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They love their football here in Italy. Serie A dominates and when it doesn’t, Bundesliga takes over. Juventus is all the talk, and for an English-teaching Western Bulldogs supporter it can be a tad overwhelming.
But another league has caught the Italians’ attention in the off-season, and this one I can relate to.
I’m off to teach a class of eight-year-olds about Australia. I walk in, set up my gear, smile, introduce myself, and ask the same question I ask every time – what do you know about Australia?
The answers vary – some classes know a lot, some know very little. But there are three things that never change from class to class: kangaroos, Sydnaay and Alessandro Del Piero.
Some eight-year-olds’ knowledge goes deeper than that. I’ve had one say Del Piero captains the sky blues, one made mention of the four goals he scored against Wellington, and one enthusiastic lad said in all seriousness how the Italian champion rides to every game on a kangaroo.
Although I have my doubts over Del Piero’s kangaroo-riding abilities, the fact remains that he gave his team and in turn the A-League an identity it didn’t have before. Not news by any means, but it’s a positive when people recognise the A-League ahead of our blundering prime minister.
I’m not saying the league is now full of world beaters or that in the upcoming World Cup we will even come close to matching the Spanish on the park, but from the A-League’s inception there were doubts whether it would make a mark in an already crowded sporting market. Those have been dispelled.
It’s had hiccups, several teams have folded and more still may in the years to come, but where there was a spark now a flame steadily grows.
Del Piero has retired, walking away from the game as a champion, and I wondered who could take his place to draw attention to our little league. That was until last week, when David Villa signed on for 10 games with the newly named Melbourne City, another golden strike by an A-League team.
Ten games may not seem like much, as he is only preparing for the American season, but the Spanish legend will bring more interest to the game, both within our borders and beyond. Watch for him on the big stage when he and the Spaniards take on the Socceroos, it will be a glimpse of what we will see Down Under.
For now, the league is growing and with a new TV deal in the future the sky’s the limit.
What’s your opinion Roarers? Who else can the A-league attract, what big name will be next?
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