When Ange Postecoglou was growing up in Melbourne, the second largest Greek community in the world, he played Aussie rules and supported the Carlton Blues.
Carlton is one of the eight founding members of the Melbourne rules competition of 1897 and has a long and proud tradition in the Australian rules universe. The club originally represented the suburb of Carlton in Melbourne’s inner north, and its nickname of the Blues comes from the predominantly navy blue colour of its playing uniform.
Carlton had historically been one of Australian rules’ most successful clubs, having won sixteen senior premierships throughout its history, equal with Essendon as the most of any club.
What’s wrong with that you say. Doesn’t everyone growing up in Melbourne play Australian Rules?
Eating funny, foreign food and talking about Manfred Schaefer, Ray Baartz, Atti Abonyi or Eddie Krncevic with garlic on your breath didn’t get you much attention or win you many friends in the Carlton schoolyard in an era of wall to wall Australian rules.
“There was a while there when I didn’t love soccer” confessed Ange, “I loved Australian Rules. It was the way you fitted in. You want to fit in and not be the kid with a long surname that doesn’t fit in. Sport is the boys’ common denominator in the schoolyard jungle.”
That experience taught Postecoglou resilience and a strong determination for what he really wanted to do, because his love for the game of football was being severely tested.
It would have been so easy to become one of the Aussie rules pack and be bullied into being a player and follower. It would have been so tempting to be a part of the mockery of all things foreign, like soccer, even though it was one of his father’s great loves.
How he responded to those strong, hurtful influences on his young life and how he gathered the courage to go against the hostile Anglo-Saxon flow was to shape and determine his football career, his life’s philosophy and his great passion to take other Australians with him on a lifelong football journey.
Postecoglou’s experiences over the years and his subsequent rise to the top of Australian team sport and his anointment as Australia’s national men’s football team head coach, mirrors the vicissitudes of the wider world of Australian football and the highs and lows it and its followers have experienced over that time.
For many, football was once seen as a foreign invader that wasn’t Australian and had nothing to do with Australian society. Postecoglou’s schoolyard derisions were played out across the country and re-enforced in a number of cultural and media outlets.
It was no use trying to point out that Australia’s great national patriotic pastimes of cricket and rugby, were foreign games too. Even Melbourne rules, the forerunner of Australian rules was also originally derived from the English Rugby school. The collective penny never dropped.
No, soccer was always the enemy.
That was really tough for the lately arrived Australians and their families, as other Australians weren’t accepting of something that they really loved and wanted to talk about. It became a taboo subject at times and something that you were ashamed to support.
To be a football fan was almost to be part of a subculture on the fringe of society. In Johnny Warren’s parlance, this was the era of “sheilas, wogs and poofters”.
As a result, the game was poorly run and administered. There was not enough resolve or courage to work together, pulling in the same direction amidst the backdrop of being treated as second class citizens.
There have been a number of points on the slippery slope when it was thought the game was going to die. Well, the game itself was never going to die, but the framework within which it operated to give it a chance to survive was going to perish.
We still get nervous when people start talking about having turned the corner, because we have seen the false dawns.
When football went national in 1977, before the AFL and the NRL as the first ever truly national sporting competition, we thought that was the turning point for the professional game in Australia.
Even the A-League looked like it was dying at times, with the press and Clive Palmer baying for blood and for the FFA empire to fall.
Through some courageous decisions, like that of a young Postecoglou, changes were made and great sports administrators like John O’Neill and David Gallop were appointed to steer us out of dangerous waters.
It’s now history, we are a part of our own society and not seen as un-Australian any more. The Socceroos and the A-League have played a big part in that. Football is definitely now an important player in the Australian mainstream sporting landscape and is growing in stature.
As Archie Thompson says in his autobiographical recollections of Australian football, What Doesn’t Kill You Only Makes You Stronger.
We could point to the Socceroos success in 2006 at the German World Cup or the growth and improved technical standard of the A-League as pivotal in the growth of football in Australia, but let’s also talk about the courage of a few brave men in Australia who have stuck by this game and given it their utmost support through bad times, as well as good ones. People like Johnny Warren, Les Murray, Frank Lowy and now David Gallop, whose contributions have been hugely significant.
And let’s not forget Postecoglou’s own role in almost single-handedly altering the football philosophy of Australia amidst the regimented Dutch generals trying to pull it apart and re-assemble it with a German accent.
Under Postecoglou, Brisbane transformed the A-League as it played a modern high-tempo possession-based attacking game. He is now carrying that transformation through to the Socceroos and their quest for international recognition.
After 32 years of bad luck trying to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, perhaps our luck is changing.
What if Postecoglou had not stood up to the Aussie Rules schoolyard bullies of his childhood and if he continued to play and follow Aussie Rules and denounced football and his Greek heritage.
What significance would that have been for Australia?
And let’s not forget, Postecoglou only got a chance of a start at Brisbane Roar because Frank Farina had failed a roadside alcohol breath test.
