Welcome From Dana Wortley MP

Welcome on this historic night to T.K. Shutter Reserve, Klemzig – Warkowodliwodli home of Football SA NPL Club, North Eastern MetroStars.

It’s been an exciting week here with the turning of the sod for the new development of inclusive change facilities, toilets, showers, umpire and first aid rooms and now tonight for the first time, an A-league club, Melbourne City, will run onto the ground for 90 minutes or more in a clash with our very own MetroStars who are playing in their first ever Australia Cup Quarter final.

With all other South Australian sides eliminated, MetroStars are the pride of South Australia in this years’ Australia Cup.

A club with a proud history, South Australia’s MetroStars have an impressive record in this competition being FFA Cup Last - 16 qualifier in 2015, and Round of 32 qualifiers in 2016, 2017, and now Quarter finalist in 2023, in the renamed Australia Cup.

This year has been quite a journey for MetroStars; Qualifying for the Football SA Federation Cup Final and securing qualification for the Australia Cup round of 32 with a 5-0 win over West-Torrens Birkalla and then winning the Football SA Federation Cup with a 3-2 win over Campbelltown City. In the last 32 of the Australia Cup MetroStars had an emphatic 5-0 win over Inglewood United before a 1-0 win over Inter Lions in the Round of 16 saw them qualify for this Quarter final tonight.

Tonight’s opposition, one of the biggest football clubs in Australia and 2022/23 A-league Grand Finalists Melbourne City, had a much more direct route securing qualification for Round of 32 through their first-place finish on the A-league table last season. They then went on to defeat the Oakleigh Cannons 3-2 in the Round of 32, before a comfortable 3-0 win over the Wellington Phoenix saw them qualify for tonight’s match.

The significance of this night for our local community should not be lost. To have players such as Socceroos stars striker Jamie Maclaren and winger Matthew Leckie, who scored that goal in Qatar against Denmark putting the Socceroos through to the World Cup Round of 16, come to play right here in Klemzig is momentous.

Will MetroStars create even more history and pull off one of the biggest ‘cupsets’ of all time, or will Melbourne City continue their recent dominance of Australian football?

Tonight, when these two proud clubs run onto the pitch, may the spirit of the world game be on show for all to see.

Dana Wortley MP

Member For Torrens

Image credit - Adam Butler