Trio of blockbusters heading West

THREE mammoth matches will hit the West this month, as Western United play on their new home pitch for the first time.

Western United will notch another historic milestone on the weekend, with the Tarneit home opener locked in for the Isuzu UTE A-League Men side at the new Regional Football Facility.

After the Liberty A-League Women team opened the venue in March, the men will take on Macarthur FC today at 3.30pm, in their first match at the Tarneit stadium.

A bumper crowd of more than 2,000 people were in attendance for the women’s match, and the venue is set to welcome even more people this time around for another special occasion.

The team moved in for training two weeks ago, and have immediately got to work at the new home base.

Speaking on day one of training in Tarneit, Western United manager John Aloisi said taking to the pitch for the first time had been a long time coming.

“It was great, you could just see the lift of the players, the energy today…we’re home, that’s what we’ve been waiting for for so long, and we’ve been looking forward to it for so long. I can’t wait for us to play our first game here.

“We know that we’ll get used to it as quickly as possible, and we know that when this place is full there will be an unbelievable atmosphere for us…and the players are looking forward to that.

“We’re hoping there’ll be a big crowd when we play here for the first time on Saturday, and we’ll try and make sure we put on a good show on and off the pitch, and get people really excited.”

Following the match against Macarthur, the Green and Black family will be treated to two matches within four days, starting with a clash against reigning Champions, Central Coast Mariners, on April 13, before a blockbuster against Adelaide United on April 16.

Kick-off for the Mariners encounter is set for 3.30pm, while the Adelaide fixture will see the Regional Football Facility in all its glory under lights for the first time, beginning at 7pm.

Tickets are now on sale for the Macarthur match, and the football family of the West can also get purchasing with a three-game membership package for just $45 for adults, and $18 for children.

And it’s not just football on offer, with a family-friendly festival in store including games, giveaways, drummers, and the fan-favourite Brazilian barbecue.

For more information and tickets, head to wufc.com.au