Australian soccer is set to benefit from the success of the International Champions Cup.
The tournament (ICC), a series of round-robin friendly matches between three of the world’s top soccer teams, has fixed Melburnians’ attention on the sport.
The past fortnight saw three soccer heavyweights – Real Madrid, AS Roma and Manchester City – arrive to the delight of eager fans.
ICC organisers were overwhelmed with the enthusiasm shown as more than 200,000 tickets were purchased, with more than half sold to interstate or overseas supporters.
Chief soccer journalist at The Australian, Ray Gatt, is adamant the sport can only profit from the glorified friendlies.
“It is better to have these games than not,” he said.
“The exposure in terms of media coverage both locally and internationally can only be of benefit.”
AS Roma captain Francesco Totti and coach Rudi Garcia in a press conference on Friday.
Melbourne played host to the likes of Italian soccer icon Francesco Totti and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo as the three sides tried to boost their global brand down-under.
ICC Media Liaison Officer, Matthew Lodge, believes their appearances are also a positive for the younger supporters and players of the game.
“For soccer fans to get so close to some of the world’s best players … it’s inspiring for [the] younger generation, who are the catalysts for growth [in the game],” he said.
According to Victorian Minister for Sport John Eren at the Madrid unveiling, similar sporting events have been estimated to contribute around $1.8 billion to the local economy.
While Mr Gatt says the benefits for the nation and sport outweigh the negatives, he admits soccer will never overtake the popularity of the AFL.
“The fact that we are so far from the hub of the world game makes it difficult [to overtake the AFL’s popularity],” he said.
“[The fact that] our very best players don’t play in the A-League is also a drawback.”
“The AFL is still very strong and will always be, especially in Melbourne,” he said.
Lodge agrees and maintains the AFL will continue to be the public’s favourite game until similar soccer pre-season events are treated with more intensity by participating teams.
But he insists the soccer community must unite to capitalise on the success of the tournament.
“It will be up to the FFA [Football Federation Australia], football media and football fans to try and continue the momentum of recent exposure and attention,” he said.
On Friday, City and Madrid will play the closing fixture of the pre-season tournament which is expected to attract a record-breaking crowd of 95,000 to hallowed MCG pitch.
