After a hugely successful inaugural season, the Victory League is back to excite Tasmanian sports fans in 2014.
After a hugely successful inaugural season, the Victory League is back to excite Tasmanian sports fans in 2014.
The Victory League took Tasmania by storm in 2013, with the state-s top eight football clubs competing in a statewide competition backed by A-League giants Melbourne Victory.
In its first year, the Victory League produced some major highlights and recorded some historic moments, with Tilford Zebras Adam McKeown netting seven goals in a single match, South Hobart-s Kostas Kanakaris scoring Australia-s fastest ever hat-trick and South Hobart hosting the first ever National Premier Leagues (NPL) Final. The League also boasted the appearance of two former Socceroos in Danny Allsopp and Zeljko Kalac.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) CEO David Gallop was in Tasmania to launch the Victory League-s second season.
Speaking at the launch, Mr. Gallop said the Victory League had demonstrated the power of the National Premier Leagues competition.
“It-s terrific to be in Tasmania for the launch of the 2014 Victory League.
“The Victory League is one of eight of our exciting National Premier Leagues competitions across the country, and as such the Victory League forms an integral part of the Australian football landscape and the feeding pool of talented players to the A-League,” said Mr. Gallop.
“2013 was a great year for football in Tasmania with some historic moments.
“Victory League club South Hobart reached the final, showing the power of the National Premier Leagues competition, seeing the country hone in on Tasmania for a national final, giving Tasmanian football a chance to match themselves against others from around the country.”
“We look forward to seeing the Victory League kick back into action again in 2014 and once again show Tasmanian crowds the beautiful game that is football,” Mr. Gallop said.
Melbourne Victory CEO Ian Robson said the club was thrilled with the success of the league in it-s first year and was proud to support the Victory League as it continued to raise the bar for Tasmanian football.
“Our commitment to Tasmania remains strong and we were thrilled to be part of the Victory League-s overwhelming success in its first season,” Mr. Robson said.
The Victory League averaged attendances of 330 spectators per match in 2013, including a maximum crowd of 1200.
“We saw unprecedented media coverage, great attendances and some high quality football throughout last season and expect the league to reach even greater heights in 2014.
“As the Victory League grows, we-ll no doubt see an increase in the standard of talent on display, which we hope will lead to some young players earning A-League contracts in the not too distant future like Hobart born goalkeeper Jerrad Tyson at the Western Sydney Wanderers FC.”
CEO Richard Welsh said FFT were excited by the prospect of the statewide league-s second season.
“In 2013, we set a standard for what football can be in this state, this year the clubs and FFT are looking to lift the bar even further,” said FFT CEO Richard Welsh.
The 2014 Victory League fixture is an enticing one with four double headers and major feature matches on Anzac Day and Good Friday.
“The off-season saw some interesting player movement and the birth of some new rivalries to add further spice to the league,” added Mr. Welsh.
The Victory League launch also includes the launch of a new promotional video for the league and the unveiling of all eight team-s home and away strips. As well as the launch of some new digital initiatives, including a new dedicated Victory League website, Victory League Radio - an online radio channel, and a regular football program called ‘Tassie-s Football Fix- to be housed on news.com.au and FFT-s YouTube Channel.
“Working with our eight clubs, we-ve implemented a number of new initiatives for 2014, which will give fans a closer experience to the world game and will see some truly exciting football in Tasmania,” said Mr. Welsh.
The action on the pitch kicks off next Friday with Glenorchy Knights taking on reigning Champions South Hobart from 8:00PM at the home of football, KGV Football Park. The first double header follows the next day with Tilford Zebras tackling Devonport and Olympia facing the Kingborough Lions at KGV, with the action kicking off from 4:30PM.