The Socceroos are set to become the sporting team that gives back to Australia and its taxpayers as they attempt to leverage millions of dollars in trade for the country through their Asian World Cup qualifying journey.

Australian soccer will receive $32 million in federal funding over the next four years.

But Football Federation Australia (FFA) believes the sport is in the unique position of being able to repay that with interest by boosting trade with booming Asia and the Middle East, thanks to frequent Socceroos matches played in the region.

“We can help the government, we can help the corporate sector connect with different parts of the world so in some ways that’s a way for us to repay the investment that’s been made by the Australian government,” Football Federation Australia boss Ben Buckley said.

Austrade’s chief economist Tim Harcourt said the top-ranked Asian Football Confederation nations accounted for nearly $76 billion of Australia’s exports, making the sport the ideal platform to encourage trade links with Asia.

The first steps have been taken during the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifying campaign in the Middle East.

The team, led by skipper Harry Kewell, were the guests of honour at an Australian Business in the Gulf lunch in Dubai today.

The United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, is Australia’s 17th largest trading partner worth around $5 billion in trade last year – mainly in the business and construction sectors.

More than 600 Australian companies have a presence in the UAE and there are between 15,000 and 20,000 Australian expatriates living and working there.

Austrade’s Dubai-based trade commissioner James Wyndham said the Socceroos’ current campaign through the Middle East promised great spinoffs for Australian business in the region.

“What the Socceroos are doing today is bringing together 200 Australian CEOs and business people, building the glue for these Australian companies to do business here,” Wyndham told AAP.

“It’s also raising the profile that Australian companies are here, they’re on the ground doing a good job.

“If we can have the Socceroos as this wonderful marketing platform going around the region flying the flag for Australia, their success on the field is certainly replicated in the boardroom as well.”

The FFA also used today’s lunch to launch a major charm offensive to bolster Australia’s 2018 World Cup bid.

Buckley has called on all Australian expatriates to become unofficial “ambassadors” for the World Cup bid, spreading the word why Australia would be an excellent World Cup host.

© AAP 2012

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