https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/football/aleague-victorian-derbies-being-saved-for-later-in-the-season/news-story/0839b9c390f0f240ff86b2bca3669e43VICTORIA could be starved of matches in the early stages of the A-League season to avoid games being played in near-empty stadiums.
As the majority of A-League clubs return to training ahead of the December 27 season start, Football Federation Australia is playing a waiting game with confirmation of fixtures due to different COVID-19-enforced restrictions in each state.One scenario that Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory and Western United are bracing themselves for is having to play several away games in the opening weeks of the season due to severe restrictions on crowd numbers in Victoria.
With more people allowed to watch games in the rest of Australia, City, Victory and United face several weeks on the road.And while they hope to be able return to Victoria after each match, City, Victory and United may have to travel back and forth on the days of games when flying in and out of Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide.
Playing a host of away games early would ensure all the Victorian derbies involving City, Victory and United would be contested in front of bigger crowds later in the season.
The Victorian situation is improving, some restrictions lifted, but there is still a lot of uncertainty, especially around big crowds and interstate travel, so I would think that the Dec 27 start date would see at least a tiny bit of displacement (in the best case scenario).