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The events of the past few weeks have been a bit like living in a dream for Australian football followers.
Or maybe it’s a football nightmare, if we are to believe the writings of world-renowned football expert Rebecca Wilson from Sydney’s own Daily Telegraph.
Harry Kewell and Brett Emerton returning to Australia to play in the A-League and who would have thought it possible, especially after last year.
Unlike the 1974 Socceroos World Cup team where most of the players were born overseas, the current crop of Socceroos are mostly, if not all, born in Australia and proudly consider themselves to be Australians.
Australia is their home and maybe that’s why they have decided to come back to play in the A-League and raise their families in Australia.
And it’s not just Harry and Brett – don’t forget great Australian footballers like Kevin Muscat, Paul Okon, Tony Popovic, Jacob Burns, Danny Tiatto, John McCain, Jason Culina, Bruce Djite, Dario Vidosic and many more who have made that same decision.
“I’ve always wanted to finish my career back in the A-League” Brett Emerton said recently, it was just a matter of when and it seems that now is the right moment.
Not only right for Brett, but one could argue the right time for Sydney FC, the FFA and the A-League, which would really appreciate a lift this season.
Also the fact that Melbourne Victory have had to cap their season memberships to 18,000 to allow walk up punters any chance of seeing Harry play at AAMI Stadium says it’s the right time for Victory too.
The first Sydney v Melbourne clash is still five weeks away and already looks like at least doubling last year’s attendance, and is anticipated right round the country.
Despite all the criticism thrown at Kewell, he did give up the potential to earn a lot more money overseas to come back home, as did Brett in the EPL.
In Emerton’s case he also managed to get a free transfer for his new club in Sydney after the magnificent gesture from Blackburn Rovers, as reward for nearly nine years of loyal service.
Harry Kewell was born 22 September 1978 in the town of Smithfield; well actually, at the nearby local Fairfield hospital in Sydney’s south west.
Despite Harry’s worldwide fame and amassed fortune his parents Rod and Helen still live in the same modest house in Smithfield that Harry grew up in all those years ago.
Harry went to school at Smithfield Primary and Smithfield Public School and then transferred to Westfields Sports High. Harry started out playing football for Smithfield Hotspurs and later for Marconi Fairfield.
Harry had an obvious talent for football, and under Football NSW’s football academy tuition and their Big Brother Football scheme Harry was able to travel to England to trial with EPL football club Leeds United, and the rest is history.
Brett Emerton is known as a Bankstown boy and was born at Bankstown Hospital on 22 February 1979, but in fact Brett actually grew up in the Macquarie Fields-Campbelltown area, also in Sydney’s south-west area.
‘Emmo’ first played the game he loved for the Bensley Road Gunners Football Club, where he was nicknamed ‘the greyhound’ with his speed, dribbling skills and ability to outpace his markers.
In subsequent years he played for Macarthur Rams until he finally moved over to the Marconi-Fairfield Stallions to play junior representative football with Harry Kewell.
Brett then played in the NSL with Sydney Olympic with Nicky Carle as a team-mate, before his talent was spotted and eventually moved overseas to play with Dutch Eredivisie side Feyenoord FC.
In a sense, Brett, Harry and many other fine Australian footballer’s careers have turned full circle to return to their homeland.
A lot has been written about their moves back to the A-League, and not all of it complimentary either.
Even Socceroos ‘keeper Mark Schwarzer has come out in the media to say he thinks Harry and Brett have made the wrong move and he would never play in the A-League himself, especially after the way John Aloisi was treated when he came home.
In a few years we can look back at these events with some wonderful hindsight and hopefully with some great A-League memories.
But at this point in time we can only look forward to the coming A-League seasons with great hope and anticipation.
I’m sure though, whichever side of the A-League fence you sit on, 2011 is certain to be a memorable A-League season in some way or another.
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