Deakin crowd ‘a fantastic start’ in attracting future games

 

By Teo Pellizzeri

November 9 2009

Shepparton News

A crowd of 547 at Deakin Reserve to watch W-League on Saturday night has been described as a "fantastic start" by Football Federation Victoria chief executive Mark Rendell.

Shepparton became the first nonmetropolitan centre to host a W-League fixture with the weekend match and has been earmarked by Rendell as a potential destination for another game next season.

Playing on the modified AFL ground, Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC drew 1-1 in front of a crowd more like 400 at kick-off that grew steadily during the first half.

The standalone record for a W-League fixture not packaged with the national youth league or as a curtain-raiser for an A-League match was set at the Veneto Club in Bulleen the previous Saturday when the figure was 620.

"You always hope for a bigger crowd, you're never satisfied until the gate's closed and a sold-out sign is up," Rendell said.

"Women's sport is always a challenge to get spectators to, to get 600-odd tonight is a fantastic start."

Rendell said a rectangular boutique stadium in Shepparton that could hold at least 3000 people would be the ideal and would open the door to more highlevel soccer matches coming to the city.

"We like bringing football to regional areas and Shepparton has started it with the W-League, so we'll work with Shepparton before we go anywhere else," Rendell said.

"The quality of the field barring the cricket pitch area, the lights, atmosphere and ambience of the ground is what you're looking for with any sort of elite sport."

Goulburn North East Football Association president Frank Trimboli had targeted a crowd of 500 to 1000 as a pass mark for the W-League match.

He was yesterday surprised to hear the official figure, saying he believed it to be more than 700 people.

Trimboli said a good next target for a Shepparton match would be a high level male match such as a youth international.