A-League football clubs these days comprise multiple teams and require multiple facilities. A club’s physical infrastructure influences everything from club culture to team performance. After 20 years of A-League football, many of the clubs have been forward thinking in their infrastructure arrangements, others have not…
Where does your club rank in terms of its facilities, and where can it improve?
Let’s take a look at Melbourne City.
Current Set Up
All of Melbourne City’s football operations are currently held at the City Football Academy in Casey, with the exception of ALM home matches which are held at AAMI Park. The City Football Academy comprises five pitches (including a soon to be completed 4,000 capacity show pitch) and an administration building. All ALW home matches are expected to be played at the City Football Academy once the show pitch is completed.
History of Set Up
Melbourne Heart were originally based out of substandard facilities at La Trobe University. Once the team was acquired by the City Football Group though, the facility enjoyed a $15m upgrade.
The La Trobe Facility only had limited ability to host matches though, so the club’s women’s team played home games at various venues across Melbourne including CB Smith Reserve, John Ilhan Memorial Reserve and Frank Holohan Reserve. The Youth teams also played games at various venues including Parade College in Bundoora.
In 2018 the Team 11 South East Melbourne A-League bid (which proposed a facility based in Casey) was not accepted into the A-League, however the bid team presented their work to the Melbourne City Football club with the intention of attracting an A-League club to the area. In 2020 Melbourne City announced they would in fact leave their La Trobe University base for a new facility in Casey, thus the City Football Academy in Casey was born.
Melbourne City have always played their ALM home matches at AAMI Park. The venue was selected for its amenity and central location.
Assessment of Set Up
The Melbourne City set up is perfect of the club.
The City Football Academy in Casey allows all teams and administration to be under one roof and allows for a one club mentality and synergies.
Melbourne City control of the venue also ensures future upside, including fan events and ultimate flexibility for training and matches. This could also allow future fixturing opportunities such as relocated ALM games, which may avoid situations such as when the club played an ACL game at Princess Park.
The venue also provides Melbourne City a defined catchment in the growing South East, an area synonymous with sporting talent in Melbourne. Although public transport is not easily accessible the current facility and parking options support the club’s current size and intended use of the facility.
AAMI Park may be too large for Melbourne City but the facility serves the club well with excellent transport, amenity and growth upside.
Notes and considerations
South East Melbourne has long lacked a team at the national level and represents Melbourne’s second major hub outside the CBD. The genesis of Melbourne’s second A-League bid (Melbourne Heart) initially planned to base itself there, and the Team 11 bid showed continued need for high level football in the region.
The support of a local council is critical in the existence of the facility, as is the outer suburb location which allows for a larger facility that can support all club activities. This model is also followed by large European teams, which often play home games centrally, but train in the outer suburbs.
Melbourne City also benefit from the City Football Group approach which has built and funded facilities across the world in a similar fashion and also enjoyed an understanding of world class standards. The group’s funding capacity is also noteworthy, in that it has helped to fund not one, but two facilities including La Trobe, and was happy to walk away from its initial $15m facility simply because the Casey opportunity was better! This is not a luxury any other A-League team can enjoy.
Gaps and Opportunities
The eventual completion of the show pitch will be a welcome addition. The major opportunities for the club include entrenching itself in the South East, with a possible stadium in Dandenong even considered by State Government. One would need to consider though if the club would actually support this, considering AAMI Park allows for the club to attract a larger geographical catchment of fans due to its better transport links.
Ratings
Overall Ranking: 1st out of 12
Overall Rating: A+
Melbourne City top the TBG rankings with a set up that perfectly supports the club’s current operations and allows for future growth and development.
The Beautiful Game 