John Diduluca was on WIN News tonight talking about their plans to play pre-season friendlies in regional Victoria. The plan included staying down and conducting clinics with the local community and playing against local teams/players.
The spoke about Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland as the regions they were keen to target. Hopefully they go ahead with this plan is it could lead to a very good amount of supporters getting aboard.

That's a good read. Thanks. I hope they hold open training sessions, as a youth coach, I would really love to go and watch a Van't Schip training session.

Yep, that's fantastic too.

They said they were gonna target all areas and they will.

I am confident in their success, I mean look at the people running the show!

Wish you guys all the best. I haven't been following the Heart story closely because anything to do with Melbourne bores me to tears, but there are clear parallels with the birth of GCU a year ago and it's lovely to see all this passion on display.

I have to say, for me one of the best things about Gold Coast United was watching Miron pull the team together. You need some solid, versatile squad players who can do the job when called on (e.g. Fitzsimmons, Higgins) but you also need some big stars.

For us, Jason Culina was clearly pencilled in early but you never know until the ink is dry on the contract. Don't assume anything until you read some quotes, and even then don't assume too much - there are signed "agreements in principle" that are not necessarily "signed contracts". I recommend setting up Google News Alerts for any players you are tracking, so you can see what ppl are saying in other countries etc.

Enjoy reading the tea leaves, and stay positive! It's YOUR CLUB, if you want it.

Edited by GazGoldCoast: 3/2/2010 09:59:52 PM

Thanks for that Gaz.

I am not worried about negative peoples opinions (They are either jealous South fans or worried Victory fans below the age of 13), in fact I have never been more confident that this club will be a success.

I too cannot wait to see the squad come together, already I think we have made some brilliant signings in regards to squad players.

Matt Thompson, Dean Heffernan and Kristian Sarkies offer us a great start and the young guys brought in add to the philosophy of Van't Schip of giving youth a chance.

Our big stars will come. I am sure Van't Schip and John Diduluca with their contacts will be able to pull of something massive.

As I said, confident, very confident.

Edited by HeartAttack: 3/2/2010 09:53:23 PM

Seriously, even if I was a NQ Fury fan this year, it would still be 100 times better than following the Roar!!! :lol:

Having your own team is priceless, and you don't actually HAVE to win the league to enjoy it.

But (assuming we are at least close) it sure helps!

PS: Wanna buy Clive Palmer off us? Please???! :lol:

Heart Attack,

Thanks for the article about van't Schip. It was very interesting. I think the Heart are so lucky to have this guy on board, along with Jesper Olsen as an assistant. Would be a great learning curve for Ante Milicic, no doubt? And funny to think that he wasn't the Heart's first choice as coach! Anyway, I'm hopeful they will play some good football, for the sake of the A-League.

While the debate continues about the strip, I would like to see them in an Ajax-like kit - and not just because of the van't Schip link. The Ajax shirt is iconic, synonymous with positive and intelligent football. If the Heart chose this strip, it would be making a bold statement: that they intend to attack, keep possession of the ball, and dictate how the game is played.

First of all, no worries about the article, just saw it today and thought I would share it amongst The Heart Faithful.

I think the coaching staff is the best in the league, and I don't say that lightly. Really, the quality is a step up from what we have seen. Really looking forward to what they put forward.

Yeah the Ajax strip is cool, I like the Feyenoord one better though. I still thinks Hoops is the way to go like Bayern Munich, but I believe they will go with stripes. Whatever they choose I will be happy with and support them.

The Heart will intend to attack, keep possession of the ball and dictate how the game is played. It's the Ajax way, and we will play the A-League version of it. ;)

So true; can't wait for Rovers. This also applies greatly to the HAL, and even NSL fans should be able to appreciate this... having your own league to follow is priceless, and it doesn't have to be the greatest quality to enjoy it.

Yeah. As long as there is beer.

Some more great news on our website:

http://melbourneheartsyn.com/default.aspx?s=aleague_newsdisplay&id=32369

Looks like some new signings have been tied up and will be announced in due course. Having 12 players on our books by the end of the month will be fantastic, I imagine that's when the strip will be finalised and more media attention will be given.

Also heard that Westpac was going to be a major sponsor of the club! What a get that is! If true it would show our intent from the very start by having one of the big banks back us, and also being red and white it should look pretty cool on the strip! Hope it ends up being true.

So again, more positive news for the Heart faithful. :d

If you stare at the logo long enough then look at a blank wall, it comes out fluresent green and hovers in the air. Try it :cool:
It kind of reminds me of a viking helmet in a way.
Maybe they could be called the Vikings as a nickname. (or the Spartans or Gladiators)
They would make for a great cardboard mask for merchandising if you think of the logo in 3 dimensions.
Really love the logo.

