AC Milan have officially announced that the men’s first team will travel to Australia at the end of May to play a friendly match against AS Roma in Perth.
As the official website confirms, the game is schedule for Friday 31 May in Perth, Western Australia and it will take place at Optus Stadium, a modern stadium that hosts cricket and Australian Rules Football matches with a 65,000 capacity.
It will of course be the first encounter between two Serie A teams on Australian soil and the game has the support of the Government of Western Australia, underscoring their ongoing dedication to fostering connections with Italy and captivating football enthusiasts globally.
Roger Cook, Premier of Western Australia: “Hosting a match between AC Milan and AS Roma here in Perth is a fantastic opportunity for us to strengthen our ties with Italy and invite football fans from our key tourism markets to come and explore our beautiful, diverse state as part of a trip here to see this football match.”
Giorgio Furlani, CEO of AC Milan: “The opportunity to return to Australia is incredibly exciting for AC Milan. We are proud to have been chosen with AS Roma and are therefore grateful to the Government of Western Australia for the invitation.
“Our presence in the country not only signifies our commitment to our international fanbase, but also serves as a testament to our dedication to staying closer to our family of supporters across the globe, fostering a deeper connection and sense of belonging within our global AC Milan community.”
Exclusive pre-sale tickets will be accessible starting on Tuesday 12 March, followed by general public ticket availability on Thursday 14 March via Ticketmaster Australia.
Milan have not played in Australia for almost 30 years with the last visit being in 1993. That time the Rossoneri played two friendly games against the Australian national team in Sydney and Melbourne, with captain Franco Baresi leading the side.
The current Honorary Vice-President Baresi said: “I am excited to go back to Australia. The 1993 tour with AC Milan holds a special place in my heart as it marked my first visit to Australia.
“It is a beautiful country and I was captivated by the charm of Sydney and Melbourne. I am now eager to explore a new city and region of this splendid country during our upcoming trip in May.”
Despite the long absence from Australia, Milan maintains a robust bond with the country, boasting a passionate fanbase exceeding two million people and several active Fan Clubs in pivotal cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide.
Across the broader Asian-Pacific region, Milan are the most followed Italian football club and it has the most growing fanbase, gaining 20 million fans in the last couple of years.
The connection between Milan and Australia goes beyond the football pitch, with the Rossoneri’s NGOFondazione Milan supporting the Centre for Multicultural Youth’s ‘Welcome Football’ project in Melbourne.
This initiative, which merges sports and education, is dedicated to children from migrant backgrounds and it aims to use the universal language of football and sport to accompany them in their integration process and to promote greater social cohesion and participation in the life of their new community.
As a Milan fan living in Australia this is great to have Milan coming but it is a shame they won’t play a game on the east coast. That would be a lot closer and easier for most fans to get to. Assuming the WA government has signed an exclusive deal to only have the teams play over there. Just like the controversy with Taylor Swift getting paid a big some to only plays shows in Singapore and lock out the rest of south east Asia.
As a Milan fan. I find these end of season fixtures a ridiculous cash grab. Don’t make any complaints as a club about seasons being too long with too many fixtures. If you are going to turn around and 3 days after the Serie A season finishes; fly literally halfway around the world for some pointless extra games. Final round games will be Sunday 26th May. Which with time difference is already early Monday 27th May here. And then they are playing this game on Friday 31 May in the evening local time. Effectively Friday morning in Europe. It can’t be more than 85 hrs from the final whistle with Salernitana.
Just weeks ago Milan was advocating for Serie a to drop to 18 teams to reduce the number of fixtures.
Post season tours in June make no technical sense in terms of team preparation. At least pre season games in July/August are helping new members of a squad settle in. And primavera players who may get called on during the season (or will get called on with our injury record).
In June you are going to have almost all good players needing a rest. Many players will not be available as they head straight into International camps for the Euros.
Other players will be heading out the door with expired contracts.
I’d be surprised if they are in a position to send much more than a primavera team + Calabria (Spaletti will never pick him).
Imagine one of the key players getting injured there. Or someone who we were supposed to sell during the summer.
Flying to Perth from Sydney is almost half the flight time to watch them in Europe. Its ludicrous especially given we will only see youth and fringe players.
aw man, Sydney or Brisbane would be easiest for me, and I get that Melbourne is where a lot of our football is, but WA is stupid.
Did anyone ask the players if they wanted to play a training match AFTER the season has ended? Yeah, didn’t think so…
I don’t understand this move… at all. Long season comes to an end and instead of rest and vacation Milan will fly halfway around the world for a friendly in Australia?
It’s cool for the fans there, for sure. But the logic….
It’s not even that cool for the Milan fans here (in Australia). There are big Italian communities in Sydney, Melbourne and even Brisbane and Adelaide to a lesser degree. Yet they will play this game in Perth which is a 5 to 6 hr flight even from Sydney & Brisbane respectively. It’s further than flying from London to Moscow.
Essentially this is just a big pay day from the state government in Perth, who are paying to get a big tourist event.
I can only assume Milan are getting paid big $ to come.
They will only be in a position to send a very substandard team at this point of the year. The fans that make the journey are likely to be disappointed by what they see.