FFA Cup fixture: AAMI Park to host Hume City v Melbourne Victory semi final
October 8, 2015 - 6:31PM
Hume City's home FFA Cup semi-final against Melbourne Victory will be played at AAMI Park - not Etihad Stadium, as the Victorian state-league outfit had previously announced.
The match will be played on Wednesday, October 28, with the change of venue still ensuring Hume City, the last non-A-League club left in the Cup, will earn a sizeable figure from gate takings off the back of an expected crowd above 20,000.
Last week, Hume City said a deal had been done to take the game from their home fortress ABD Stadium, where all three of their previous FFA Cup wins took place, to Etihad Stadium, which has a bigger capacity than AAMI Park.
The club even released a press statement which included quotes from Etihad Stadium CEO Paul Sergeant, who said: "This is a great outcome for fans from grassroots fans to supporters of the elite game."
However, it's understood the agreement was reached without approval from FFA and was thus null and void, with the governing body in favour of playing the semi-final at AAMI Stadium, a venue it believes better reflects the ideals of the FFA Cup.
Regardless, Hume City stands to pick up an enormous sum for an NPL Victoria club courtesy of Victory's enormous fanbase, which could go close to filling the 30,050-capacity AAMI Park.
The winner of Hume and Victory will face either Perth Glory or Melbourne City, who face off at nib Stadium in the other semi on October 21, in the FFA Cup final on November 7.
Where the final will be played remains unknown - there is no set neutral ground for the FFA Cup decider, and the FFA has the power to stage the match wherever it believes it can get the best financial return.
