• A-League
• A-League Draw
• We Are Football
• Socceroos
• World Football
• Tipping
• Football RSS
• Football pics

The Crowd Says (162) | Page 1 of Comments

• swifty said | March 18th 2008 @ 2:52am | Report comment

  Soccer, Soccer, Soccer, Soccer, Soccer, Soccer.

  Get over it.

  Or if you think soccer in Australia isn’t able to withstand the terrible injustice and indignity of being called soccer you could rename the Socceroos the ‘Pretentious-roos’. How about the ‘I can’t believe its not the Socceroos’ or ‘the team formerly known as the Socceroos’?

  I hardly think the word soccer is having a negative effect on the growth of soccer in Australia. I quite like watching soccer. Its is one of the many forms of football I enjoy watching but I’m not so precious that I demand everyone use the correct and proper names for them all and can’t see the point in getting upset if someone calls soccer soccer. This sort of stuff is as ridiculous as attempts by some in AFL to claim the word ‘footy’ as specific only to Australian Rules. What a lot of rubbish. Its exactly this sort of whiny crap that led to the ‘sheilas, wogs and poofters’ comments of days gone by.

  Reply

• Rabbitz said | March 18th 2008 @ 6:57am | Report comment

  James,

  HTFU. It has been and will continue to be referred to as soccer. In a market where there are numerous “footy” codes people need a differentiator, clearly the pony-tailed marketing gurus at soccer HQ missed that lecture during their marketing degree.

  The (so-called) national team has an established brand which should not be changed.

  Reply

• Redb said | March 18th 2008 @ 8:50am | Report comment

  Rabbitz,

  Good point, the Socceroos brand is very strong and carries with it enormous goodwill from most Aussies regardless of their football passions.

  Some soccer fans refer to Australian soccer as Australian football now, there is an article hereabouts with that title, it creates confusion and is fairly arrogant. Soccer is soccer in this country, just changing the name of the sport’s governing body three years ago might have satisfied the boffins at the business name registry, although I bet they couldn’t change it to the Australian football League , but you can’t just change the name and the decide your competitors must comply with it or you have the sole right to its use.

  There are bigger fish to fry for soccer than just changing the name of the code’s national team. In fact, if the FFA did change the name it woul be a signal that they are starting beleive their own press and this would be followed by a very loud thud in terms of loss of recognition for the national team. Worse if they went down the path of the QANTAS Wallabies moniker which makes me cringe every time I hear it, all just to generate a few dollars.

  cheers
  Redb

  Reply

• The Boar said | March 18th 2008 @ 9:02am | Report comment

  Soccer you were, soccer you are, and soccer you shall remain.

  Reply

• Dave said | March 18th 2008 @ 10:22am | Report comment

  No problems with the 4 comments above with the differentiation being Rugby Union is called Union, Ozzie Rules called AFL or Aussie Rules, Rugby League called League. Then we have clear deliniations between the code names. By the way people will make up their own minds but l will continue to call the ‘Beautiful Game’ Football as it is known in most parts of the world.
  Socceroos as a brand name is strong and l cannot see a problem with it as a nickname for the Australian Football Team. Overseas commentators always refer to the team as ‘Socceroos”.

  Reply

• onside said | March 18th 2008 @ 10:43am | Report comment

  OCKEROOS

  OCKER OCKER OCKER Oi Oi Oi

  Reply

• Cpaaa said | March 18th 2008 @ 10:46am | Report comment

  such narrow mindedness you lot are. i saw a game in europe and is also now played in australia where one team carries a ball occasionally bouncing it and then trying to score a goal. sounds familiar, they call it handball. now it wouldnt make sence to call that sport football now would it. stop living in the past, move foward accept that football is hear to stay. Plain and simple.

  Reply

• Millster said | March 18th 2008 @ 11:39am | Report comment

  Oooohhh hard issue. I agree on football being the right name – and not just as a matter of opinion but as a fact, evident throughout the world. But the Socceroos is one hell of a brand at the moment and a very recognisable name.

  Reply

• Millster said | March 18th 2008 @ 11:41am | Report comment

  Cpaaa – based on your description they should call AFL handball. Maybe even more so the 2 codes of Rugby as the feet are relatively rarely used in those games.

  Reply

• Towser said | March 18th 2008 @ 11:51am | Report comment

  Dave

  Agree with most of your points.
  However I totally disagree with the Socceroos remaining as the brand name for the National team.
  Having called the game football all my life I was pleased when the Federal Governing body and the State bodies incorporated football instead of soccer into their name as at long last we aligned ourselves with the world body FIFA and also the 46 member AFC. plus the Olympic movement.
  Nothing to do with arrogance as suggested, but to do with aligning ourselves officially with these higher levels of governance for our game.
  The A-League also followed suit and so are some of the State League and Junior clubs.
  Unfortunately or fortunately in this country(depending on your perspective) we have developed a culture of petulance re the name “Football”. So although you can change the name officially you cannot change the mindset of certain ‘invested interest “people whether you consider there point of view right or wrong.
  A bit like bringing in Racial vilification laws ,but you cant eliminate the racist in the pub.
  You particularly cannot change anything if their is a contradiction and the name Socceroos provides that.
  How can you realistically hope to win an argument that the game is football ,when the person your’e arguing with says but isn’t the icon the National team called the “Socceroos”.
  Depends what you want for the game. One called football at the official level and called as such in newspapers and TV reports and eventually through this exposure for the name, by the general public,or one one called football at the official level only ,with the public level remaining in a confused state.
  Whilst the “Socceroos “remain the name for our National team,confusion will remain.
  Of course FIFA could fix this overnight by recognising that the sport that was Association Football 150 years ago has evolved and is now “Football” (or as close to pure football as possiible,yes we know the headers, goalkeeper angle )where in the field of play, the game can only be taken to its highest creative level by passing, receiving ,dribbling,running with,shielding and tackling with the foot and only the foot. A far cry from the origonal game.
  ( Perhaps other sports may also have a look at what they have evolved into rather than keep calling themselves a name from 2 centuries ago)
  .The “Soccer” taken from “Association” does not exist then and neither would the “Socceroos”.
  But until this ever happens(and it exists in my mind only at this stage it seems, for what I consider is a simple solution) we will never get the general public in this country to wholly accept the name football instead of Soccer whilst we have the Socceroos as the icon.

  Reply