A-LEAGUE COMES TO BENDIGO
In what is a major coup for Bendigo this week, it has been chosen to host an A-League pre-season fixture between rivals Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United.
The Hyundai A-League which is set to kick off its inaugural season in the first week of August this year is seen as being the great hope for football in this country to finally realise its true potential after many years of suffering. 
Quality players including current socceroos have been lured back to Australian shores for this competition and there is also a handful of classy foreigners, including some with national team caps coming down under to compete. Loads of money has been injected into the game which will help improve the standard and patient approach to not rush into things should pay off with the league running more like a well oiled machine compared to old old NSL.
Bendigo has been chosen to host this match due to the governing body barring A-League clubs from competing against each other outside official FFA and A-League sanctioned competitions however a special allowance was made if the game was to be played at a country venue.
It is recommend that the Bendigo community gets heavily behind this match to show support for new look Australian football and justify the decision to play that match here, which will also help the chance of more matches in years to come. These are two quality teams that will be well worth seeing as this is surely the highest profile football match Bendigo has ever hosted.

Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United
Latrobe University Athletics Complex, Retreat Rd Flora Hill
Saturday 25 June
Kick-off 3 pm
Admission: Gold coin donation

(9-6-05)