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The Big Blue,[1][2] is the name of the soccer rivalry in Australia between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory. While the main colour of both teams and their respective states are shades of the colour blue, in Australian English the word "blue" can also mean "a fight, brawl or heated argument".[3]
Sydney FC vs Melbourne Victory, Allianz Stadium, February 2010 | |
| Location | Melbourne Sydney (Australia) |
|---|---|
| Teams | Melbourne Victory Sydney FC |
| First meeting | 28 August 2005 A-League Sydney FC 1–1 Melbourne Victory |
| Latest meeting | 26 January 2024 A-League Men Melbourne Victory 1–1 Sydney FC |
| Next meeting | 28 December 2024 A-League Men Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 64 |
| Most wins | Sydney FC (25) |
| Most player appearances | Leigh Broxham (47) |
| Top scorer | Archie Thompson (14) |
| Largest victory | Melbourne Victory 5–0 Sydney FC (16 October 2005) Melbourne Victory 0–5 Sydney FC (26 January 2014) Sydney FC 6–1 Melbourne Victory (12 May 2019) |
Sydney and Melbourne are the two largest cities in Australia, and Sydney FC and Victory are two of the league's most supported and most successful clubs. The rivalry was further sparked by a number of highly competitive meetings between the two teams in early seasons. The Big Blue generally attracts some of the largest crowds and TV audiences of the regular season.
There has been a long-standing rivalry between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, the two largest cities in Australia.
In soccer terms, the rivalry has existed for almost 140 years, starting with the first inter-colonial match between Victoria and New South Wales taking place on 16 August 1883 at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground, which ended as a 2–2 draw in front of a crowd of 2,000.[4] These intercolonial and later interstate matches continued regularly as a highlight of early Australian soccer until the outbreak of World War I. Although there were many later matches between various mostly immigrant-founded teams from Melbourne and Sydney in the Australia Cup and the National Soccer League prior to the A-League Men era, the interstate rivalry aspect was not as much of a focus, given the context and identity of the clubs involved.
Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory FC were destined to become major rivals at the inception of the A-League Men due to the historic regional rivalry between their home cities. At the time, the A-League Men operated under the "one-team, one-city" model,[5] so the rivalry was almost instantaneous.
 | This section needs to be updated. (September 2020) |
The first competitive match between the two clubs was significantly played on the opening weekend of the inaugural 2005–06 A-League season. It was held on 28 August 2005 at Sydney FC's home ground, Sydney Football Stadium. Both teams were eager to stamp their authority as the biggest club in the league, with Sydney FC having already won the 2005 OFC Club Championship during pre-season. The match ended in a 1-all draw as Victory's first player signing and soon to become stalwart, Archie Thompson, cancelled out Sydney FC's marquee signing, Dwight Yorke's first half goal.[6] The second meeting on 16 October 2005 resulted in a landslide win for Victory at their then home ground, Olympic Park Stadium, defeating Sydney FC 5–0.[7] The result still stands as Sydney FC's worst defeat in this fixture.
The first encounter between the clubs during the 2006–07 A-League season (and fourth overall) entrenched the rivalry between the teams as passion and tension fueled the match. Sydney FC skipper, Mark Rudan was sent off after fourteen minutes and Victory player Fred elbowed Sydney FC defender Mark Milligan in the throat. Fred avoided sanction as he was substituted before the referee could see a replay on the big screen.[7] The ugly incident required urgent medical attention as it left Milligan struggling to breathe and there were fears he swallowed his tongue.[8] The following match in Melbourne, the sixth overall, set the record for attendance at an A-League match when 50,333 fans crammed into Etihad Stadium on 8 December 2006. The match ended in a nil-all draw.[7]
After sealing the 2010 Premiership at home on the final day of the season by beating Melbourne 2–0, Sydney FC went on to win the Championship Grand Final on penalties at Melbourne's home stadium.
The rivalry reached another level in 2011, with both teams in pursuit of the signature of Socceroo Harry Kewell pre-season. Melbourne Victory announced they had signed Kewell on 20 August and five days afterwards Sydney FC announced that they had signed Socceroo Brett Emerton from Blackburn Rovers. The teams played out a 0–0 stalemate in the first round of the 2011–12 A-League season, with Australia's head coach not picking either player for national duty, allowing the eagerly-anticipated match up to occur.
