The round ball game really is beautiful
Roar Rookie By Fragglerocker, 31 Jan 2009 Fragglerocker is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- A-League, football, Glory, Perth Glory
I’m a rugby fanatic, that much will never change. I’ve followed “the game they play in Heaven” since my age was in single digits.
One year playing soccer in the under 7′s was enough for me, and since then I’ve always dismissed “the beautiful game” as altogether boring, unsportsmanlike, and a waste of my time. I’ve tried to watch the odd World Cup match and still lost interest.
I’ve never been shy to deride soccer either.
So it is with some humility, a bit of egg on my face, and a large serving of surprise, when I say to all you soccer supporters out there, Congratulations on keeping me thoroughly entertained last weekend.
I found myself at work on a twelve-hour shift with little to do except watch TV and wait for the phone to ring. The phone never did ring, and I found my TV options fairly limited, so I thought I’d put the QLD Roar v Perth Glory game on, merely as some noise in the background while I surfed the net.
Shortly before half-time something strange happened: I found myself actually watching the game more than I was surfing the net.
After the half time break, I was avidly watching the match.
Rugby is still my No.1 but now soccer is something I can easily watch, and I may even find myself heading off to a game.
What happened to change my opinion in just one night?
The only explanation I can give is that this match was played as the game should be played. It was fast-paced. The score ticked over, with Queensland only sealing the win late in the game.
There was back-passing, but it was back-passing with the intention of moving the ball to someone who could do something with it – not back passing just to keep possession while the other team got worn out from chasing the ball.
The crowd was alive right up to the final whistle, and even though I was only watching on TV, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
One thing more than anything demonstrated the spirit of the game.
A Queensland player was felled by an aggressive Perth tackle, but rather than squirm on the ground feigning agony normally only inflicted by the Spanish Inquisition, he immediately got back to his feet and continued after the ball.
And that wasn’t the only time in the game it happened.
The other team played the same way. The players were more interested in trying to score goals than free kicks.
The only small bit of advice I can give to the ardent soccer fanatic is simply that this is the way non-soccer supporters expect the game to be played. I don’t mean that as an insult, I mean that as a compliment and as constructive criticism.
I really do want to see soccer succeed to the point that Australia is a serious and regular threat to other countries at the World Cup.
So I’d like to apologise to those soccer followers I may have annoyed in the past, and I’d like to thank the players of the A-League for showing how beautiful the beautiful game can be.
The codes can exist together. They can all succeed together. Fans can follow more than one code. It just takes some coordination (in Pittsburgh USA, you’ll rarely see the Steelers play NFL the same night the Penguins play NHL) and the administrators of the codes have to also accept that they can succeed together.
So this weekend I’ll be going to a Super 14 trial match, watching the Melbourne Vs Wellington game, entering the NFL and AFL tipping comps in preparation for their respective seasons, and watching the Superbowl on Monday morning.
All they have to do now is resurrect the Wollongong Wolves and the Illawarra Steelers and it will be a perfect world.
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- Explore:
- A-League, football, Glory, Perth Glory
January 31st 2009 @ 3:14am
dasilva said | January 31st 2009 @ 3:14am | Report comment
Yes brother,
I was once like you blinded that I could not appreciate the beautiful game.
One day a single match change all that and I had seen the light and from then on left the dark side forever. Now I’m a preacher of light and worship the round ball and now i have dedicated myself in spreading the gospel of the beautiful game.
It’s show that no one person is irredeemable. That is never too late to see the light and find salvation.
Welcome to our family brother, your life will never be the same.
January 31st 2009 @ 3:45am
dasilva said | January 31st 2009 @ 3:45am | Report comment
On a more serious notes (you can ignore the first post if you want, it’s just a joke). It’s good to see a new fan of the game and hearing it from the prospective on how they got interested in the first place.
I recently submitted an article called style vs results (may get publish soon) and argued that the A-league has to concentrate on playing attractive football and entertaining football and not just to win matches. Because we want to win new fans and most people who aren’t football fans or aren’t a-league fans watch the match as a neutral supporter and generally don’t care that much whether there home city team wins or not.
