November 16, 2005. Step up John Aloisi for the biggest moment in Australian football. For arguably the biggest moment in Australian sport.
What happened next changed football in this country forever.
In the words of Simon Hill, “Here’s Aloisi for a spot in the World Cup. He’s scored! Australia have done it!”
In the words of Craig Foster, “Yeeeaaaaaaaa! Jooooooohnnnn! Come onnnn!”
And in the words of Johnny Warren, “I told you so.”
But Australia’s qualification to the 2006 FIFA World Cup was just the tip of the iceberg. How Australian football has changed 10 years on from that glorious moment.
Since the 2006 qualification triumph, Australia have since gone on to qualify for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
Australia officially joined the Asian Football Confederation on January 1, 2006, in a move that has seen consistent results from the Socceroos, after years in the weak Oceania Football Confederation.
Hosting and winning the 2015 Asian Cup is another Socceroos success since, after losing the 2011 final to Japan.
The A-League, formed in 2004 to replace the unstable National Soccer League, has flourished in recent years, thanks to high-profile imports such as Alessandro Del Piero, Emile Hesky, Shinji Ono and Dwight York, local derbies such as the ones in Melbourne and Sydney, and the success of the Western Sydney Wanderers in the AFC Champions League.
Finally, bidding for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was just another sign that football in Australia is moving in the right decision. Even though we lost out to the controversial Qatar bid, expect another Australian bid and success the next time the chance comes around.
Where will Australian football be in the next 10 to 20 years though? Well here are a few predictions:
Qualification to the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, and a quarter-final appearance at either.
Expansions of A-League to 16 teams by 2025, with teams in Wollongong, Canberra, Townsville, Geelong, Tasmania, and a second Brisbane team.
A-League crowds to eclipse National Rugby League crowds by 2025.
Two million playing football by 2025.
Call me bold for a few of the those targets, but Australian football can only go up from here.
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Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
What if we celebrated all of the achievements big and small, and weeded out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
A good performance from Michael Ruhs, scoring twice to beat Macarthur and doubling his season goal tally in the process.
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