A Big Blue match has been played each Australia Day at either the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium or Docklands Stadium in Melbourne since the 2011–12 A-League season which ended in a 2–all draw. However, the 2014–15 A-League season did not feature this fixture due to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.
Since 2012, the teams have played for the BeyondBlue Cup, which is awarded to the winning team in the Big Blue.[9] Sydney FC claimed the inaugural BeyondBlue Cup by defeating Melbourne Victory 1–0 at Allianz Stadium on 10 March 2012.
On 10 November 2012, Melbourne Victory came from 2–0 down to win 3–2 at Allianz Stadium, with two late goals from substitute player Andrew Nabbout helping them achieve the result. This match turned out of be Ian Crook's last match as Sydney FC manager, as he announced his resignation shortly after the defeat, which was Sydney's fourth in six games.
The fixture played 8 December 2006 holds the record for the second highest attendance at a regular season match with 50,333 in attendance. Currently, three fixtures between the two sides make up the top ten of the League's highest regular season attendances.[10]
With Sydney defeating Melbourne on 3 March 2017 (36th match), they became the first side to win all 3 games of the rivalry in the normal season.
Melbourne Victory and Sydney met in the 2017 A-League Grand Final. Despite Sydney only losing 1 game throughout the whole season, it was Melbourne Victory who took the lead through a Besart Berisha goal. Sydney FC equalised after halftime thanks to Rhyan Grant. The game went to penalties and Sydney won 4–2 on penalties. It was exactly the same scoreline as there meeting in the 2010 Grand Final.
| Competition | Played | Melbourne Victory wins | Draws | Sydney FC wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-League Men regular season | 56 | 16 | 18 | 22 |
| A-League Men finals (except Grand Finals) | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| A-League Men Grand Finals | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| A-League Men (overall) | 64 | 20 | 19 | 25 |
| Australia Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 64 | 20 | 19 | 25 |
| # | Date | Home team | Score | Away team | Goals (home) | Goals (away) | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 August 2005 | Sydney | 1–1 | Melbourne | Yorke (44) | Thompson (72) | Sydney Football Stadium | 25,208 |
| 2 | 16 October 2005 | Melbourne | 5–0 | Sydney | Kitzbichler (34), Muscat (53, 78), Thompson (57, 69) | — | Olympic Park Stadium | 18,208 |
| 3 | 3 December 2005 | Sydney | 2–1 | Melbourne | Corica (24), Carney (81) | Allsopp (88) | Sydney Football Stadium | 17,272 |
| 4 | 2 September 2006 | Melbourne | 3–2 | Sydney | Allsopp (8, 51), Muscat (11 p) | Fyfe (18), Vargas (83 o.g.) | Docklands Stadium | 39,730 |
| 5 | 21 October 2006 | Sydney | 1–2 | Melbourne | Corica (8) | Thompson (50, 73) | Sydney Football Stadium | 20,881 |
| 6 | 8 December 2006 | Melbourne | 0–0 | Sydney | — | — | Docklands Stadium | 50,333 |
| 7 | 6 October 2007 | Sydney | 0–1 | Melbourne | — | Allsopp (82) | Sydney Football Stadium | 18,436 |
| 8 | 10 November 2007 | Melbourne | 0–0 | Sydney | — | — | Docklands Stadium | 31,884 |
| 9 | 20 January 2008 | Sydney | 2–2 | Melbourne | Corica (4), Brosque (62) | Milligan (46 o.g.), Allsopp (76) | Sydney Football Stadium | 33,458 |
| 10 | 16 August 2008 | Sydney | 0–0 | Melbourne | — | — | Sydney Football Stadium | 16,227 |
