Melbourne Victory are set to return to Epping on January 27th when they face Sydney FC in their last home game of the regular season. 

However, after playing on an "unaccepted" pitch for the Melbourne Derby in the last round it brought on a number of questions.

City and Victory took to the pitch that had noticeable divots and patches of dead grass while the edge of the field was extremely slippery and wet before kick-off. 

Victory CEO Trent Jacobs confirmed that the pitch was subject to "two independent assessments" ahead of the game with both the FFA Match Commissioner and all four match officials concluding "the pitch was safe and fit for play".

After the match, the players told the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) that they "felt embarrassed" and the ground was a "danger to the players". 

The pitch wasn't the only problem with players also reporting that there were sub-standard facilities including having to line-up to use a single toilet and that in the away dressing room players didn't take showers due to the lack of privacy. 

“In football, the quality of a pitch is symbolic of respect for players. In the case of Saturday’s derby, the players unanimously voiced that the surface was wholly unsatisfactory,” a PFA spokesperson told The Women's Game.

However, there has been positive steps taken to find a solution to avoid this incident again.

“Since the match, we have spoken at length with Melbourne Victory and, encouragingly, they have put steps in place to ensure the best possible surface for their next home match,” PFA said.

From a Victory standpoint, they have spoken to the Council. 

"Melbourne Victory have spoken to the Council to ensure the pitch condition improves prior to the next game fixture on January 27, and the Club and FFA will monitor this," Jacobs said. 

"An alternate venue has been sourced should the fixture need to be moved.

"The safety and welfare of our players is always a priority for our Club."