The Australian Socceroos’ Mark Viduka kicks the ball in the Australia v Japan opening Group F match at the Soccer World Cup in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Monday, June 12, 2006. This is Australia’s first World Cup finals appearance in 32 years. AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Despite their reality check overnight, the Socceroos, for so long the underachievers and forgotten Australian national team, are making a strong case for being the countries premier sporting entity, the most marketable and the biggest drawcard.
Since their long awaited World Cup qualification in 2005, they have threatened the domination of the Wallabies and Australian cricketers as the team that can best unite the country and as a powerful marketing force.
When you remember back to the days of limited matches against weak opponents in suburban stadiums, the Socceroos rise has been a remarkable one – a rise we often forget to reflect on post-Germany 2006.
What’s remarkable about this rise to prominence is the limitations on the Socceroos. With their principal stars plying their trade on the other side of the world, they have also been hamstrung by their deal with Fox Sports that limits their mainstream reach.
Yet Harry Kewell, Tim Cahill, Lucas Neill and co are now marketable entities the equal of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clark, fronting cereal and soft drink advertising campaigns, areas once out of reach for the round ball folk.
If they have not past the Wallabies and Australian cricketers in terms of appeal and value, they are certainly mounting a fierce challenge.
Before 2005, the Australian cricket team held this mantle and were relatively unchallenged.
But the unsporting attitudes that were fostered in the years of ruthless domination under the captaincy of Ricky Ponting have left a bitter taste for many.
In the wake of the Ashes defeat, for every fan that bemoaned poor selections, there was someone who, whether publicly or privately, took some pleasure in the loss.
Like an unchallenged Goliath, Australia had its years of domination and developed an arrogant, graceless manner in which they played the game.
With the lack of a challenger from other codes in the summer months, Australian crickets popularity and that of the national team has been inflated.
It has taken the last two epic Ashes tours in England to reawaken interest in Test cricket and that of an Australian team in transition post one of its greatest periods.
At present, does the Australian cricket team have the ability to unite the nation in such a frenzy of enthusiasm and unwavering support in the way the Socceroos did in 2006?
Not of late.
As for the Wallabies, their recent struggles have typified that of the game itself.
When an AFL finals match can threaten to pull an equal crowd than a Tri-Nations clash against the world’s best Rugby side in Brisbane, of all places, then questions must be asked about the fortunes of the code in this country.
Overburdened with rule complications and debate about its future direction, they too are in a transitional phase heading into their own World Cup.
But the Wallabies have never been Australia’s premier national team.
Limiting them is their restricted national appeal. In the southern states, they just don’t rate.
Ask a South Australian to name three of the current Wallabies and you’ll hear three wild guesses.
The Socceroos appeal is not limited to a specific state.
The years of struggle and heartbreak have helped create a national team that is genuinely loved by A-League sympathisers, Euro snobs and non-football diehards alike.
It’s what made the ride to and during Germany 2006 so emotionally charged.
Playing a game we know we can’t dominate in, the Socceroos symbolise the ultimate underdog, a welcome change from the national teams whom we expect to dominate.
Now up to a new all-time high of 14th in the FIFA rankings, the Socceroos are making a case for being top of the pile when it comes to the hearts and minds of the Australian sporting public.
With the crescendo of publicity, excitement and marketing building up to South Africa, there’ll be no doubt of their rise to the top of the mountain when pubs across the nation are full of green and gold in June 2010.
JTM
Guest
Rugby Union may not be as big worldwide as soccer but it still has the third biggest sporting event in the world - the Rugby World Cup behind the Olympics and then FIFA WC. The RWC final is watched by a worldwide audience of billions too, believe it or not. But I agree with Corey, let's just move on from all this bickering over "my sport is the coolest". It's beginning to look ridiculous as people who are bagging out other 'ignorant' comments, are beginning to look very ignorant themselves.
punter
Guest
I think you will find that teh Socceroos beat Paraguay or at least drew with them last time they played about 3 years ago.
sharminator
Guest
The Socceroos Australia´s Premier National Team ... I hope not. The 4 - 0 loss against Germany was a disgrace. I am an Australian, living in Paraguay ... a soccer mad country. Today the national team drew with the past champions Italy, an enormous matter of pride for a small country of only 5 million people. But the Australian performance was simply shocking. I watched the commmentary in Spanish ... and as the commentators said the Australian team lacked skills to compete ... and by the second half they said "las Australianos estan muertos" they are playing so poorly it is like they are dead .... They ended up lauging about the "Sockeeroos" as they pronounce it. I dont understand how we managed to qualify for the World Cup ... when the team plays so poorly. And as for any ideas about Australia hosting a World Cup ... forget it .. we are now the laughing stock of world football. Horrific ....
