Melbourne Victory founder Geoff Lord believes flares should be permitted at A-League games, as long as they are only set off in designated areas.

Last year a woman in her 20s and a 12-year-old boy suffered burns when flares were ignited during a match between Victory and Brisbane Roar at Etihad Stadium.

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More recently, multiple flares were let off at the Melbourne derby and a young fan was injured by a plastic bottle.

But Mr Lord said flares can add to the atmosphere of a match.

“You could have a flare-dedicated area, so if you want to let off flares you can go into that area, which is fenced off in a way,” Mr Lord told the Herald Sun.

“If you think about the NRL Grand Final, including this year’s which was a cracking game, they had flares around the ground and if you kick a try they go off.”