On the 9th of March, the draw for the fourth round of Asian qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil will take place. Australia, which will be placed in one of the two groups of five, will host four matches in this round.
For the 2010 qualifiers, these matches were hosted in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne (Sydney hosted two games). The third round of 2014 qualifying saw three home games once again hosted in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
The FFA must use the Socceroos as a vehicle to drive the popularity of football in Australia’s different cities, and thus increase the popularity of the A-League- this is something that, arguably, they haven’t been doing effectively.
Hosting Socceroos matches that matter in just three cities, when there are eight Australian cities with A-League clubs doesn’t make sense. Aside from our national cricket team, the Socceroos are arguably the highest profile sporting team we have, and have a level of national support unmatched by other codes.
The FFA needs to harness this, hosting matches in cities other than the ‘Big Three’ and so encouraging people to be active football fans on a more regular basis than every four years, when the World Cup comes round.
One city that deserves a World Cup qualifier when the FFA decides where the Socceroos’ four home games will be played is Newcastle. Since Nathan Tinkler’s takeover of the club (resulting in an agressive marketing campaign and the slashing of ticket prices) Newcastle Jets has been the third most attended club in the league, despite having had a very poor season and being placed in the 8th most populous city in the league.
A competitive Socceroos match (one that mattered, like a fourth round World Cup qualifier) in Newcastle would build on this fantastic support base and would surely attract at least 25, 000 people, perhaps even selling out the 33, 000 seater Ausgrid Stadium.
Considering this, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Newcastle could get a game each in the fourth round. In future World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers, the FFA should look into holding matches in Perth (imagine the noise inside a packed nib Stadium), Adelaide, Canberra and even Hobart, for the same reasons.
Building support for football is important not just in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, but all the current, and possible future cities of A-League clubs, and the FFA must recognise the Socceroos as an integral part of building this support.
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