One of Western Sydney’s greatest-ever football products has thrown his support behind the region’s new A-League club.
Few footballers have stronger links to Western Sydney than former Socceroo Paul Okon. Okon grew up in Bossley Park, attended Patrician Brothers’ College Fairfield and played his junior football for Marconi.
In 1991 Okon left the Stallions for a glittering playing career in Europe that included stints in Belgium, Italy, England and Cyprus. The talented sweeper or midfielder returned to Australia in 2006 and played a season for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League before retiring.
Despite an injury-plagued career, Okon managed 28 appearances for the Socceroos and is regarded by many as one of the finest players to ever pull on the green and gold.
Okon is full of praise and hope for the new Western Sydney Wanderers side.
“I’ve fallen in love with the colours already,” he said.
“There isn’t a person [in the region] who doesn’t think the same, and if they don’t, they’re nuts. It’s a great logo.”
“I may be a little bit biased, but I’m so excited that finally there’s a team there. I know there’s been a lot of criticism early doors on the timeframe, but you know, it’s never perfect.”
It’s early days in the history of the Wanderers but the club has already won plaudits for its name, which links to the game’s past, and the classy logo. The colours have been taken from the region’s associations and it has already engaged its fan-base through town hall meetings and online surveys.
Western Sydney products and ex-Socceroos Tony Popovic and Ante Milicic have been named as the club’s head coach and assistant coach. However, so far the Wanderers has signed just nine players with the new season three months away.
Okon believes with the axing of Gold Coast, if the A-League went to a nine team competition after seven years, it would have been “atrocious”.
“I think it’s [the Wanderers] moving along well. They’ve got a very good, young coach,” he said.
“They’ve got a good coaching staff, technical staff. I think they’re on the right track combining experienced players with some good young players and I think like any other A-League team at the end of the day a lot will come down to the qualities of their foreign players. So hopefully Poppa will sign some good players to fill those positions, and really give that quality to the team that they need.”
Okon advocates the Wanderers signing the right foreign player that doesn’t break the bank, pointing to the likes of Brisbane Roar’s Thomas Broich. It is believed the FFA has ruled out the Wanderers signing a big-name marquee in its first season.
“When you look at Thomas Broich, I don’t think he’s the marquee player at Brisbane,” he said.
“That’s a perfect example that it’s not a necessity and that there are a lot of good players abroad that don’t cost you crazy money. It’s a question of having the right network of people looking for those players and bringing them in and hopefully, Western Sydney will make the right choices for those positions.”
Since retiring in 2007 Okon has become a coach and had stints as an assistant to Miron Bleiberg at Gold Coast United, and as head of the Australian under-18 team. Earlier this year the 40-year-old was named as joint head coach of the Young Socceroos and Olyroos.
The Wanderers have named Parramatta Stadium as their main stadium but may look to play matches at other arenas around western Sydney. Okon said there is the issue of “what’s west, what’s not west, what’s south-west”, but believes it is important for the new club to have a home.
“I think wherever it is, it’s not going to satisfy everyone completely but I think you need to have a base. And whether or not they play one or two games in other stadiums,” he said.
“You need to have one home where everyone can identify with, where the players feel like its their home stadium, that’s important. I think a lot of people don’t realise that players like to play on their home ground, it always gives you an advantage and if your swapping grounds every time you play, at home, you don’t build that foundation against opposition teams.”
According to media speculation, Okon is in the running to have a stand at Parramatta Stadium named after him for the A-League season. The likes of Mark Schwarzer, Zeljko Kalac, Harry Kewell, Attila Abonyi, Peter Ollerton, Graham Arnold and Robbie Slater are also being considered, with Mark Bosnich thought to be a frontrunner for one of the stands.
Australian football pioneer Johnny Warren will be honoured by being named after one of the two main stands.
“It’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Okon said.
“While it would be an honour to have that, I’m definitely not in this game for that sort of recognition. Again, it would be great. Mark Bosnich is a very good friend of mine so it would also make me proud to have the stand named after him just as much as myself.”
Gleeso
Guest
I always wondered if it was a change in the Brothers. Like the new principal just wanted to focus on academics. Blacktowns league program started going gang busters around the time of Fairfields decline. With Fairfield Pats brilliant history the Eels should try to reinvigorate something...It might engage the vietnamese community as well.
Midfielder
Guest
Gleeso Thats because there is a sports high school less than a Kl away as the crow flies...
Gleeso
Guest
Also Andrew Hill who is high up in the NRL and I believe sports presenter Tim Gilbert...it is a shame that school does not really produce sportsmen any more. It sure has a proud history.
Gleeso
Guest
Completely disagree Kasey. It is a great measure of where interest is at to compare two teams that are starting up from scratch. Look, whether you like it or not AFL is not about co-existance. They are about consumption. They want young boys to play AFL not Football. They will pursue this goal with the backing of a lot of funding. As a League and a Football fan I will keenly watch the Wanderers dominate the Giants in terms of support.
Sports Candy
Roar Pro
Paul Okon went to the same school as Nicky Carle, he should be backing SFC. Peter Sharne, Renato Colusso, Berty Mariani, Mike Wenden, Peter Sterling, Paul Langmack, Ben Roberts, Greg Alexander, David Dzdrillic, Mark Levy and other Australian internationals went to that school too. Sydney's west sure is a breeding ground for good sportsmen and long may that continue.
