Take a bow Melbourne! For a long time many in Australia have wanted to deny your claim to be the sporting capital of Australia, but last night many will now concede that you are.
The atmosphere that was created inside the MCG as Melbourne Victory played English Premier League side Liverpool looked truly awesome. The whole 95,446 in attendance singing the Liverpool anthem “You’ll never walk alone” will be something the players and everyone in attendance will never forget. For those of who were not in Melbourne we watched with pride the power of football.
The Western Australian government claimed they could not see the return on investment paying $1million for Liverpool to come to Perth. There is no way that Subiaco Oval could ever match the MCG on any level, but the spin off from last night will have been massive for Victoria. The scenes are being talked about globally, footage has been on television stations and on the internet, and with Liverpool TV going to hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the world the reach and the message that Melbourne is the place to be has been bellowed to the world.
Last night proved, as we suggested previously, that the All Star concept, as good as it may have sounded does not work, people would rather watch their club play a top club from another country; composite sides rarely have the same appeal.
Last night also proved that football and football fans need to be given more credit and respect in Australia. Football is a truly global game and what was achieved and witnessed last night is unlikely to be seen in any other sport or any other code of football, simply applaud it and accept it. Time for certain media outlets to stop protecting the Australian Rules legacy, and realise that times are changing, Australia is no longer as isolated as it was, we are part of the global sporting landscape and the new generation of Australians like that and want to be a part of it; especially night’s like last night!
For all those who were inside the MCG in whatever capacity it will undoubtedly be a night you will never forget. For many Liverpool fans who will never get to visit Anfield it must have been close to Nirvana. The only people who may in time be disappointed are those whose first game this was, especially small children, as it is unlikely they will ever experience anything like it again. However one thing that can be guaranteed, is that those children will never forget their first football match, and they will spend their lives watching the game recalling that moment, and waiting for it to be replicated.
