Ipswich has scored a football coup with A-League heavyweights Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United to go head-to-head at the North Ipswich Reserve.
The pre-season friendly will kick-off at 2pm on Sunday 31 October.
Mayor Teresa Harding said the match will draw a bumper crowd to the North Ipswich Reserve, with between 5000 and 6000 fans expected for the Roar’s first visit to the city in five years.
“This is very exciting news for sports-mad Ipswich. The Roar and the Reds are two of the biggest names in national football and we get an early look at their title credentials before the A-League season officially kicks off in a few weeks,” Mayor Harding said.
“A Sunday afternoon is the perfect opportunity for families and supporters of the game to come along and cheer on the Brisbane Roar or Adelaide United.”
Entry for the game will be just $5 (plus booking fee) for 14 years and over, with 13 and under getting in free with a paying adult.
Brisbane Roar has been crowned A-League champions on three occasions (2011, 12 and 14). Adelaide United has won it once (2016) but has an unmatched pedigree in the knockout competition with three FFA Cup titles (2014, 18 and 19).
Both teams have won through to the last eight of this year’s national FFA Cup, with the Roar defeating local rivals Queensland Lions 4-0 yesterday.
Mayor Harding said local participation in football is at an all-time high in Ipswich and this match will strengthen and grow the game here even further.
“We have dozens of clubs right across Ipswich, some dating as far back as the late 1800s, and thousands of players in both the female and male ranks, from juniors to seniors.
“Ipswich Knights and Western Pride are our top sides in Football Queensland’s Premier League, and it was not that long ago when Pride grabbed the football headlines and won the Queensland Grand Final at Briggs Road Sporting Complex in 2017.
“Council believes many fans from all our local clubs will be keen to come along and watch some of the best young stars of the game and maybe a prelude to the future.”
Brisbane Roar Chief Executive Officer David Pourre said it was a privilege to continue the pre-season journey into the regions, particularly to have a high-quality team such as Adelaide United come all the way to Queensland and play in what is a great heartland for Brisbane Roar.
“We thank the Ipswich City Council, Mayor Teresa Harding and the Councillors for their support in bringing this game to a wonderful region,” Mr Pourre said.
“We look forward to putting on a spectacle for all of our Brisbane Roar members and fans as we prepare for the new season.”
Ipswich City Council has been investigating the potential to turn North Ipswich Reserve into a boutique stadium and maybe host an A-League and/or NRL franchise.
Councillors unanimously supported the Roar-Reds friendly and agreed at last week’s council meeting on sponsorship funding of $25,000 and waiving the North Ipswich Reserve venue hire.
A report said: “Council will be seeking to identify more opportunities for A-League, NRL and other national standard sporting event opportunities for our community.”
“The opportunity to host an A-League friendly football match at this time is also driven by the impact COVID-19 has had on large scale events attraction. Ipswich has seen events such as the Winternationals, the 2021 Australian Supercross Championship and CMC Rocks cancel or postpone resulting in our local community missing out.”
As part of hosting this event, the Western Pride Football Club will be invited to provide game day activation and will have opportunities to promote the club, its players and the local football competition.
Tickets can be purchased via events.humanitix.com/brfcvaufc
