Football Federation Victoria [FFV] will experience a bumper year in 2015, having surpassed its total player registration numbers from 2014 already, and with three months of the registration period to go.

As of midnight on Monday, total player registration numbers had reached 56,028, compared to the 55,993 total last year. 

FFV CEO Peter Gome said football was experiencing unprecedented interest across the country, and Victoria was no exception with new players flocking to the game.

"It is incredible to see the surge in popularity that football has seen over the last year," Gome said.

"The Socceroos won the AFC Asian Cup this year, the Westfield Matildas will do us proud at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada in June, the Hyundai A-League is attracting huge crowds week-to-week.

"Partly because of these achievements we're seeing huge growth at the grassroots level, but it's also down to the hard work of clubs and volunteers who have been doing their part to not only recruit new players to our beautiful game, but to retain those who are already here."

Following the Socceroos' AFC Asian Cup win in January, FFV ran an extensive targeted marketing campaign to attract new players, coaches and referees to the sport.

The momentum has continued with the bulk of this year's 56,000 players kicking off their season in April. Notwithstanding, players will continue registering until July 31 this year.

"It's important to note that its not too late to play football in 2015 if you're yet to register," Gome said.

Growth in Victoria is not surprising following the recent release of figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics which confirm that more people play football in Australia than any other team sport.
Watch the Channel 9 News story on the ABS data release here

Gome said he was expecting total numbers to exceed 62,200 this year.

"Taking a conservative approach, FFV predicts an additional 6,000 to 6,500 registrations by the end of the year, on top of the 56,000 that have already registered," Gome said.

"This would translate to roughly 11 per cent growth on last year's numbers, compared to the 1.5 - 2.5 per cent growth we've had over the past few years."

What will contribute to that growth is the extension of the top-tier domestic football season; the A-League finals series will carry on into May, the FFA Cup, which starts hitting its peak-interest periods in July and August, together with a number of the world's top teams visiting Melbourne in July.

The visits of Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Roma to Melbourne will ensure mainstream media interest remains at an all-time-high during traditionally slower interest periods of the year, Gome says.

"Gone will be the days of turning on a TV or opening a newspaper and not seeing a story about football," Gome said. "That interest will push right through to next season, and keep peoples' focus firmly on football, highlighting that the world game is enjoyed all year round."

Along with the growth in player numbers, FFV also accepted more than 600 additional team entries for community competitions this year. Accordingly, the most significant challenge FFV faces this year is accommodating the additional numbers.

"We know more than 30 of our clubs are full and have had to refer players to other clubs in their areas - this was by the end of February," Gome said.

"Credit has to go to clubs and councils for accommodating so many additional players and teams, but there's still more work to do.

"We need to work on making more, and better, facilities available, and giving people somewhere to enjoy our great game."