To see the A-League season launch...

  

Heart face Central Coast Mariners on Thursday evening with all eyes focused on the competition's newest side.

For Munn, it will be the first match in what he hopes will be a long, long history for Melbourne Heart.

"When I started here back in September last year, I said we're going to build it so it can be around in 50 and 100 years time," he told au.fourfourtwo.com.

"It's no good being successful for one year and then not being around the next."

Munn hailed the efforts of coach John van't Schip and general manager John Didulica but also hailed the character of the inaugural playing group.

"One of the biggest challenges a club has when it starts is building a culture," he said.  "The culture is going to be set by the players and you couldn't meet a better group of players than here."

Munn is delighted with the support shown by sponsors and as the season looms, he admits it is vital to get 'bums on seats'.

On-field success is clearly a powerful marketing tool and the derby games against Melbourne Victory should whet the appetite for football fans in Victoria.

However, Munn is keen to stress that there is more to the club's first season than matches with Ernie Merrick's men.

"I think people maybe get a little fixated on the derby," Munn added.

"They are three games which are going to be phenomenal and I'm really looking forward to them, but what's really important is that we have two successful teams in Melbourne.

"That's good for the code as a whole. That's what we need to concentrate on, that the code's growing overall.

"It's no good if we have three great derbies and sell outs and we average 5,000 for the year. It's important we're averaging strong crowds.

"Yes, the derbies will be fantastic, but the season is 30 weeks long."

To see the A-League season launch...