Danny Tiatto, Mark Rendell, Melissa Barbieri at AAMI Park

Premier League coup: New major sponsor and Grand Finals at AAMI Park

Football Federation Victoria today announced that the Victorian Premier League and Women’s Premier League Grand Finals will be played at Victoria’s purpose-built football stadium, AAMI Park, on Saturday, September 11 2010.

In another exciting announcement for the Victorian Premier League, rapidly emerging Victorian sports apparel brand Alanic, has been announced as the naming rights partner of the VPL for the remainder of 2010 and 2011.

Alanic - VPL Naming Rights Sponsor

These announcements are a major coup for Victoria’s premier state league football competitions, and comes on the back of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and Australia’s bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Football Federation Victoria CEO, Mark Rendell, is delighted with the announcement.

“The AAMI Park precinct has a long history with football. Melbourne Olympic Park held a number of games way back in the 50’s, right through to the early 2000’s with the National League.

“By bringing the Premier League Grand Finals to AAMI Park we are recognising the spirit of the sport, and recognising the importance of both the Alanic Victorian Premier League and Women’s Premier League Grand Finals,” he said.

Mr Rendell said the announcement highlights FFV’s commitment to Premier League football in Victoria.

“Victoria’s best footballers will get to play on Victoria’s best facility on the biggest day in our event calendar – it’s exciting for everyone involved.

“FFV’s commitment to bringing the Grand Finals to AAMI Park shows that we’re committed to both the Alanic Victorian Premier League and Women’s Premier League as the premium events in Victorian football, and we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to AAMI Park to make it a great day for all involved.”

Mr Rendell said he hoped this would be an annual event on the sporting calendar.

“It’ll be a great day, it’s a great stadium, hopefully we’ll get a big crowd coming out here, and the players themselves will be able to put on a fantastic spectacle for a big crowd.”

“Our intention is to make it one of the big days on Victoria’s sporting calendar; we’re hoping to get a big crowd of Victorian football followers along to the Grand Final to make this a fantastic day for the four Grand Final teams and the two eventual winners, and we want to make this a long term investment in football.”

“We want to make this an annual event, we’re really looking forward to the day and hopefully all Victorian football fans will come out in force to show their support.”

On hand for the announcement was former Socceroos player and Melbourne Knights captain, Danny Tiatto, and Westfield Matildas’ captain and Box Hill star, Melissa Barbieri.

Danny Tiatto was thrilled that the Premier League Grand Final will be played on AAMI Park.

“It means a great deal I think for any footballer, aspiring young footballers, to play in a stadium like this,” he said.

“It’s a great surface and a great atmosphere which brings, when you’re playing, great competition.”

Tiatto and Barbieri both agreed that the stadium was one of the best they’d seen in the world.

“Definitely it’s one of the first great stadiums about in Australia, not just in Australia but in the world. I’ve played in many great stadiums but its right up there, just the facilities, the ground itself, and I think the atmosphere it’s going to bring to the game, it’s going to be phenomenal,” Tiatto said.

Barbieri said it would be an honour to be able to play on AAMI Park.

“To be honest it’s probably the first rectangular stadium I’ve ever played at...well hopefully, if we make the final I’ll be playing on it!” Barbieri said.

“I haven’t actually played on it, but by looking at it, it definitely looks like one of the better ones that I’ve ever seen. I only see them on the TV in England and watching the Premier League and how close the crowd is to the ground I’m just so excited to maybe get a chance to play on it,” she said.

“For women’s football in Victoria to play at AAMI Stadium it’s a tremendous honour, not only because its’ the first of its kind in a rectangular stadium, but it shows the girls that there are things that you can get just by playing a great sport, you can aspire to play for Australia, but you can also aspire to play at great stadiums.”

New sponsor Alanic will be investing heavily in promoting their association with the Victorian Premier League with a strong campaign of outdoor and television advertising. The advertising will focus on the 2010 Grand Final, and the launch of the Alanic Victorian Premier League season.

Alanic’s Managing Director, Tony Beig, is excited to be involved, and said the Alanic Victorian Premier League would form a key plank in Alanic’s aggressive growth plans moving forward.

“Our partnership with the Victorian Premier League positions Alanic as an elite football apparel brand,” Mr Beig said.

Mr Rendell is thrilled to have Alanic on board as the naming rights sponsor to Victoria’s Premier League competition.

“The 2010 Alanic VPL season has been one of the closest in recent history. Innovations including weekly live broadcasts of Alanic VPL games, live updates for every match on Facebook and Twitter along with Grand Finals at AAMI Park and a naming rights partner in Alanic, cement significant progress for the league this year,” he said.

The Premier League Grand Finals will be played on Saturday 11th September, with the women’s match kicking off at 3pm, and the men’s to follow at 7pm.

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