Did anybody happen to see Riley McGree’s goal on Friday night?
The insane ‘scorpion kick’ in front of a boisterous home crowd propelled the Newcastle Jets into the A-League grand final.
Perhaps even more significant was that the goal went viral. In this age of connectivity, McGree’s strike was seen all around the world, with many predicting he will win the coveted Puskas Award for best goal in the world for the year.
Let that sink in for a moment: the global game of football currently has its eyes on a team and a player – a teenager, no less – from our little, ‘mediocre’ league.
AAP Image/Darren Pateman
While the supporters of other codes make assertions that their game is about to ‘crack China’, then the world, and look to signs of small, amateur comps as sustained growth, football unites the world like no other game.
People marvelling at the skill of Australian players will no doubt serve as a boon for investors and players looking to access the Australian market.
We should be proud of this moment. We don’t need validation from the other codes and the A-League doesn’t need their ideas. This goal is but one example of the incredible talent that the domestic games displays on a regular basis.
The quality is there, the fans are passionate and engage like no other, and we are just beginning to tap the level of support the game here can bring.
Harnessing the global reach of the game is a start.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
11 consortiums bidding for 2 A-League licences. https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2018/04/30/team-11-showcase-league-stadium-plans WOW! Pippinu and the Victorians Rules marketing department are trying to tell us the A-League is dying. Fake people with fake news.
Redondo
Guest
Aligee - does courage have a willy?
I ate pies
Guest
Another article obsessing about other sports? Geez you soccer people are insecure. Get over it. For the record, I'll go to the A-League grand final if I can get tickets, and I'm not a rusted on A-League fan. I hope that's ok with you. I don't want to light flares and turn my back on the game whilst pretending I'm in Europe, I just like more than one sport.
Ian
Guest
Jealous of a football goal......sad much? 'it was an error' 'blindly kicked out' funny how it is being reported all over the world. 'countless errors in soccer'....lol. another error was your mum hooking up with your dad.
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
So if AFL is linked to hyper masculinity as Aligee claims, does that make Womesn AFL masculine as well? Not sure those girls would agree, i'd think they'd hate being called masculine
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
btw Aligee, the ANZACS played football and Union in Europe not AFL
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
e-League Grand Final watched by 2 million. https://www.fourfourtwo.com.au/news/e-league-grand-final-hits-2-million-views-489749 WOW!
Post_hoc
Roar Rookie
And the Kilkenny Cats Hurling teams are considered by many as the greatest Hurling Factory of all time. With 36 All Ireland Victories, and 26 Runners Up.
AR
Guest
Geez. Another one of these achingly insecure stump speeches. The central point here is - Soccer is the biggest most popular sport in the world. Tune in next week for - the earth is covered 2/3 by water!
stu
Guest
Midfielder.....your post is spot on, but I am sure we also know why. If FFA does not make it a major part of the games narrative the story will never be told.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Great Stuff. The A-League is shown live to every country in the world. https://www.a-league.com.au/news/hyundai-a-league-201718-season-goes-truly-global Every week the A-League is watched by between 5 to 10 million viewers around the world. Football is a truly GLOBAL game, unlike some parochial suburban league. This article even estimates that up to 250 million people watch the A-League now; https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2015/10/13/leagues-global-coverage-expands That is AWESOME mate. absolutely awesome for Australian football and our A-League.
Cousin Claudio
Roar Guru
Pippinu and the Victorian Rules marketing department don't like it when football gets such great coverage all around the world, so they send their keyboard infiltrators to try and play down every achievement. They represent a suburban, parochial sport that can't make any inroads into the global market and are forever doomed to be only appreciated by their fanaticals in Australia.
Redondo
Guest
Are you channeling Cugel the Clever?
Redondo
Guest
What does ‘bar up’ mean?
R2k
Guest
Very true - I apologise if that's what came across - the author did not explicitly say that but the author did clearly take a shot at other codes where it really wasn't needed which in my mind changed the point of the article by the conclusion.
Ian
Guest
'AFL takes more courage than soccer" hahahaha Gutsy kicking the ball at the biggest goals in world sport. Must be terrifying actually. I am trembling at the thought of that pressure.
Ian
Guest
leaping for a mark takes courage and is like going to war. FFS. Only in AFL.
scouser4life
Roar Rookie
Yes - football is the only truly world game and no other code can come close to that worldly reach. There are many leagues and matches to watch all week - hence the A League struggles with that sort of competition for local followers. We just need to keep growing by investing money wisely in our marquees to slowly lift interest - it will be a slow and, at times, difficult slog but the game will eventually triumph due to its world reach. Look back at the progress since the A League commenced and you can see progress over time.
chris
Guest
Just finished reading this thread. Add Algae to the list
chris
Guest
When Koch and the bogan media open their mouths I just cringe