Instant rivalry: the Melbourne Victory versus Melbourne Heart derby

The Australian A-League football (soccer) competition only began in 2005 after a major reconstruction of the governance of the game. The model adopted was one team per city so local derbies, often the focus of intense and long-running rivalries in football overseas, did not exist. In 2010 a second team began in Melbourne where previously Melbourne Victory had a monopoly. Within a couple of seasons an intense local rivalry has developed attracting over 40,000 fans to games between Victory and newcomer Melbourne Heart. This is the story of that rivalry and how it has become one of the most eagerly anticipated sporting occasions in a country where historically soccer has been a minority sport.