| 11 | 25 October 2008 | Melbourne | 0–2 | Sydney | — | Bridge (20), Aloisi (62) | Docklands Stadium | 31,654 |
| 12 | 27 December 2008 | Melbourne | 3–2 | Sydney | Thompson (14), Ward (78), Ney Fabiano (80) | Cole (1), Gan (4) | Docklands Stadium | 33,458 |
| 13 | 9 October 2009 | Melbourne | 0–3 | Sydney | — | Brosque (14), Bridge (17, 19) | Docklands Stadium | 30,668 |
| 14 | 19 December 2009 | Melbourne | 0–0 | Sydney | — | — | Docklands Stadium | 27,344 |
| 15 | 14 February 2010 | Sydney | 2–0 | Melbourne | Kisel (34), Aloisi (49) | — | Sydney Football Stadium | 25,407 |
| 16 | 7 August 2010 | Sydney | 3–3 | Melbourne | Brosque (36), McFlynn (54), Cole (85) | Broxham (66), Dugandzic (67), Celeski (73) | Sydney Football Stadium | 12,106 |
| 17 | 16 October 2010 | Melbourne | 3–0 | Sydney | Vargas (20), Hernández (49), Kruse (90) | — | Docklands Stadium | 17,299 |
| 18 | 15 January 2011 | Sydney | 1–1 | Melbourne | Mäkelä (90) | Allsopp (51) | Sydney Football Stadium | 11,387 |
| 19 | 8 October 2011 | Melbourne | 0–0 | Sydney | — | — | Docklands Stadium | 40,351 |
| 20 | 26 January 2012 | Melbourne | 2–2 | Sydney | Cernak (45), Fabio (45+2) | Cazarine (56), Ryall (90) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 20,053 |
| 21 | 10 March 2012 | Sydney | 1–0 | Melbourne | Kisel (34 p) | — | Sydney Football Stadium | 18,180 |
| 22 | 10 November 2012 | Sydney | 2–3 | Melbourne | Yau (14), Bosschaart (48) | Nabbout (75, 88), Thompson (83) | Sydney Football Stadium | 21,531 |
| 23 | 26 January 2013 | Melbourne | 3–1 | Sydney | Rojas (23, 73), Thompson (67) | Griffiths (75) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 26,882 |
| 24 | 16 March 2013 | Sydney | 1–1 | Melbourne | Yau (85) | Milligan (3) | Sydney Football Stadium | 22,233 |
| 25 | 9 November 2013 | Sydney | 3–2 | Melbourne | Garcia (3), Ryall (15), Del Piero (37 p) | Thompson (18), Troisi (27) | Sydney Football Stadium | 18,784 |
| 26 | 26 January 2014 | Melbourne | 0–5 | Sydney | — | Despotovic (11), Del Piero (20 p, 54), Ryall (25), Carle (87) | Docklands Stadium | 24,354 |
| 27 | 29 March 2014 | Melbourne | 1–1 | Sydney | Troisi (63) | Chianese (48) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 20,447 |
| 28 | 15 November 2014 | Sydney | 0–0 | Melbourne | — | — | Sydney Football Stadium | 21,242 |
| 29 | 13 December 2014 | Melbourne | 3–3 | Sydney | Thompson (23, 47, 79) | Janko (17), Smeltz (51, 76) | Docklands Stadium | 25,242 |
| 30 | 14 February 2015 | Sydney | 3–3 | Melbourne | Janko (8 p), Smeltz (73 p, 85) | Barbarouses (34), Finkler (41), Ansell (78) | Sydney Football Stadium | 17,352 |
| 31 | 14 November 2015 | Sydney | 2–4 | Melbourne | Hološko (5), Brosque (20) | Berisha (9, 90+2), Finkler (28), Barbarouses (68) | Sydney Football Stadium | 15,947 |
| 32 | 26 January 2016 | Melbourne | 1–0 | Sydney | Jurman (79 o.g.) | — | Docklands Stadium | 30,493 |
| 33 | 27 February 2016 | Melbourne | 1–1 | Sydney | Barbarouses (46) | Carney (76) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 20,112 |
| 34 | 5 November 2016 | Sydney | 2–1 | Melbourne | Carney (63, 78) | Austin (41) | Sydney Football Stadium | 19,143 |
| 35 | 26 January 2017 | Melbourne | 1–2 | Sydney | Troisi (18) | Hološko (38), Ibini (65) | Docklands Stadium | 30,262 |
| 36 | 3 March 2017 | Sydney | 1–0 | Melbourne | Bobô (20) | — | Sydney Football Stadium | 13,310 |
| 37 | 7 October 2017 | Melbourne | 0–1 | Sydney | — | Deng (53 o.g.) | Docklands Stadium | 24,804 |