Bam Bam
Roar Guru
Can I just say the point of this article is to point out that Socceroos are the national team that our nation watches with greatest unity, obviously these comments offer the differ. But I do say that I am not a soccer fan and may be biased, but cricket offers more score. But I still understand why people could find test matches boring- its like watching golf, only those who understand the art love it (and I don't understand golf at all). But it must be offered that soccer isn't very well supported in our country in the competition front, albeit there are more soccer participants than any other sport. I love my physical sports, and don't say soccer is one of those because by Australian insurance laws all schools are allowed to play soccer where only the top insured schools can play what they call "contact" sport. But when you say that in union and league they end up "rolling around on the ground", it must be remembered that both of those sports aim as a defender is to tackle the player and bring them to the ground. I don't believe that is the aim in soccer- so nice try PR drew777, but you cannot compare these sports. Remember Rugby and Soccer split in one meeting as some wanted physical contact and the others did not. Can we please stop the code wars. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, but is not the most followed sport in Australia, even though we are saturated with contact sports.
Dave1
Guest
India is already one of the most important countries in the world.
Shahsan
Guest
India the world's superpower? In cricket? surely theyre already that now?
Clocker
Guest
Cricket in 4% of the world? Sure it might be only played seriously in about 10 countries - but 3 of those countries are India, Bangladesh and Pakistan - which alone account for more than 20% of the worlds population. If you think cricket is small now then just wait until 25 years time when India is the worlds superpower.
berton
Guest
yep, goes to show, never let the vaccum of not being enertained continualy, be distracted by the attraction of nationalism
berton
Guest
David Rules Football is the worlds fastest growing sport http://www.worldfootynews.com/
Dave
Guest
The olympics are boring. The only good sport in it is hockey
Dave
Guest
There were no unsporting attitudes fostered in the years of ruthless domination under the captaincy of Ricky Ponting and their is no bitter taste.
Simmo
Guest
Yep, Americans are real men and don't see the 'appeal' of soccer. Here's a prime example: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090817
keeper11
Guest
i guess to some of the simpletons on this forum the 'biggness' of a sport is defined simply by the number of pages devoted to it by some biased, provincial australian tabloid rag papers.... and nothing beats the zeolatry of the 'foody' brigades or cultists on demanding what the australian public should and shouldn't follow..."should stick to our 'traditional' sports we know' they scream... ..... ahh ..those golden years ..the 50's.. by that logic...no australian should be watching the olympics... oh..but they're not a athreat to our cherished way of life and precious footy codes the way the 'that' dreaded sockah is...
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
In fairness to Adrian when such a statement was made on ABC TV on the Offsider program there was a general consensus it was true and they moved onto the next topic quite quickly.
Ghost
Guest
Adrian - I must say you certainly have the appetite for code-war stories! Do you guys get paid in proportion to the number of comments that your articles elicit?
Ghost
Guest
I must say without resorting to the mocking of melbvictory that I agree with the point that "World Champion of Rugby League" sounds great but in fact is not that meaningful...
Ghost
Guest
Umm... GB if you stop and thnk for just a second you'll realise that a "test" in most sports is just a "friendly" that a few decades of marketing hype has gotten to. Unless it has a serious meaning and context (ie is part of some bigger tournament) then it a one off match or series is worth more or less the same regardless of what its called.
Bryan
Guest
Make that billions Amy91, and of course union and cricket only have managed to become viable in about 4% of the world. Its unfortunate that the people who think Cricket, Rugby union, Rugby league are important in other countries are so uneducted in sport and Netball's " world " importance is not even worth taking about. Actually I don't mind the saturation coverage AFL gets in the southern states because it's such a piddly game that in 151 years it hasn't even managed to capture any market outside of 4 states of Australia.
Luke Watson II
Guest
Bloodgate ,cough. Australian Footy is like the american footy,a one country sport. Rugby league is catching up to Union,but not yet,in terms of global success,South Africa have no rugby league going on. Soccer is the global game. SOuth Africa are the World champions in rugby union,I just thought it would be nice to see this in writting. As for rugby league,we will get there,one day. The Rugby analysts in SA say the melbourne Super rugby team will be made up of league and AFl rejects,is this true? Although back in 1996 our pundits called the Brumbies " a team of warratah rejects',2 Super rugby titles later............................................................
westy
Guest
I am not a marketeer but I have recently been privy to some advertising research on recognition of " national " sporting personalities across state boundaries. Only one company i know but Cahill was number one and Kewell number two. What is significant is the two players do not play domestically only for the Socceroos. This same research was used by Fairfax for recent promotions of male products in the AGE/SMH/ and also in the Courier Mail and Westralian and Canberra TImes For such players to be embedded in the domestic psyche of Australian consumers means the Socceroos have some material impact. These blokes do not even live in Australia.