For the first time in almost three decades, soccer will emerge from the shadow of rugby to command national attention when New Zealand plays for a World Cup spot on Saturday against Bahrain.
A crowd of more than 35,000 will pack Westpac Stadium – the largest crowd for a soccer match in New Zealand’s history – and thousands more will follow the action on giant screens at other Wellington locations.
The television audience for the Saturday evening match is also expected to break national viewing records and, for the first time in years, soccer has usurped rugby’s premier place on newspaper sports pages and on nightly sports bulletins.
With the All Blacks currently touring Europe, the New Zealand cricket team also overseas and in the annual hiatus between the winter and summer seasons, the World Cup qualifier has delivered the round-ball code an unprecedented chance to shine.
Whether the sport can capitalise on its prominence to permanently enlarge its following in New Zealand, an opportunity which might be dependent on the outcome of the Bahrain match, has been widely debated.
Soccer last enjoyed this level of interest here in 1982 when New Zealand reached the World Cup in Spain for the first time and after a qualifying campaign of 15 matches.
That success coincided with an unprecedented period of trauma for rugby. A tour to New Zealand in 1981 by a racially-selected South African rugby team had deeply divided the nation, leading to the most violent protests in New Zealand’s history.
Rugby’s image had been heavily scarred and many parents removed their children from the national sport and encouraged them into soccer as a safer, less political alternative.
But the sport was ill-equipped to cope with the influx of young players. It hadn’t the coaches or even the playing fields to support large player numbers and it quickly surrendered its new popularity.
The numbers of juniors playing rugby and soccer are now roughly comparative but at senior levels – from high school on – the sports rapidly diverge and rugby’s pre-eminence becomes obvious.
Rugby remains the first-choice sport for Kiwis from teenage years onwards while soccer has a niche following.
Demographic changes in New Zealand have slightly swelled soccer’s popularity but even the most important regional or interclub matches draw crowds of only a few hundred. That makes the scale of the crowd for Saturday’s match even more eye catching.
Demand for tickets was so great that, though the capacity of the stadium was increased by almost 500, thousands of would-be spectators were turned away.
The crowd is so much greater than any that has previously attended a soccer match in New Zealand that it seems unlikely to be reflective of the sport’s core support.
Rather, it seems followers of all sports, and mainly rugby, have been attracted to an occasion which is an exciting novelty.
The domestic rugby season in New Zealand has just ended with the final of the National Provincial Championship, 10 months after it began with the first round of matches in the three-nation Super 14 tournament. Recent domestic surveys have shown rugby fans are increasingly losing interest in their sport because of the sheer number of matches played each year.
After a scoreless draw in the first leg of the qualifying series in Bahrain, the All Whites have a real chance of reaching the World Cup finals for the first time in 27 years.
Although even that owes a great deal to its geographical location and the quirks of FIFA’s qualifying system.
New Zealand has reached this final stage of qualifying for 2010 after winning the Oceania tournament, which pitted it against mostly tiny island nations such as Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the Solomons.
Until the 2006 World Cup, Australia was also part of the Oceania region and stood as a road block to 83rd-ranked New Zealand’s progress to later stages of qualifying.
Australia’s decision to switch to the Asian confederation – through which it has already qualified for South Africa 2010 – left the door open to New Zealand.
FIFA’s decision that the Oceania winner would then compete with the fifth-placed team from Asia for a place in South Africa was a further boost to New Zealand’s chances. That left New Zealand to face Bahrain, ranked 61st in the world, in a winner-take-all series.
A qualifying path which forced New Zealand through South America, for instance – as Australia faced in 2002 and ’06 – would have likely made South Africa an impossible dream.
New Zealand will therefore achieve an unusual distinction if it manages to qualify. It will likely become the first nation in World Cup history to qualify without defeating a country with a population of more than one million.
Fiji, at 849,000, and Bahrain, at around 750,000, have been the largest of its opponents so far.
Shahsan
Guest
This site is a fun place to talk sport and disagree and agree on whatever the hell is going on, and to debate strenuously without ever getting too personal, and retaining some sense of humour. But a few have to spoil it for the rest of us. Why is that?
Shahsan
Guest
Jeez. Asia and Oceania used to be grouped together for purposes of World Cup qualifcation, from the 60s. It used to be known as the Asia/Oceania zone. Which is why the Socceroos played often against the likes of Vietnam, HK etc to try to get to teh World Cup. Ok, to be more correct, the Oceania winner (in effect Australai or NZ) were blocked from qualifcation via the Asia route from the 80s, once it became clear to the Asian nations that the strength of Aust/NZ meant they were always likely to get the sole spot on offer then. So the Oceania winner had to go find all sorts of routes to ge through, including Europe in 1986, Concacaf (if i recall corectly) in 1990, South America in 1994, back to Asia in 1998, and then South America again for 2002 and 2006. I hope i passed your test, sir.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
But up till 1982, Australia and New Zealand played off through the AFC, one way or the other.
