Why do most Socceroos come from one State?

Interestingly enough a article in the paper (west) a couple of days ago stated that WA has around 27% of its population born overseas which is higher than both NSW and VIC (both around 24%) In the far northern suburbs of Perth many suburbs have around 31% of people born in the UK another couple in Ireland some 3 or 4 % born in South Africa and about the same in New Zealand. In the 2006 census there were 173,940 people born in the UK living in Perth making it Australias most English city.

Dave .... factor in another 5 to 10% or so being the australian born kids of the immigrants. The northern suburbs of Perth Starting at around Connolly have higher UK %, Currambine Kinross have around 27% according to that site and it gets higher around Mindarie, Butler etc the further north you go.

Also Jade North and Craig Morre were born in NSW.

Rockingham had a United Kingdom born percentage of 19.48% in the 2006 census http://myboot.com.au/6168/Rockingham/demographics.aspx

WA has a big ( huge ) English immigrant population especially around Rockingham and the far Northern Suburbs, it would be safe to say that 50 to 60% of some suburbs are chockers with poms or people from the UK, i believe Perth is also the 2nd largest Welsh city in the world.

More stats from an U13 team that played recently in a tournament in in Sabah, Malaysia,picked more for technical ability than physical developement.:- http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/105774,junior-socceroos-impress-in-asia.aspx So for players per state by my maths:- WA5 NSW7 VIC4 SA3 QLD3 Pretty much what I expected except WA. Why 5?

I do think that it's an interesting stat. Victoria and WA are round about where you'd expect. NSW is way over the odds, and Queensland is well under the odds. Some have mentioned that there are more academies in NSW, so that might explain a fair bit. The Queensland figure in particular is a bit of an eye opener.

Woops, missed that last little line there. Diving is disgusting and should be stamped out, follow the game a little more closely and you will see that diving is not that prevalent. DId you watch the Aus/Japan WCQ tonight? So many times there was the opportunity to go to ground and win fouls/penalties and neither team took them.

Glen, Yes and no. Grosso used the situation to his advantage, Lucas Neill should not have gone to ground, he was impeding Grosso and the Italian simply made the best of it. I agree with you that there was no need to act as though he was hurt but unfortunately you sometimes need to 'prove' to the ref that you have been fouled. As for the other point, it did not cost us 'a shot at the title', not scoring against 10 men in the previous half hour definitely cost us a shot at Ukraine.

All this chatter about soccer players being wimps is starting to get tiresome... However, soccer is the only game where a player can be rewarded for carrying on like a sheila. And before you futbal morons start attacking, remember, that very behavior (acting like a sheila over a non injury and a non penalty) by an Italian in the last world cup is what cost Australia a shot at the title. Defend that pathetic display and then we can have a little chat. Get diving and dramatics out of your game and perhaps the real football players make take you seriously.

WCR it's not a stat to be proud of!! I'll only say that one of the most awful bits of sports vision I have ever seen is watching an English footballer get caught up in such a manner that he clean broke his leg in half mid way up the shin, as he left it behind him. It makes me sick in the stomach every time I think about it.

NSW is not monocentric in its sporting pysche. never has been. The bandwagon effect is true in parts of Sydney ( the east tends to be the worst always searching for distinction)). Wagga produces PaulKelly/ Carey /Daniher brothers at the same time as/Brentnall/Mortimers/Lawson/Taylor to name just a few while a single random suburb like Fairfield produces Sharne/okon/Carle/Mendez/Alexander/Langmack not to forget Michael Wendon. bankstown is a roll call of Australian cricket waugh brothers ,Pascoe/thompson/ with a few decent swimmers like Thorpe thrown in. Sport has always been central to the culture of NSW we just do not concentrate on one. It is the sporting culture of western sydney and country NSW that has carried much of the burden in Australian cricket over the last four decades(waugh brothers/Mcgrath/Gilchrist/Taylor/Clarke/Hughes/lawson/etc etc. Contrary to the paroachialism that the above points indicate I am well aware of the Australian sporting culture of all states and territories and embrace it especially country Australia. it is just sometimes the powerful contribution of western sydney and country NSW is a little underappreciated simply because they play a large range of sports and produce some real depth of quality to several sports. I always find it hilarious about football's threat to rugby league in western sydney when football has always been king in western sydney . Football's junior numbers exceeded those in rugby league in 1950 and have only continued their upward trend both in volume and proportion. I am not sure it is rugby league who has to get used to a increasingly dominant football code.

