It's A for Athlone as Milano United backtracks from their Blue Downs home venue, putting the Eezy My Kinnes supporters first by moving the majority of their home fixtures to the Athlone Stadium, currently also home to Cape Town All Stars and Santos.
Milano initially thought the Blue Downs Stadium would serve as their home away from home, due to the venue's windy conditions which were similar to the Rooikrans Sports Complex.
This however was not the case as the promotional-driven Kinnes were dealt a mixed bag of results, the 30 kilometre distance from their home in Grassy Park to the Northern Suburbs causing a drop in supporter numbers according to the club’s General Manager Sean Ferrier.
Adjusting to the Blue Downs pitch was always going to be against Milano, having spent only three training sessions at the venue before the commencement of the season. It has however proved a different story at Athlone Stadium, the Kinnes looking a completely different team on a quality surface when they beat the then log-leading Cape Town All Stars 3-0 a few weeks back.
I caught up with Ferrier during a practice match, to get some confirmation on the move.
"We will be moving a bulk of our fixtures to Athlone Stadium, with Blue Downs now becoming our alternate home venue," he said.
“Firstly it was due to the supporters, as travelling to Blue Downs has been a problem for our supporters, resulting in a drop in the numbers. Athlone seems ideal in terms of distance and the professional environment we want for the players. We saw the effect it had in the match against All Stars."
Asked about the difference between Athlone and Blue Downs Stadium.
“The pitch as well as the set-up does play a role. If you look at the quality surface at Athlone it's conducive to good football, the passing is better as the players are more confident due to the pitch. Blue Downs is playable but the surface uneven,” he concluded.
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