It’s nice to know that your recollection of that match may reinforce that idea.
I’m hoping that when you do turn up and watch the a-league game you’ll see an equally entertaining match and not get another dull game that puts you back into square one in terms of football.
Cheers
January 31st 2009 @ 6:35am
aka said | January 31st 2009 @ 6:35am | Report comment
Fragglerocker, I’m not sure you’ve really seen the light. All you have seen is a football game that contained elements that you like from your prefered game. What was beautiful about the game, other than that it was played in the same spirit as rugby.
Perhaps next game you watch you will see your team, say, one nil up and one man down and then appreciate them trying to maintain possession rather than in all out attack. Appreciate them allowing the oppositions fouls be rewarded. An understand a bit more.
January 31st 2009 @ 6:36am
NUFCMVFC said | January 31st 2009 @ 6:36am | Report comment
Good article
One wonders why some people have to bag the game so much, it is beautiful with some people going against the spirit, and this annoys football/soccer fans more than anyone
I generally go to A league games sometimes with my friend who plays Cricket and AFL, is of NZ background so a big follower of Union as well. People perhaps are worried about the whole “global” aspect of it but it isn’t going to swallow up the indigenous games (although Rugby League and Union come from the same place as football originally so I find it all quite ironic). But these people can’t keep their heads buried in the sand because Football fulfills some important dimensions of this countries identity and its relatedness to the outside world.
People seem to say it is “woosey’ because it is not full on physical. it is physical in its own way but it is aiming to be elegant as well, which people begin to appreciate once they seem the problem solving approaches and the angles and then the moments of sheer creative briliiance. Sometimes the lines between success and failure can be so small which perhaps give some explanation as to why people milk free kicks etc, to get any possible advantage
Very fun to be a supporter of as well I might add
January 31st 2009 @ 7:08am
Sam said | January 31st 2009 @ 7:08am | Report comment
Fragglerocker
A lot of these negative tactics in football come more from the culture of the players who play the game (rather than it being implanted in the game itself as some people suggest). For example Italians have a more melodramatic nature, and will act accordingly on a football field. This might disagree with some other cultures. This is akin to the Aussie way of sledging which is not accepted in some cultures. Both are bad forms of sportsmanship.
A-league is different to other leagues and this is hopefully what will attract new fans. Trinidad and Cristiano this year both got bad press for diving, and really have toned down their theatric since. And you’re right I see less of that stuff in a-league too, and more getting on with the game. This is the only way the porduct will survive in OZ and hopefully the game will be played like this i Australia for years to come.
On my final point the international games will always be a lot different as we are playing different teams who will resort to these tactics. Most of the games will be less of a spectacle (as experienced in Indonesia). Australia has to adapt to these teams and therefore it will not be similar to what the a-league offers. This is why international football is a totally new contest. More guise and street smart type play is required in these contests. As long as you wtach more a-league games in future, then this bodes well for the league in years to come.
January 31st 2009 @ 7:52am
Dave said | January 31st 2009 @ 7:52am | Report comment
Great to read that someone actually enjoyed an A League game (cops plenty of bagging not least from the National Coach) and was willing to tell others. Well done.
l used to follow VFL (now AFL) was an Essendon member etc and whilst l thoroughly enjoyed my time at the games and wouldn’t want to take any of it back, it must be said that growing up in Melb in the 60-70s wasnt exactly an enlightened time for allowing the gospel to be spread in all codes…dont think l actually saw any Rugby (live or TV RU or RL) until mid 80s? Sokkah as it was referred to (Wog Ball by many) just didn’t cut it, it was boring, lacked physical contact, low scoring etc etc.
There were no local Sokkah clubs that l knew of and certainly no publicity for the game.
However myself and a group of school friends all with British/Euro backgrounds watched the game on late night TV (games broadcast 1-2 weeks after they were played). Parents told us of their ‘football’ (only time we heard it called that) experiences and our interest grew…to the point we started playing, joined clubs and to this day remain hooked.