There’s still a long way to go and still a lot of room for improvement. I also don’t think we have done our history well as a code and sufficiently recognised the efforts of the pioneers of the past and what courage they displayed to get us to where we are now.
Perhaps Ange Postecoglou, with his brand of ‘new football’, while experienced in ‘old soccer’, can help us to play our part in re-building the bridges, working together and all pulling in the same direction for the future good of our game.
Glenn Innes
Guest
For eg compare the Australian football team at this years world cup with The Australian Rugby League team which one the Kellogs cornfakes badge at the sports ludicrous world cup last November. Tim Cahill is the only non caucasian player in the current Australian Football team .the Australian Rugby League team featured James Tamou,Josh Papali,Sam Thaiday.Jonathon Thurston.Jarryd Hayne and.Greg Inglis that is six more than a third of the team.The New Zealand team they beat featured only two caucasian players in a nations that is eighty percent caucasian as I say they are just better at that particular sport than white people are...a bit like Basketball in the States
Glenn Innes
Guest
Midfielder - I thiink my above poat answered your question...Polynesians would be maybe 5 percent of our population if that,indigenous about 1.5 percent,These two groups are enormously over represented at the elite level in Rugby League because quite simply they are much better at it than caucasians are. As far as football is concerned I watch more than enough A League to know that it is far more caucasian thaan the NRL and this whole issue only came about because someone accused the AFL of being almost entirely white (which may or may not be true I never watch it) but if you are going to chuck stones.....well if non caucasian representation at the elite level is a virtue The National Rugby League is the least caucasian of the elite sporting Leagues in Australia no matter how you want to play with numbers - doesn't make it a better game far from it.
Midfielder
Guest
Decent post Glenn Why not elite this chart shows the make up of each code for all players ... its from a 2009 abs report .. http://i.imgur.com/oN3JXuN.jpg
Perry Bridge
Guest
Fil That you are juvenile enough to push that it's Victorian and not Australian rules illustrates pretty well why I won't bother with a reply beyond this. You are of course correct in essence if rather obtusely stated. The VFL/AFL can still tend to be too VFL history centric and too Melbourne/Vic centric. No argument there. And even the move away from suburban grounds to stadium sharing creates in some respects more of a 'mono-culture'. But - - that's the AFL. There's more to footy than the elite level AFL. 3 yrs ago I had the chance to attend the AFL International Cup Gala evening - and will do again at this years 5th Int Cup (launching tomorrow) and for those of us interested in this - it was the kind of multicultural evening that most people who follow the game (let alone outsiders like you) would never imagine could be enjoyed by Aust Footy. The French, Tongans, South Africans, and the Palestinians/Israelis of the Peres Peace team were amongst the highlights of a great evening. So - whilst you are mostly right - you're not entirely right. Personally this year I've been to Vanuatu and umpired/coached ni Vanuatu boys/girls at Kazza Field in Port Vila with land crab holes dotting the field. I now have friends in Vanuatu because of Australian Footy. Now granted - the Aust Footy 'world' is nowhere near the size/stature of the soccer world - but do you know what - it's pretty cool that it isn't - because little contributions are valued - and it's pretty cool that Australia is it's focus and Melbourne it's Mecca. As far as soccer goes - you're just another number in FIFA's global behemoth and good luck on that front but it's far easier to follow the path followed by most than it is to forge new trails.
Glenn Innes
Guest
SVB - I am not suggesting Rugby League is more culturally diverse than football I was simply stating that at the elite level (NRL) it is less caucasian than A league Football. Rugby League is actually more or less "tricultural",you have anglo celtic Australia,polynesians,and Indegenous Australian that is about 95 percent of players at the elite level. The point is the code has been very successful at attracting the interest of polynesians who have been one of the largest migrant groups to Australia over the past twenty year which franks my statement that not all migrants default to football.. As far as migrants from east Asia and the Indian subcontinent I do not see many in the A league as we speak,it may happen but they certainly have not transformed Australian football in the way polynesians migrants have Rugby League. This has nothing to do with a code war the fact lots of polynesians play Rugby League does not make the game any better or worse than it ever was and indeed it may turn out to be a big problem for the sport. Polynesians are on average so much bigger than white kids that they are starting to completely dominate the sport at the elite junior level and a lot of white kids are simply getting bashed out of the game and giving it away.There is even talk of introducing weight divisions like in Boxing for the game at the junior level.That is one of the great advantages Football has, it suits people of average build.
Fil
Guest
I've always wondered if he was paid by the VFL to pull down the net?
Midfielder
Guest
Fli What a post ...