All I can say is how many Football players are either cripplied or killed playing each year? More than 2 dozen in Rugby Union alone.

JF, I'm just telling you what I have observed, I have little experience of either rugby code. Certainly the build of the professional players in rugby should say enough about how physical it is in comparison with football. I don't believe I have actually compared the codes 'toughness' wise, nor would I wish to, if you think I did I assure you it was accidental. My comment about rugby players getting injured playing soccer was made simply because I find irony amusing. In fact, one rugby player told me he had played rugby for 15 years and never been injured and he did serious ligament damage when he played soccer - he found it as ironic as I did.

SJ, Your comparisons are laughable. I can't believe you are really trying to argue this point. I'm sure nasty injuries happen in football as they do in all sports contact or otherwise and I'm sure there are instances where footballers push through the pain of an injury or fatigue. But to compare that type of toughness to the conditions faced in either of the rugby codes (can't really speak on behalf of AFL) is rediculous. I accept what you say about rugby and AFL players being cumbersome in a football situation, I'm sure they would be. I appreciate the skill and finnesse involved in football but I am sorry, a 'tough' game it is not. The massive popularity with juniors and the ability of the sport to reach out to so many is testimant to this, it is human nature - people do not like to get hurt.

It the same as in cricket where are less good players from the southern state. The AFL is so ruthless in taking the top athletes from the southern states. It will even out as the AFL starts taking more and more of their juniors from NSW and Rugby league starts getting its act together.

not entitled to comment on toughness, JF? And I'm arrogant for making a simple observation? Seeing how I have played on and even scored goals with a severe injury that rendered me unable to work at my job for the entire next week on one occasion (at that time I was self employed, so not working meant not getting payed) I beg to differ. If you think it doesn't take courage to protect the ball from a defender coming at you with two feet in a slide or aerial challenge, then I look forward to meeting you on the football pitch some day to teach you some respect for our code, as an important part of my marshalling the midfield when playing as a DMF is by intimidation and reputation... In the case where I broke my eye socket and cheekbone I know for a fact that those guys were did not have the ability to win the ball (or the game for that matter) fairly, and deliberately tried to 'take me out'. Job done, as I was first on the operating table at the hospital the next day due to danger of going blind. I certainly don't hold it against them, as it is just one of the things that can happen in the game and I was fully committed as well. However, we often get primarily rugby and occasionally AFL players that come to play with us in their off-season of if their preferred game is cancelled, and I can tell you, I enjoy a good physical game, but these guys go in like elephants in a china shop and injure themselves and others as they simply do not have the skill to use force and muscle in a precise manner. They also tend to blast the ball way across the field to nobody or miles over the bar as they do not know the concept of nous and short passing. All just observations specific to the guys I know, and not to be taken generally.

Lazza, I am not denigrating football for not being tough, it is just an element that the sport does not have and I hate reading any football supporter comment on it, because they have no idea. Courage is a fair adjective to use when talking about contact sport, I clearly was not making comparisons to war.

We could simply do a 'like for like' comparison. How many players born (or predominantly developed) in NSW have played in the so-called 'All-Australian' AFL team? Or the conversely, how many Socceroos were born (or predominantly developed) in Victoria. I think you will find that this 'like for like' comparison will demonstrate the significant contribution of Victoria to the Socceroos in comparison to the virtualy non-existant contribution of NSW (or QLD) to the so-called 'All Australian' AFL team. That being the case. This article is not worth the bits it is printed on. mahony