Event Notes: Dubai International Stadium Prepares For First Day-Night Test

The Dubai Int'l Stadium "is all geared up for the first ever Day-Night Test match" with the pink ball set to commence on Oct. 13. The stadium’s Ring of Fire "was put on and tested to ensure that the pink ball when introduced is visible for the players at night." With 365 individual lights located within the roof structure, "it is expected to provide lighting levels" exceeding int'l standards for night matches (GULF NEWS, 10/10).

Melbourne "wants its A-League crowd record back," and A-League side Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat says a "derby date" at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will make it happen. Until Saturday night's "blockbuster" Sydney derby, which attracted 61,880 people to ANZ Stadium, Victory had monopolized "the big A-League crowds." The biggest club in the country is not "used to playing second fiddle," and Muscat said that he would "like a crack at a similar marquee fixture next year at the country's grandest ground" to see how big it could be. Muscat: "I'm up for it" (AAP, 10/11).