| 38 | 26 January 2018 | Melbourne | 1–3 | Sydney | Berisha (58 p) | Bobô (60, p 78), Carney (84) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 21,037 |
| 39 | 13 April 2018 | Sydney | 1–0 | Melbourne | Bobô (8) | — | Sydney Football Stadium | 15,567 |
| 40 | 25 November 2018 | Sydney | 1–2 | Melbourne | Le Fondre (35) | Toivonen (23), Honda (71 p) | Jubilee Oval | 19,081 |
| 41 | 26 January 2019 | Melbourne | 2–1 | Sydney | Toivonen (20), Troisi (58) | Ninkovic (63) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 21,085 |
| 42 | 6 April 2019 | Sydney | 2–1 | Melbourne | O'Neill (6), Ninkovic (90+3) | Barbarouses (16) | Sydney Cricket Ground | 14,155 |
| 43 | 17 November 2019 | Sydney | 2–1 | Melbourne | Le Fondre (61), Barbarouses (68) | Toivonen (45) | Jubilee Oval | 16,116 |
| 44 | 24 January 2020 | Melbourne | 0–3 | Sydney | — | Le Fondre (27), Barbarouses (53), Baumjohann (85) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 17,814 |
| 45 | 7 March 2020 | Melbourne | 1–4 | Sydney | Rojas (5) | Ninkovic (43), Caceres (64), Le Fondre (66), Barbarouses (87 p) | Docklands Stadium | 15,102 |
| 46 | 4 April 2021 | Melbourne | 0–3 | Sydney | — | Bobô (42), Barbarouses (50), Baumjohann (84 p) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 5,347 |
| 47 | 27 April 2021 | Sydney | 1–0 | Melbourne | Bobô (6) | — | Jubilee Oval | 4,816 |
| 48 | 19 May 2021 | Sydney | 2–0 | Melbourne | Bobô (10), Barbarouses (83) | — | Jubilee Oval | 4,226 |
| 49 | 25 January 2022 | Melbourne | 2–2 | Sydney | Folami (17), Kruse (77) | Ninkovic (37), Bobô (81) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 10,496 |
| 50 | 7 May 2022 | Sydney | 1–4 | Melbourne | Le Fondre (16) | D'Agostino (14), Brimmer (30), Geria (38), Hamill (87) | Jubilee Oval | 11,404 |
| 51 | 8 October 2022 | Sydney | 2–3 | Melbourne | Mak (15), Donachie (79) | D'Agostino (31), Ikonomidis (67), Brillante (83) | Sydney Football Stadium | 21,840 |
| 52 | 26 January 2023 | Melbourne | 1–2 | Sydney | Brimmer (26) | Burgess (32), Le Fondre (52) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 8,181 |
| 53 | 4 March 2023 | Sydney | 1–0 | Melbourne | Caceres (35) | — | Sydney Football Stadium | 15,167 |
| 54 | 21 October 2023 | Sydney | 0–2 | Melbourne | — | Fornaroli (62), Machach (86) | Sydney Football Stadium | 14,586 |
| 55 | 16 December 2023 | Melbourne | 3–0 | Sydney | Arzani (20), Machach (24), Fornaroli (57) | — | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 14,607 |
| 56 | 26 January 2024 | Melbourne | 1–1 | Sydney | Machach (17) | Courtney-Perkins (10) | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 18,012 |
| 57 | 28 December 2024 | Sydney | Melbourne | Sydney Football Stadium | ||||
| 58 | 24 January 2025 | Melbourne | Sydney | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium |
| League home record | ||||
| Home team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 28 | 12 | 8 | 8 |
| Melbourne | 28 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Overall league head-to-head record | |||
| Matches | Sydney FC wins | Melbourne Victory wins | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | 22 | 16 | 18 |
| # | Date | Round | Home team | Score | Away team | Goals (home) | Goals (away) | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 February 2010 | Semi-final 1st leg | Melbourne | 2–1 | Sydney | Mrdja (16), Hernández (40) | Aloisi (43) | Docklands Stadium | 28,453 |
| 2 | 7 March 2010 | Semi-final 2nd leg | Sydney | 2–2 AET | Melbourne | Kisel (36 p), Bridge (54) | Kruse (15), Thompson (114) | Sydney Football Stadium | 23,818 |