Fil
Guest
The problem with your arguement my friend is that "Victorian Rules" (AND it isn't Australian Rules either) is without a doubt a mono-cultural game with ZERO claims to being a multi-cultural sport! And the very simple reason for this is that the entire playing AND fan culture of Victorian Rules was created by the mono-cultural experiences of 20th century WASP Victorian men with ZERO input from any other cultural groupings, resulting in a single homogenous AND totally boring MONO-cultural style of play and fan support! Unlike Football which is the ONLY true multi-cultural field team sport on the planet, where every continent and every country within those continents has developed their very OWN distinct and separate styles of play and VERY different traditions of fan support resulting in the colour and majesty of ONLY TRUELY MULTI-cultural field sport in the known universe
Bondy
Guest
GI I think Rugby League is almost now half and half with player rosters I notice The Parramatta Eels they're almost a 50/50 club Whites and Polynesian/ Maori/Micronesian . Also I notice at the end of the NRL season at the SFS the Maori supporters"firms" move out when the NRL seasons over and then the Asian's come in for Sydney FC for the A League ,just a social observation. Good luck.
Bondy
Guest
Fuss Good post. Perry's off with the fairies ,unfortunately ...
Perry Bridge
Guest
Fuss - How did I miss the point when you keep moving the point posts?? So - now - on this thread you're wanting to 'leave aside migrants'. Aust Footy has the same battle as was the case in the 1880s. If you want to play a game of 'football' against the mother country - then more than likely you'd best be playing Rugby or the Association game. However - the other day I watch a team of Amateurs players (Ormond AFC) play (and lose to) New Zealand (International Cup practice match for them) - - and perhaps those days are gradually changing. Of course not professionally!! (goes without saying really). Anyway - AFL participation in Sydney and Brisbane as a general discussion - outside the specificity of migrants - really doesn't belong in this thread or under this tab. Note : not all ovals/playing fields are along the roads - taking some back road detours is often where you'll find the 'marginal' codes.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ Perry Bridge And, you seem to miss the point .. Let's leave aside migrants ... Why is no one playing ARules in Brisbane, or Sydney? For sure, the AFL competition have a core group of loyal supporters in Brisbane & Sydney; but, if you drive through the suburbs there are simply no ARules goal posts anywhere to suggest ARules is being played. The same occurs if you drive through suburbs of Melbourne & Adelaide - there are virtually no goal posts to indicate RL or RU is being played anywhere.. other than a handful of Private Schools.
Punter
Guest
Matt Jones the best of the Aussies.
Perry Bridge
Guest
Fussball - you seem to miss the point that is contained within your own statement. AusRules has been around for 100+ years in Australia Infact -Aust Footy has been around since 1859 - and so, it has by necessity been required to 'reinvent' it's appeal to new arrivals since then. It's interesting that soccer is so heavily embedded in the most recent of new Australians. Which in part illustrates how loosely embedded it had been otherwise?? That's even after the mass Euro post WWII migration (where we are we now talking 2nd and 3rd generation participants who no longer meet a criteria of at least one foreign born parent??). re RU and RL - the dilemma with those games is that they compete for the same market effectively as does American Football and Canadian Football. That's 4 offerings in the same space. Which one wins out?? All are 'touch down' games where kicking in general and kicking of goals is now secondary (less so in Union). For a catch and run team sport with an oval ball - - either there needs to be a consolidation amongst the 'formation/off-side' codes or : Or perhaps - and why not - Aust Footy continues to slowly be trending right - finding support internationally (without cultural marketing - as Hollywood provides US sports, or economic marketing - the AFL doesn't seriously promote AFL overseas, or Olympic/World Cup appeal - - so, yes - massive hurdles). The common thread is so often that it is a game that combines so many of the skills the kids develop over their childhood. There may just yet be a market niche the game can fill (of course just what the game would have to do to achieve that is another thing - 9-12 aside on rectangle fields). On the issue of the regional contraction of communities - that it continues is sad - Australians don't realise the price that they will pay on this front in years/decades to come but that's another story.
RBBAnonymous
Guest
As per usual these threads get totally derailed again and off topic.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
A picture is worth a thousand words. Beautiful work, Middy.
Midfielder
Guest
Chart from 2009 ... from the abs ... shows the background of each code ... my guess is not much has changed.. http://i.imgur.com/oN3JXuN.jpg
Punter
Guest
Watch the golf!!!!
AZ_RBB
Guest
Bored today. Somebody start a code war already!
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
"None of this means that other codes should not try, or that they should be castigated for trying." Perry ... AusRules has been around for 100+ years in Australia. If people - locally, or abroad - who are introduced to the game haven't embraced the sport after 100 years, common sense tells us it ain't going to happen. If the world wants to embrace a "catch & run" team sport, played with an oval ball, data suggests the sport to be embraced will be Rugby, then RL (I've lived in Melbourne for over 35 years and I still have no idea what the difference is between the 2 sports) ARules should concentrate on its home demographic - southern states of Australia ... although a report on ABC News last night painted a bleak picture for ARules in regional parts of SA, where clubs are folding & teams are having to forfeit matches as playing numbers plummet.