Victory go for gold

Melbourne Victory has gone for gold in its search for AFC Champions League glory, with the club dropping the Victory 'V' in favour of a gold trim for the tournament which kicks off next month.

AFC regulations stipulate numbers must be worn on the front and back, meaning the traditional Victory 'V' has had to make way. But the distinctive difference is that the Victory will sport gold on their shoulders.

FFA has encouraged teams involved in the Champions League to sport gold to symbolise the prestige of the competition.

"It's something a bit special this tournament. We wanted to make a change, so it's a little bit of a change for our strip. The boys look great, and they are looking forward to it," Victory CEO Geoff Miles said.

Miles is expecting the passionate Victory fans to embrace the Champions League campaign, and is hoping for a crowd of over 40,000 to the opening match against Chunnam Dragons on March 12 at Telstra Dome.

"Yesterday (Tuesday), we had our first sales to our members and we sold over 10,000 tickets on our first day to our platinum and gold members. That exceeded our expectations for day one. There's no doubt that our members offer fantastic support for the club and the Melbourne public have got right behind the club."

"We'd be very hopeful we could get into 40,000 range for these games. Who know, we may even be able to sell a game out. Who would have believes we'd get 50,000 in a home and away game in the Hyundai A-League but we did that. Anything's possible," he said.

He expects around 1000 Victory fans to travel to Thailand for the first away match against Chonburi FC on March 19.

Miles is confident that the Victory have the preparation to go deep into the competition, and the efforts of Sydney and Adelaide in last year's campaign offered considerable encouragement.

"I think last year, Sydney and Adelaide did very well and Sydney went very close to winning their group. Who knows what could have happened? There's no doubt an Australian team getting through the group stage will really make a difference," he said.

Miles said the club had presented with an opportunity to take the Victory brand into Asia, and for the club to expand its fan base internationally.

"It's a huge opportunity for the club and the city of Melbourne to be on stage in one of the biggest tournaments in the world. The television audience is massive in Asia. It's a huge opportunity for us and for our sponsor Samsung, and others," he said.