Kasey
Guest
I'm bemused by the constant attempts to measure WSW against GWS. they are 2 completely different beasts, almost no good can come from attempting to derive any measure of success by way of comparison. Both WSW and GWS can/could eventually be considered success stories in their own rights. Its not a zero sum game, 2 new teams enter, only one emerges type of thing. I fully expect both entities to be playing their sports in WS in 10-20 years.
Midfielder
Guest
WSW are doing everything right so far...
Philip
Guest
I don't know anything about the NSW football scene, but regardless of what the AFL GWS achieve, after all the hype about 'football heartland' and community involvement, I'll be disappointed if WSW don't average somewhere close to 15,000 for the season.
Philip
Guest
Good points nordster and Fuss, The FFA just need to get through a few years without any further Fury/GCU/Tinkler debacles that set us back in the eyes of the football and non-football public. A few years of consistently building momentum, instead of tripping up, and even some of the marginalised NSL types and the Euro snobs alike, will start to come into the fold.
Paolo from Sydney
Guest
That's a pretty strong statement from a fairly eminent Socceroo. Great stuff. And to say he loves the logo, that's a about as positive as it gets. There's just so much trolling around on the web sphere it can off putting.. especially from the ex-NSL types in the west. I say jump on board now cause this logo represents you, this club can yours as well. What a great opportunity to come join the A-League party
Minister for Information for the Democratic People's Republic of Football
Guest
This club will be a behemoth. Things are taking shape nicely.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Excellent point, nordster. And, as the years progress, the number of returning Aussies will exponentially increase, adding to the football knowledge capital. Currently, there are over 200 Aussies playing professional football overseas (that's 9 extra HAL 23-man squads) & many juniors, who are developing at academies in England, Europe & Sth America. We've got to be patient but, during the next 10-15 years, as these pros start returning to their homeland to live & work the landscape in AUS football will continue to flourish.
The Bear
Guest
Jason Culina as the non marquee marquee?? -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
nordster
Guest
Theres a whole generation of players like Okon who have come back and are doing something really substantial. We lacked those pathways back a decade ago. Its there now and some of them are taking real advantage to build a career for themselves plus add to local football culture. Bosnich is another. The extra interest from genuine football people to the league now is partlly due to their involvements. Their stamps of approval also seem to come with little obvious alterior motives which is refreshing given past history of the politicking in football.
Bob
Guest
Will be interesting to see if they can beat the number of members, tv ratings and attendances to the Giants AFL matches considering Aussie footy is a 'foreign' game in Sydney and the west is the cradle of soccer down under. Love their strip, name and badge. Old school is best.
Kasey
Guest
I wonder what Rale Rasic will have to say one month in? IIRC he was very quick to poo-poo the team by comparing it(and its compressed start-up time-frame to that other oft talked about expansion team in WS(No names no pack drills!)
pete4
Guest
WSW look to be assembling a decent squad of youth and experience so far. They certainly won't be the whipping boys of the competition
Johnno
Guest
-Gotta be Swarcher and hard to argue. Yes Bozza and Kewell and the Melbourne V-bomber Viduks stand tall, and Spider have done some amazing things in there careers, but no man other than maybe the 6 month magic of Aussy Guss and Frank Lowy have done more for aussie soccer in the last 22 years since Italia 1990. -Yes Paul Wade marked Maradona heroically and only let him slip 1 creative magic and the argues got the goal in sydney and the draw. -But im sorry when it comes down to it at the coal face , who is the man that has delivered when it counts the most and saved aussies bacon. -And as Fozz said so famously on that magical night in November 2005 "Great Save" that as big a save as you will see, that typified swarhcer. -The man in 1993 if you recall vs Canada at the SFS saved us to and got us into the play off match vs Maraddona Argentina, by being the penalty shoot out goal keeper hero there. -So to say we don't owe mark swarcher a lot would be the undertasemnt of the century. If he let in a goal 1 more in Uruguay at the estadio montevideo and we lost 2-0 we would of been toast on that return sydney leg, he was lucky not to cop a penalty either. -And keeping a clean sheet in sydney vs a rampant Recoba and only conceding 1 in Montevedio at the estadio where brazil have not won in 50 years. -Also if folks remember his great save vs China in 2008 to get the 0-0 draw. And in Oman his great save this year in awful hot weather, and a another great game vs Japan in brisbane. -And his great game vs Italy in the world cup. -How Hiddink thought of putting on a late sub, spider for that shoot out in sydney in 2005 i will never know. -So I am sorry but Aussy soccer owes Mark Swarcher so much, his pivotal moments especially that Uruguay series have put aussy soccer in the psotion it is today. It gave us a world cup , don't forget how chaotic those scenes were after. Don't take it for granted what we got since thanks to Swarcher. An A-league that was able to motor along on the back of Germany world cup 2006, and also go into the asian conference with real enthusiasm and assertiveness, and all this helped our 2010 campaign. -He is German heritage too. Says it all in his naturally ice man mentally strong attitude to penalties. -Gotta be Swarcher sorry, and he was a Marconi star too. Only other 2 who deserve it and there not west sydney boys are aussy guss or Frank Lowy, or is Frnak low a west sydney boy when he came here after the war. -But for me it has to be "Harry"not. It has to be Swarcher he deserves it the most, he has stuck his neck out for Australia and the socceroos and put his body on the line like no other socceroo has had too in the last 20 years and all the mental pressure too that goes with being a shot stopper.