K B
Guest
Shahsan, "That’s why Australia and NZ were kicked out of Asia in the first place, back in the 80s. The Arab lobby is very strong in the AFC." Oh yeah as I thought .. you know nothing about it ... Australia and NZ were never ever in the Asian confederation, never, do you understand.. Simpleton...? (Now you are using offensive language allow me to do the same) However, they did have to qualify through Asia in 1974 and 1997... Batter did give Oceania a half spot from Conmebol (Sth America's half spot) that was revoked only because Australia in the Confederation's cup in Germany failed to impress, so Blatter was forced to do a back flip under immense pressure from the Sth American confederation... You had not mention Sth America's involement not once...
Shahsan
Guest
Yah, i get you. When there is confusion, use whatever makes things clear. Yes, i thought 3 strikers away was quite smart: go for jugualr early, sneak away goal etc. But i thought he would have been more careful at home, esp when 1-0 up with 15 minutes to go. true, they almost scored again but they also didnt hold things up well at all upfront. Comes with experience, I guess.
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
What i couldn't believe was that he played 3 strikers home and away. Then 1 nil up with about 15 mins to go was it he takes of one of his strikers.... for another striker! Was a good move though as the fresh legs made a difference. And the first sub was bringing on a guy from the NZ local league. Hopefully he is not a local league player for much longer :) Oh and I don't really care what other people call the game, most Aussie rules fans seem to accept us calling their game AFL, and league fans accept the game being called NRL even though it sounds stupid. I still sometimes use Soccer as the name depending on the audience.
Shahsan
Guest
Dan, this is unedifying and really beneath us. We should leave him festering in the gutter with his fascist brethren.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Actually, I'm not sure how strict the Roar editors are about it. Occasionally they do edit articles to change the word from soccer to football, but they let it through stacks as well!! Old habits die hard (and in this case, there's a compelling case for continuing with the old habit and indeed for reinforcing standard Australian usage, just as the Americans have no problem reinforcing standard American usage). Take the opening paragraph of this very article, despite the title, it says: "For the first time in almost three decades, soccer will emerge from the shadow of rugby to command national attention when New Zealand plays for a World Cup spot on Saturday against Bahrain. " It has to say that. To the average NZer and Australian, to say "football will emerge from the shadow of rugby" is completely devoid of meaning - editors want clarity - not ambiguity.
Shahsan
Guest
Obviously your comprehension of English is as poor as your logic. I sought clairification from AndyRoo to make sure I didnt rip into him for nothing. The way he wrote it (go read it for yourself), it sounded like a) the AFC esp Arab bloc were the ones who deprived Oceania of automatic qualification, and b) the way it was written it sounded as if automatic qualifcation for Oceania had already happened. I knew the facts behind both those points but wanted to hear Andy's version first. Once satisfied, I then reiterated it with my next statement that it wasnt ever made known if it was the AFC or Arab countries that cost Oceania its spot, which was never ever granted. Blatter only said Oceania would get it as part as his usual campaigining spiel, something long-time soccer watchers knew was never going to happen. Can you understand all that?
Dan
Guest
No, I should most certainly not be told which officially accepted name I will use for a sport. I will not be ordered on how I use language. I will not ever ask you to call it soccer. Call it football however and whereever you want, and I will call it soccer. They are both legitimate names. I've never known the game as football and I resent being told I have to call it such. I understand you wish to reverse a past wrong, but your methods are just as bullish as those you would derride.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Shahsan for a few months, yes, Oceania officially had a spot - the South Americans then lobbied hard to take the full spot away from Oceania when their idiotic idea for a 36 team WC was knocked on the head.
K B
Guest
Well Dan this being a Football thread I'm communicating with football folk ... I would have thought I was talking about Football not Rugby League... btw I grew up with ARL in Sydney and have a love for it... as a one time old Newtown Blue Bag supporter... Now a NRL Rabbitoh supporter... In the NRL house I go with the flow, shouldn't you do the same...?
K B
Guest
Shahsan, Oh really you just seemed to want to impose your belief that Football has no right to call itself Football in its own house ... I mean is it so offensive to you ...? Your not a football fan you've demonstrated that with your shallow knowledge of Australia's, Asian membership.. AndrewRoo corrected you on that score that every real football lover knew about and were traumatised by Sepp Blatter's back flip of the Oceania affair, one WC spot given then taken away ... You have some knowledge granted, but your love is else where in another code... Here you are telling me to behave myself like a child and presuming I'm younger than you... How do you know that..? I'm of the same generation of Les Murray and the late Johnny Warren and met them both when I lived in Sydney...