In the 3 decades since we have seen/coached countless games, live, delayed, o/s, at the ground etc (now MV members). There were plenty of those games that many would consider boring ie low or no scoring but as a football fan l have always been able to see something in a game that made it worthwhile (until l saw Indonesia v HAL Socceroos this week….ok joke) eg indivdual performance, individual piece of skill to win/save a game, great goal/save etc. In other words l have learned to be patient and having played/coached (helps) can pick up the small things that make the game so great.
A casual observer can watch the odd game and if it is fast, high scoring etc get perhaps a rose colored view. Football, whilst a simple game (and like other codes) is complex to understand fully.
If you continue to watch games l’m afraid you will see plenty of games you consider to be crap (and many would probably agree with you) but there will be gems amongst the dirt and believe me they are worth waiting for.
Thanks for sharing your experience as a non football fan and hope you enjoy many more games.
Sam
Your last point is very valid…tends to be the more important the game (club as much as national) the tighter, less flowing, more fouls and chance that one mistake/bit of skill etc will make the difference.
January 31st 2009 @ 8:27am
Luke W said | January 31st 2009 @ 8:27am | Report comment
It amazes me that after years of self admitted disregard for football, the one match that changed your mind was an A-League match, no less an A-League match featuring Perth Glory.
While it’s fantastic that football has another supporter you need to begin culturing yourself with some EPL, Serie A, La Liga and international matches. I’m a die hard Jets supporter, so luckily I had more entertaining things to watch this season so I didn’t go mad and yank my hair out.
January 31st 2009 @ 8:40am
Joe FC said | January 31st 2009 @ 8:40am | Report comment
Constructive criticism is always welcome Fragglerocker so keep it coming.
January 31st 2009 @ 1:23pm
onside said | January 31st 2009 @ 1:23pm | Report comment
The future is is the kids.Where I live ,two hours north of Brisbane ,young people play a bit of everything.
All have their favourite code ,BUT, they have an appreciation of other codes because they have played
them at school and club level. My lad is in year twelve.His main game is soccer.He lives for it.At school he
plays a bit of touch rugby . In his age group at club , under 17, two or three boys that played soccer last
season have gone over to Union.Other kids come over from League or Union. A brilliant youngster with
plenty of grunt in soccer swapped over to League a couple of seasons ago and is now in the Broncos
squad for elite youngsters. Going back a bit, when my son was in year six,the final year in junior school ,
the school made the grand final of the AFL Sunshine Coast schools premiership. His then school was full
blown Rugby orientated, but NEVER at the expense of other codes if boys wanted to be involved.Half the
kids in the Grand Final team were rugby players. It was a close game.The team lost.But just about to a
player the best contributors all played rugby.The AFL kids didnt do so well.We have kids that play AFL one
day and soccer the next.They play union and soccer.The conversation after a game of soccer is often
“lets get home tonight,the Broncos are playing,the Reds are playing,Collingwood are playing Brisbane,the
Socceroos are playing,Queensland Roar are playing”, and on it goes.We took a bus load of kids to Brisbane
to see an AFL game,they loved it. Likewise a Queensland Roar and a Reds game.Parents of children that
play different codes are more receptive to watching another game from time to time,especially if it involves
the national team.I dont know what the reality is down south, but up our way the kids are exposed to more
than one code.They will grow up ready to watch all of them.
One day the likes of Buddy Franklin,that superb AFL athlete who plays full forward for Hawthorn will play
for the Socceroos.This future Buddy Franklin will be based in Europe ,and earn more in one year than the
total yearly payroll of any AFL club.
Just pick any of the fine athletes who dominate in AFL and imagine if you will these men applying their craft
to a different code.When that day arrives,and it will,Australia will win the FIFA World Cup.
Naturally League and Union want the Buddy Franklins,but the codes cannot compete with either the money on
offer in world soccer,or the international glamour that comes with it .
Buddy Franklin,captain of Arsenal. No, that wont work,he doesnt speak French. But Man U would have him .
January 31st 2009 @ 2:20pm
Albert Ross said | January 31st 2009 @ 2:20pm | Report comment
New era for SFC?
Kossie’s gone.