Question Re Status of Soccer/Football in OZ

[DocRKS]

In the US - Soccer is 'about to really take off on a national level!'

This has been the party line since the 1970s and it has NOT happened yet. I remember when we had season tickets for the NY Cosmos of the NASL (N. American Soccer League) and our team had a collection of World Cup Team Captains and players unlike any that have ever been assembled on 1 squad - Franz Beckenbauer of Germany, Georgio Chinaglia of Italy, Johann Cryuff of Holland, PELE and Carlos Alberto of Brasil, etc.... Yes, there were games during the heyday of the NASL where there were 76,000 people in Giants Stadium to see these soccer games...and soccer was just about to EXPLODE on the national scene.. HOWEVER......

The NASL folded and was reduced to only memories.......

So how is it in Australia? From what I read, I gather that soccer/football is still at best the 3rd sport after Aussie Rules Football and Cricket. Has this changed at all because of the Aussie National Team making into the World Cup and in fact making it to the Round of 16? Any input from youze guys/guyettes in Australia would be appreciated......

[El Presidente]

Our experience is very similar to your own in the USA.

We have 4 major sports in Australia:

Summer: Cricket

Winter: Aussie Rules/ Rugby League/ Rugby Union.

While at a junior level soccer has more players, until now those players moved to the other codes at the age of 8-10.

Soccer has touted the "great things" mantra in Australia for 30 years but every time the admnistrators have shot themselves in the foot.

Last year there was a major shake-up in soccer administration in ths country and you now have exceptional management and a cashed up enterprise. Australia will also now play regularly in the Asia league (japan/South Korea etc) which will increase the visual presence of the sport.

However one problem still exists....our best players all play overseas and likely always will when you can earn 25,000 British pounds a week as a gifted but not topline defender.

IMHO Soccer will always be the number 5 spectator sport here but that is not a bad thing. There is room for all sports in this sports mad country and a lover of the other sports will always support and watch the socceroos.

[DocRKS]

» Our experience is very similar to your own in the USA.

»

» We have 4 major sports in Australia:

»

» Summer: Cricket

»

» Winter: Aussie Rules/ Rugby League/ Rugby Union.

Tks for the input Rob......

I know about Cricket & Aussie Rules Football is regularly shown here on TV -- what is the difference between Rugby LEAGUE and Rugby UNION ?

[PorscheC4S]

» In the US - Soccer is 'about to really take off on a national level!'

»

»

» This has been the party line since the 1970s and it has NOT happened yet.

»

A friend of mine says that soccor hasn't taken off as a spectator sport in the states because advertising breaks don't fit into the game. I wonder how games are shown in Europe. Perhaps they are shown on state controlled channels that can afford a lack of adverts.

[El Presidente]

Rugby League is very much a domestic game played in the Eastern states of Australia with outposts in New Zealand, the north of England and southern France. It is a vibrant competition quite brutal in nature with tremendous physical impact. The best competitors need to be both physically and mentally tough as there is no place to hide. The game is similar to Rugby Union except that each team has the ball for a maximum of 6 plays before they usually place an attacking kick down field.

Rugby Union is more an international game with New Zealand (All Blacks), South Africa (Springboks), England (Cream puffs), Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Argentina and our own Wallabies. It is a more technical game with no set amount of posession dictated, hence a good team aims to maintain posession as long as possible and to use that posession to develope attacking plays.

Both sports share a lot in common. Most Rugby followers follow both codes. It is fair to say that Rugby League developed as a blue collar sport in Australia while Rugby Union developed as a Private school Blue blood affair. That is now slowly changing.

[mgillett]

May I be so bold as saying that Netball might even pip soccer in popularity in this country

[El Presidente]

» May I be so bold as saying that Netball might even pip soccer in popularity

» in this country

You are correct :-) Netball has more juniors than every other sport, however being female centric the base is not split amongst the major male sports.

[Ken Gargett]

rugby (rugby union) was considered blueblood as it was for decades, amateur. league (rugby league) was professional and pinched those players from rugby who had little chance of any other career while the rest went to uni or whatever and so didn't need to be paid. now rugby also professional and deep pockets and has changed greatly, in many ways, not for the better. but now we have a qlder as coach, look out!!

[Maverick]

Soccer would be more attractive if we had more money for it. Currently our good stars HAVE to go overseas or else they will never make the same dough. Until we can get an injection of money into the league it will always die.

Also in Australia T.V coverage decides success these days. In Brisbane the Basketball team have no coverage on free-to-air and as such most people I speak to couldn't tell you anything about basketball, let alone a team name. Same I fear for soccer, unless the networks get off their ass and actually put the games in prime time how can they expect the sport to flourish.

I read the other day that the television networks own the broadcast rights to 80% more sport than they currently show, now with the advent of Digital Television why not have a dedicated Channell 7 Sports Channel??????

Anyway thats my rant for the afternoon.

Ross...