ASA RELEASE: London, UK – Australia’s national football team will be heading to London for their next international friendly match. The Socceroos have confirmed that they will be kicking off against their arch sporting rivals, South Africa, at Loftus Road Stadium, London at 8.00pm on Tuesday 30 March.

Following the Socceroos’ impressive 1-1 draw against Venezuela last week (Wednesday 18 February), Lucas Neill, Socceroos and Blackburn Rovers defender, was looking ahead to the next international match.

“After the last game against Venezuela, the lads can’t wait to get together again and perform on the park in England – especially since we are two wins from two games in London for the last 12 months. We are all determined to make the World Cup in Germany in 2006 and all our games are important, and South Africa is sure to give our boys a true test. We are looking forward to the match and are hoping that we can get a full house at Loftus Road,” said Lucas Neill.

Loftus Road Stadium, home to Queen’s Park Rangers (QPR) in West London, will play host to this game and tickets for the match go on sale 9:30am, London time on Tuesday 24 February on QPR’s ticket line, 0870 112 1967*, or through the website, www.soccerooslondon.com , with prices ranging from £12 to £28. Hospitality packages will also be available for those who want to watch in style. *Note dedicated Green ‘N Gold army supporters section for ticket sales by phone only (below).

The match is likely to draw a capacity crowd particularly following the Socceroos’ match against England in February 2003 where the Australia ticket allocation was sold out within one hour of being released on sale.

Frank Farina, Australian national coach, is also looking forward to the challenge of the South African team, “The Socceroos are excited about playing in London against our sporting arch rivals, the South Africans. And to be going head to head at such a great football stadium makes the contest with the Bafana Bafana much more of an epic encounter. I really urge all Aussies and South Africans in London to get down to the game and show that our sporting rivalry really means something to both sets of fans, given that our Socceroos truly want to build our home London base of fans.”

QPR Chief Executive David Davies has welcomed this major international fixture to Loftus Road Stadium and is confident that the West London venue will be the ideal setting, “Given the large Australian community in the west London area, I’m sure that Loftus Road will be packed out for this fixture. The stadium generates a fantastic atmosphere when full and hopefully this will be the beginning of a long and successful relationship between Australian Soccer and Queens Park Rangers Football Club.