| 3 | 20 March 2010 | Grand Final | Melbourne | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p) | Sydney | Leijer (81) | Bridge (63) | Docklands Stadium | 44,560 |
| 4 | 18 April 2014 | Elimination Final | Melbourne | 2–1 | Sydney | Thompson (19), Finkler (90+2) | Ryall (33) | Docklands Stadium | 20,802 |
| 5 | 17 May 2015 | Grand Final | Melbourne | 3–0 | Sydney | Berisha (33), Barbarouses (83), Broxham (90) | — | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 29,843 |
| 6 | 7 May 2017 | Grand Final | Sydney | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) | Melbourne | Grant (69) | Berisha (20) | Sydney Football Stadium | 41,546 |
| 7 | 28 April 2018 | Semi-final | Sydney | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | Melbourne | Nigro (24 o.g.), Antonis (90+5 o.g.) | Barbarouses (31), Troisi (47), Antonis (117) | Sydney Football Stadium | 17,775 |
| 8 | 12 May 2019 | Semi-final | Sydney | 6–1 | Melbourne | Calver (3), Brosque (43), Broxham (45+2 o.g.), Le Fondre (63 p, 68), Ninkovic (88) | Toivonen (90+1) | Jubilee Oval | 12,141 |
| Finals home record | ||||
| Home Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Melbourne | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Overall finals head-to-head record | |||
| Matches | Sydney FC wins | Melbourne Victory wins | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Player | Club | Goals scored |
|---|---|---|
 Archie Thompson |
Melbourne | 14 |
 Kosta Barbarouses |
Melbourne/Sydney | 11 |
 Adam Le Fondre |
Sydney | 8 |
 Bobô |
Sydney | 8 |
| Danny Allsopp |
Melbourne | 6 |
 Besart Berisha |
Melbourne | 5 |
| James Troisi |
Melbourne | 5 |
| Alex Brosque |
Sydney | 5 |
| Mark Bridge |
Sydney | 5 |
| David Carney |
Sydney | 5 |
| Shane Smeltz |
Sydney | 4 |
 Ola Toivonen |
Melbourne | 4 |
| Player | Nation | Melbourne | Sydney FC | Total "Big Blues" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years | Record | Years | Record | Apps | Goals | Record | ||
| Sebastian Ryall[11] | |
2007–2009 | 2–1–0 | 2009–2018 | 8–12–6 | 29 (3 / 26) | 4 (0 / 4) | 10–13–6 |
| Mark Milligan[12][13] | |
2012–2015, 2017–2018 | 4–5–3 | 2005–2008 | 1–3–3 | 19 (12 / 7) | 1 (1 / 0) | 5–8–6 |
| Fabio[14] | |
2011–2012 | 0–2–1 | 2012–2013 | 0–0–2 | 5 (3 / 2) | 1 (1 / 0) | 0–2–3 |
| Danny Vukovic[15][16] | |
2015–2016 | 2–1–0 | 2016–2017 | 4–0–0 | 7 (3 / 4) | 0 | 6–1–0[lower-alpha 1] |
| Terry Antonis[17][18] | |
2018–2019 | 3–0–3 | 2010–2015 | 1–5–2 | 14 (6 / 8) | 1 (1 / 0) | 4–5–5 |
| Mitch Austin[19][20] | |
2016–2018 | 0–0–2 | 2019 | 0–0–0 | 2 (2 / 0) | 1 (1 / 0) | 0–0–2 |
| Kosta Barbarouses | |
2013–2016, 2017–19 | 7–4–5 | 2019–2022 | 6–0–1 | 23 (16 / 7) | 11 (6 / 5) | 13–4–6 |
| James Donachie | |
2016–2018, 2019–20 | 1–0–10 | 2021–2023 | 2–1–2 | 16 (11 / 5) | 1 (0 / 1) | 3–1–12 |
| Elvis Kamsoba |  |
2019–2021 | 1–0–7 | 2021–2022 | 0–1–1 | 10 (8 / 2) | 0 (0 / 0) | 1–1–8 |
| Joshua Brillante | |
2021–2023 | 2–1–1 | 2016–2019 | 9–0–3 | 16 (4 / 12) | 0 (0 / 0) | 11–1–4 |
Players in bold denote currently still active at either Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC
| Manager | Played for | Managed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Span | League
apps |
League
goals |
Team | Span | G | W | D | L | Win % | |
| Tony Popovic | Sydney FC | 2007–2008 | 27 | 1 | Melbourne Victory | 2021–present | 92 | 39 | 26 | 27 | 42.39 |
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