Dream Big (TV series)
| Company type | Docuseries |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television, Sports documentary |
| Founded | December 16, 2022 |
Key people | Christopher Gospel (director), David Davutovic (producer), Tom Pollock (producer) |
| Products | Sports docuseries |
| Parent | Network Ten, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video |
| Website | 10play |
Dream Big is a sports docuseries co-produced by Network Ten, Paramount+, and Amazon Prime Video that chronicles the 2021–22 campaign of Australian A-League Men side Melbourne Victory as they sought to recover from past difficulties.
The four-part series, directed by Christopher Gospel and produced by David Davutovic, Gospel, and Tom Pollock, debuted on 16 December 2022.
Background
Recognized as one of Australia's most decorated football clubs, Melbourne Victory boasts a passionate supporter base and numerous titles. Under the leadership of coach Kevin Muscat, the club captured two championships, accumulating a total of four A-League Men trophies by 2018, along with a premiership and an Australia Cup victory.
After Muscat's exit, the club experienced a downturn marked by poor player acquisitions and frequent changes in coaching staff. This resulted in diminished on-field success and reduced crowd numbers during the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, finishing in the league's bottom two positions both years. To address these challenges, Melbourne Victory appointed Tony Popovic as head coach for the 2021–22 season, initiating an extensive rebuilding effort branded as the "Dream Big" initiative.
Plot
Melbourne Victory commenced their league campaign with strong victories over Western United and Brisbane Roar, briefly ascending to first place in the standings. Despite an early defeat to Perth Glory, they maintained spots within the playoff positions even after enduring a three-match losing streak. The team then embarked on an impressive 15-game unbeaten stretch toward the end of the season, ultimately finishing second—just one point behind rivals Melbourne City.
In the finals series, Victory secured a 1–0 win in the opening leg of their semi-final against Western United but were defeated 4–1 in the return leg (4–2 on aggregate), thus ending their championship aspirations.
Players
First-team players
The following members of the first-team squad are featured in the docuseries.
Non-playing staff
Age as of 1 July 2021
Technical staff
| Position | Nationality | Name | Age | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head Coach | Template:Country data AUS | Tony Popovic | 47 | Popovic's playing career included stints at Sydney United, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Crystal Palace, Al-Arabi SC, and Sydney FC. He represented Australia internationally with 58 caps. His coaching resume encompasses roles at Sydney FC, assistant coach at Crystal Palace, Western Sydney Wanderers—where he secured an A-League premiership and AFC Champions League title—Kardemir Karabükspor, Perth Glory, Xanthi, before being appointed Melbourne Victory head coach in April 2021. |
| Assistant Coach | Template:Country data ITA | Fabrizio Cammarata | 45 | Cammarata has experience playing for Italian clubs and managing youth squads at Pescara, Akhmat Grozny, Dinamo City, and Apolonia Fier. He joined Melbourne Victory as assistant coach in July 2021. |
| Template:Country data AUS | Luciano Trani | 54 | Trani has served as assistant coach at Wellington Phoenix, Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Melbourne City, Newcastle Jets prior to his appointment at Melbourne Victory in July 2021. | |
| Strength and Conditioning Coach | Template:Country data AUS | Scott Smith | Smith has held strength and conditioning roles at Western Sydney Wanderers, Brisbane Roar, Perth Glory, Xanthi before joining Melbourne Victory in June 2021. | |
| Director of Football | Template:Country data AUS | John Didulica | Previously Director of Football at Melbourne City from 2009 to 2016; took up the same position at Melbourne Victory in June 2021. | |
| Football Operations Manager | Template:Country data AUS | Paul Trimboli | Trimboli enjoyed a playing career with Sunshine George Cross and South Melbourne winning multiple championships; earned 46 caps for Australia; appointed Football Operations Manager at Melbourne Victory in June 2012. | |
| Player Operations Manager | Template:Country data AUS | Carl Valeri | Valeri played for clubs in Italy before joining Melbourne Victory between 2014 and 2019 as captain from 2015 onward; currently serves as Player Operations Manager. | |
| Template:Country data AUS | Justin Crow | Assumed position as Human Performance Manager at Melbourne Victory in October 2021. | ||
| Template:Country data AUS | John McLeod | Appointed to role in 2018. | ||
| Template:Country data AUS | Sam Chmayse | |||
| Template:Country data AUS | Michael Mantikos | Joined club staff in July 2021. |
Management team
| Position | Nationality | Name | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | {{{1}}} [[|]] AUS |
Anthony Di Pietro | style="text-align:center;" 52 | Joined board as director in 2006; served as chairman from January 2011 until retirement in June 2023. |
| Managing Director | [[|]] AUS |
Caroline Carnegie | style="text-align:center;" | Became Company Secretary in April 2015; appointed Director in December 2015; promoted to Managing Director in May 2021. |
| Director | [[|]] AUS |
Mario Biasin | style="text-align:center;"71 | Served on board until his passing in May 2022. |
Former players and staff
| Nationality | Name | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| {{{1}}} [[|]] AUS |
Archie Thompson | style="text-align:center;"42 | Began senior career in 1995; prolific striker for Melbourne Victory with a record tally of 97 goals across ten years; has been club ambassador since September 2016; famously scored 13 goals during Australia's record victory over American Samoa. |
| [[|]] AUS |
Ange Postecoglou | style="text-align:center;"55 | Former South Melbourne player capped four times for Australia; coached youth national teams, South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar; served as head coach of Melbourne Victory from 2012 to 2013. |
| [[|]] AUS |
Gary Cole | style="text-align:center;"65 | Played for Ringwood Wilhelmina, Heidelberg Alexander, Preston Makedonia; held position as Head of Football Operations at Melbourne Victory between 2004 and 2011. |
Production and release
On 13 December 2022, Dream Big was officially announced as a collaborative project between Melbourne Victory, KEEPUP Studios, and 10 Play. The entire series, consisting of four episodes, became available on 16 December 2022.