- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Adelaide United are only two games away from creating Australian football history. Their Asian Champions League success is a testament to the progress made in the game over the last few years.
Yet, there remains cynicism – stagnating crowd figures for A-League matches and lack of significant mainstream coverage relative to other football codes are the major concerns.
But we must step back to 2003 when the Crawford Report was published to truly appreciate how much has been achieved.
In that time the A-League was created, almost from scratch, as Football Federation Australia pulled the sport out of its mismanagement and neglect. The common sense approach at the FFA was demonstrated by the decision to postpone Adelaide’s A-League match against the Central Coast to allow the team more preparation time for the Champions League final.
The 2006 World Cup was the confirmation of this revolution, the move into Asia the insurance that both clubs and country played competitive and regular fixtures.
Perhaps most pleasing for fans is the chance to see the Socceroos in action so often.
As the World Cup qualifying campaign continues, the qualifying rounds for the 2011 Asian Cup begin in January with a home game against Kuwait.
Never have we had so many fixtures in so many competitions — A-League, Champions League, World Cup qualifiers, Asian Cup qualifiers, and so on.
And let’s not forget the debut of the W-League.
Then there is the prospect of the World Club Championship in December.
Crucially the revolution has encompassed both levels of club and country.
The fact is that the more games played, the more exposure they receive and the more ammunition the code has against its competitors, especially with regard to the Socceroos who, aside from the combined Olympic team, can unite a nation like no other sporting franchise in this country.
Just remember that magical German summer in 2006 and how it united a nation. Not since the Sydney Olympics has sport gripped Australia in such a way.
But football continues to play second fiddle to the likes of cricket, AFL and rugby when you watch the evening sports bulletins and read the back pages of newspapers.
But consider the relative ‘newness’ of the A-League compared to its main competition. It will take time for the A-League to establish itself into the national psyche.
It is, however, growing as football is now accepted as a game belonging to all, not just ethnic minorities. It’s no longer the ignored code in need of fixing. The foundations have been built strongly.
This growth potential far outweighs its competitors. This is a key point in attracting youngsters to the game.
Play cricket, AFL or rugby and your global reach is limited to a handful of countries. This impacts the potential economic growth of the codes.
Just look at the AFL with its ludicrous attempts at an international series to see how limited football’s rival codes are in matching the global reach of the Socceroos.
The news that Socceroos matches will return to free to air is also a victory.
Pay television does not have the same national reach as free to air and hopefully by the time Socceroos games return to free to air, in 2013, the Socceroos would have had another successful campaign in South Africa 2010.
However, Fox Sports must be given credit for backing the A-League from its infancy. Its commitment to football on so many fronts has helped cement a core group of football tragics for whom Saturday nights are spent in front of the box glued to say Wigan V Stoke.
The work isn’t done yet. A-League expansion is the next hurdle to overcome.
But the past few years, let alone few weeks, should serve as an inspiration to the potential of the round ball game in this country.