Dan
Guest
Actually no. I have no problem with soccer fans calling their game football at all. It's the arrogant demand for the hemogenisation of the English language in respect to the use of the word football that I can't stand. When I use the word football I do not mean association football, I generally mean Rugby League and my community of friends of collegues are much the same. If you and your friends mean soccer, then so be it. But don't talk down to me and try to explain that "the world calls it football" (a categorically incorrect statement given some 300 million Americans who would beg to differ along with the various differing translations of the word into different languages) so therefore I have to as well. You know what I'm referring to when I use the word soccer, the same cannot be said for your use of the word "football" in the Australian context (barring your group of friends who may all be soccer fans).
Shahsan
Guest
Yes, that was very funny. And i agree about their producing the odd gem in attack. I hope NZ get better, for their own sake. They were pretty careless with possession tonight, were too impatient and naive. And their tempo was too slow. What they need now is a top-notch coach to whip them into shape, the way Hiddink improved Australia in a few months.
Shahsan
Guest
This is like arguing with a 5-year-old, but I have to make the point. Listen, along with rugby union, soccer/football is my favourite sport. I know all those stats and videos you're trying to educate me with. I have missed fewer than 10 World Cup finals matches since 1974, and have watched every European cup, European championship, FA Cup, etc since around that time. I know the game and I absolutely love it. My objection is to the fundamentalism of people like you insisting we must all call it football or the conversation cannot go on. It's all holier than thou, all primary school. For your information, few people outside Australia call it the 'world game'. It is the world's biggest game -- everyone knows that, it doesnt even need to be said. There is no dispute. Peoplel like SBS and the late, great Johnny Warren coined it (I believe) because they felt like the little kids trampled in the schoolyard who wanted to remind the school bullies that their daddy was the biggest guy outside the yard. But I have lived in countries where soccer is king, and wherever that is the case, all other sports are trampled underfoot and slowly wither. No respect is shown to them at all. Soccer/football is the worst bully of all. For the sake of the other footballing codes, I hope that never happens here in Australia, which is a paradise for those who love many footballing codes rather than just one.
westy
Guest
Shahsan I agree but they have some ability to learn quickly. Thrashed in the Confederations Cup by Brazil 5 to nil then 2 to 0 by South Africa they gave Iraq the fright of their lives with a scoreless draw. In fact the NZers were more positive. Unlike many limited teams the NZers actually try to score. With a very limited base they have a penchant for producing an odd individual striker/s of some reasonable quality especially in the air. I feel sorry for Bahrain but as we know we have all been there. The fact is what we lack technically they lack in physical no nonsense defence and quality goalkeeping. I do not mean courage they put their bodies on the line but they have a tendency in defence to slightly back of and seek or expect greater assistance from the official whereas with the the All Whites contact is paramount with a sidewards glance and prayer afterwards to the official. By the way the kangaroos have at least 5 foreign born players and the wallabies ten. We are an immigrant country. Bahrain also has migrant workers and offers citizen ship much more generously than some other Middle Eastern Countries. You do have to love the NZers though " We will lose for oil"
K B
Guest
Shahsan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4I3-w9589E Yep its the world game 208 FIFA member nations more than the United nation members.. I think we can safely say it's indeed the world game... yep real football as being the root of all football perhaps with the English London Schools Football ... Harrow Football the great ancestor of the English FA dating as far back as the Sixteenth Century with a round ball... (see video above)
Shahsan
Guest
I agree with that. It would merely be interesting to have NZ in the same group. Won't be easy, as they will raise their game several notches against Australia. But sadly , i suspect they will get hammered by almost everyone else. Their results will be much like 1982 I suspect.
westy
Guest
The author is also a little to trite suggesting NZ qualification is tarnished beating countries with a population of less than one million. On their way to getting to be Asia's fifth team Bahrain did have wins over japan Oman and thailand , finishing above Uzbekistan and Oman and pulling off fighting draw against Saudi Arabia to earn qualification against New Zealand. These countries have more than a million in their population. Do not denigrate NZers achievement Bahrain can play. I remember a time when NZ had to get past taiwan / Australia/ indonesia / Saudi Arabia /Kuwait and China to get to the 1982 World Cup. If it was a little easier this time good on them. Shasan the last team I would want in our group would be New Zealand. Republican contrary to what you state I think if Australia does not play Australians support New Zealand . this was the case in rugby World cups and my experience to date. love to beat them but if we are not there they are my team.