Edited by jollyrodger: 4/2/2010 04:38:52 PM

noticed that the MH logo is finally on the a-league website. sitting up there with all the others, it stands out quite nicely. you can't really read the words but it stands out. it's surprising that the adelaide logo doesn't contain more red. i know it's been around five years or so but i've never really thought about it.

Needs to be bigger but yes is a striking logo compared to others.

I personally like the logo.

Yeah considering they are called "The Reds" I thought it would be more red when it came out.

http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2010/02/05/143611_geelong_sports.html

New A-League club out to capture Geelong's heart

February 5th, 2010

INCOMING A-League side Melbourne Heart is set to launch a PR offensive to woo Geelong soccer fans with plans to stage matches at Skilled Stadium and at local clubs.

Set to join the competition next summer, the Heart - which officially unveiled its name and logo this week - said it was looking to reach out to fans beyond Melbourne, with Geelong a key target market.

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Heart's CEO Scott Munn revealed that the club has held talks with AFL premier Geelong over the use of Skilled Stadium for a glamour friendly fixture.

"We are planning activities in regional Victoria and we want a practice match in the Geelong area," Munn said.

"We've had dialogue with (Geelong Cats CEO) Brian Cook about that. It would be an international friendly against Celtic or someone like that. It won't necessarily be this season, but it will definitely be something we will explore."

Munn added the club was committed to a practice match against a representative Geelong side in the city during the middle of the year.

"We've had conversations with the FFV about a friendly against a regional Geelong team," he said. "The match would probably be held at North Geelong Warriors' ground. "It would be a fantastic opportunity for fans to see A-League players in action.

"We want to make sure, though, that when we come into Geelong, we're not fly-by-nights. We will spend three or four days in Geelong to engage with the local community, businesses and fans."

[size=7]The Heart's cause to woo fans away from A-League rivals Melbourne Victory should be boosted if they can sign Geelong soccer star Josip Skoko as its marquee player.[/size]

Skoko, the former Socceroo, is poised to end his contract with Croatian heavyweight Hajduk Split and has indicated his desire to return to Melbourne after 15 years in Europe.

The 33-year-old has met with Heart coach John van't Schip to discuss the possibility of ending his career with the A-League newcomers.

Melbourne Heart's knowledge of the Geelong area will undoubtedly be boosted by the presence of John Didulica, who has been appointed football operations manager of the club.

Didulica, who played in the NSL for Sydney United and Melbourne Knights, has a law practice in Geelong and was a former soccer columnist for the Geelong Advertiser. In recent years, he has acted as legal counsel for the FFA.

"John in a Geelong boy and we are delighted that we have him as an ambassador," Munn said.

Munn said that Melbourne Heart had a target of at least 7500 members when it joins the A-League next season.

Skoko as Marquee I hope that is a joke!

Yosip Skoko would be a great signing - but not as a marquee. There are a lot of Croatian links at Heart, aren't there?

Skoko would be a wonderful signing, but not as a marquee.

He would provide great leadership and experience to our squad.

Certainly will attract some fans too because of his name, but we can do better for a marquee.

I have a feeling we will get both Skoko and Viduka, and that would suit me down to the ground. Both have a good relationship also and would certainly put us on the map.

Bloody hell - I WISH we'd see both Skoko and Viduka playing in the red and white. I think it unlikely, but I'll be hopeful.

I love that you guys all like the logo, but so many of you having the same avatar and the same opinions makes it look like multi-posts. ;)

Corny is it?

Edited by notveryclever: 6/2/2010 09:38:41 PM

Looks like Josip Skoko is going to be signed by us.

To me it is wonderful news. He is a tremendous player with vast experience and leadership potential.

If he does indeed sign, it looks like that would signal Mark Viduka, his very close friend to sign aswell. If we were able to get both of them it would do great things for the club, both on the field and off it also.

Hopefully some news comes to hand this week.

If Muscat can still play, based primarily on his ability to read the game, then I'd imagine Skoko has a good 3 or 4 years left in him at A-League level.

I would definitely agree with that.

I would expect him to be our inaugural captain too.

would be a cert.

Hey MelbourneHeart, reckon you could grab all the heart related images, logo, userbars, etc and put them up on the opening post?

Just found this website for all us Heart Supporters!!

www.melbheartfc.net

Looks pretty good. Well set out.

Who's admin?

how long until chris is on there?! hahah

Turns out he's the admin.