussion \u2013 the trust, as a public body and funded by government, is dutybound to explore all options for the stadium, and we\u2019ll do that in the best possible faith we can.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Melbourne Victory is keen to keep having home games in Geelong. Victory chief executive officer Trent Jacobs and head coach Kevin Muscat visited GMHBA Stadium last week ahead of the A League club\u2019s sixth competitive game at the venue, which will be against the Newcastle Jets on March 2. Mr Jacobs said the partnership […]<\/p>\n