More public venues could open for Melburnians to watch the Socceroos’ historic World Cup knockout round match as Federation Square risks overflowing on Sunday morning when Australia takes on Argentina.
Federation Square was in a state of bedlam in the early hours of Thursday when about 8000 fans watched the Socceroos record a 1-0 victory against Denmark on its big screen.
Fans celebrate as Mathew Leckie scores during the Socceroos’ World Cup match against Denmark.
Australia will now progress past the group stage for only the second time and play Argentina at 6am on Sunday in a clash that is likely to draw even bigger crowds and could test Fed Square’s 10,000-person capacity.
Premier Daniel Andrews said on Thursday that more “live sites” were being considered around the city to accommodate more fans.
“There are some discussions going on, not just about other venues, but planning and making sure that Fed Square is as safe and fit for purpose as possible, given the expected crowd,” Andrews said.
Michael O’Leary, deputy chief executive of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation, which manages Fed Square, said the turnout by Socceroos fans had been “large and passionate”.
Melburnians celebrating in Federation Square earlier this morning.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
“An equally large crowd is expected for Sunday morning’s match and Fed Square will continue to have safety measures in place including a strong police presence, increased security, first aid and assistance,” O’Leary said.
“Fans will also be directed to visit other venues. There are great venues around the city opening up early to show the game.”
Security at Federation Square had been beefed up with temporary fencing for Denmark, following wild scenes there when Australia marked up a win against Tunisia on Saturday night.
Some fans let off flares when winger Mathew Leckie scored the Socceroos’ winning goal on Thursday morning, temporarily obscuring the screen for spectators at the rear of the square.
Fans are seen at Federation Square on Thursday morning. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
A spokeswoman for the Melbourne Cricket Club said the MCG could not host soccer fans on Sunday morning because it would still be loading out ageing rockers Guns N’ Roses after their concert the night before.
Docklands Stadium (Marvel) is also unavailable while it installs its pitch for the summer cricket season and undertakes stadium renovations. AAMI Stadium, Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena are all part of the state government-run Melbourne & Olympic Parks precincts. The government would not elaborate on where it was considering for new venues.
Michael Cursio is one die-hard fan hoping for more public viewing sites. The Maidstone United Soccer Club president was at Federation Square for Australia’s World Cup qualifying victory over Uruguay in 2005 and said he was considering bringing his three children there for Sunday’s match.
“The only concern I would have is, are we going to have enough space?” he said. “It’s probably reached its limit. So if there was the opportunity to have more, wider open spaces to do it, that’d be great.”
Maribyrnong City Council was the only local government contacted on Thursday which said it had had organised public screenings of Socceroos’ games. It will erect a large screen at Railway Reserve in Footscray for Sunday’s clash.
Apparently inspired by the ebullient scenes in Melbourne, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet promised on Thursday to set up a live site in Sydney for the clash against Argentina.
Federation Square was closed as a venue for live broadcasts during the 2010 World Cup, due to fears it could not handle crowds of more than 15,000. A live screen was instead set up in the nearby Birrarung Marr park next to the Yarra.
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