Ask any Melbourne Victory fan and they’ll say there’s little doubt they aren’t only the biggest and best club in Melbourne, but the entire Hyundai A-League.
And it’s a pretty strong case given the club’s success since the league’s inception in 2005/06.
Why?
No club has appeared in more Hyundai A-League grand finals than the Big V (five), while their three Championships is equal first with Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC.
Their strong foundation was built in the early years of the competition, winning two of the first four titles.
And they did it playing some sublime football.
Led by the likes of Kevin Muscat [former captain and now coach of the club], Archie Thompson, Danny Allsopp and Adrian Leijer, Victory won the 2007 decider by a record score of 6-0 over Adelaide United.
Thompson’s five-goal haul in that GF remains one of the great Hyundai A-League individual performances ever.
Under the wily Ernie Merrick, still going strong in the Hyundai A-League now at Newcastle Jets, they backed it up two years later, again at the expense of the Reds.
And they’ve been able to consolidate themselves as a leader in the Hyundai A-League from that point on.
They made it a third Premiership-Championship double in 2015 and it was only a penalty shootout defeat to Sydney FC last season that denied the club an historic fourth title.
But it’s not just on the field that Victory is strong. They are the best-supported team in the competition with close to 25,000 members.
And they have huge corporate backing, making them probably the most profitable club in the Hyundai A-League as well.
Who do you choose on Derby Day in Melbourne?
