Here we go, another person criticising our name. Can’t we move past this?
The simple answer is no.
At every single World Cup the same two words are repeated over and over by players, managers, pundits and fans: pride, and respect.
The vast majority of people in this country (let alone the world) don’t associate these words with football in Australia. If you don’t believe me, simply take note of how many Australians wear the apparel of football clubs from other countries in relation to our own national team and domestic clubs.
This needs to change.
The Australian national team is the spearhead of football in this country. I still find it incredible that our domestic league was launched off the back of us winning a single game… and it worked!
But we can’t keep relying on on-field success and star players to bolster the game. It could be a decade or more before our national team finds its next golden generation and enhancing the quality of talent over here will take much time and investment.
However, there are things we can change that will help generate the pride and respect we desire.
When Graham Arnold explained why he chose Andrew Redmayne for the penalty shootout against Peru, he said it was all about the one-percenters. Would Peru’s third penalty have hit the post if the taker was staring down a smaller, less intimidating keeper? Of course we’ll never know but you can’t rule out it being a one-percenter.
Changing the name of our national team is a glaring one-percenter.
Our current moniker was proposed as the name of the mascot in our 1974 World Cup bid. Like Syd, Olly and Millie from the Sydney Olympics or Arsenal’s Gunnersaurus, it was designed to appeal to children, not to be the name of a team representing an entire nation at the biggest sporting event in the world.
(Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
It’s also a name which uses a word which the Australian football community attempted to banish 17 years ago when the vast majority of local clubs began updating their crests so the word ‘soccer’ was replaced with ‘football’. These efforts have gone largely unnoticed by mainstream media as our most publicised team continues using ‘soccer’ in its name.
When advertising agencies rebrand a company, they choose a name which best represents the values, spirit and goals of the organisation. Do you think of pride and respect when you hear the word ‘Socceroos’?
So, looking at this objectively, our name was designed to appeal to children, is made up of a word that is no longer associated with our local clubs and doesn’t capture the pride and respect that our national team desires. Whether you like the name or not, it’s hard to say that it’s suitable.
And I understand that changing the name is not going to be the catalyst for a huge influx of fans or instantly have journalists writing daily columns about football.
But over time it could be a one-percenter.
It could persuade a fan to buy a green-and-gold jersey over a European mega-club, it could change the perception of the national team in a journalist’s eyes, it could give the next ex-manager of this country a little bit more respect when he sends his resume overseas, it could edge a migrant’s son closer to choosing Australia over his parents’ birth country, it could assist unifying local clubs with the national team, and it could lead to all supporters calling the sport the same name.
I’m not suggesting we introduce a brand new name. The team is too ingrained in the public consciousness for a fresh start. All I’m proposing is that we simply stop using our nickname.
Let’s be Australia.
And if we must have a nickname, shorten it to the Roos.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Sam only plays Football professionally because there was no AFLW when she was growing up
william stafford
Roar Rookie
I've never been a huge fan of soccer, but as a sport fan in general I watch the Socceroos every now and then. That being said I've never understood why soccer fans always have this chip on their shoulder, in a country with 4 football codes (AFL, League, Union and soccer), I find it obnoxious when soccer fans expect that everyone calls it football, read the room. As an AFL fan in NSW I call don't call it Football unless talking to my relatives south of the border. Honestly mate, I know your type and someday you're gonna end up with broken nose. Let it go. Sorry ended up being a bit of a rant but soccer fans need to loose their entitlement.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Dominance is an interesting term. If we're going out to play football - does the inference of the code rely on the state you live in? Playing football in WA, SA, Victoria means AFL. Playing football in NSW and Qld means league. Union shouldn't even get a thought anywhere. But the most played sport is football, so shouldn't the assumption be that we are playing football (soccer)!
Grem
Roar Rookie
If calling it soccer brought back all the followers of NSL who may have been lost to us when we changed to the A League then I'll gladly call the game soccer. It would be nice if those issues could be fixed so easily. Hopefully our new leadership is really starting to bridge that gap.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Top 40 out of 200 or more teams = top 25%. I reckon that's better than pedestrian. In cricket we're back at number 1, but with only 10 nations that's only top 10%. And once our batters face a quality bowling attack in difficult conditions that ranking will slip! If we look at IRL rankings our rugby league team is ranked number 4 behind Tonga, but we are one place better than Papua New Guinea. I don't have much faith in that IRL ranking system though as it reckons 47 countries play league and includes great league nations such as Brazil, Chile and the USA! And then there's AFL - we are number 1 in the world - we've kept that ranking for a while now!
Grem
Roar Rookie
I prefer to call it football, but don’t care if soccer is used. In the end it’s a great game, however, it always was and still is football. It hasn’t changed. Association football was being played before another football came along in a place in England called Rugby (rugby football). League is only called “football” because it broke away from rugby football (rugby union). Soccer is just a slang name for the game as rugger is for union, but soccer became more common. The organisation that runs football – FIFA. The organisations that run rugby league – IRL, ARL and NRL. And I hope that didn’t sound/read like a lecture and you probably knew all that anyway!
Snookers
Roar Rookie
Thanks for this! I really hope the bridges can be repaired and we have one unified sport. I also hope that the vision for the game goes beyond 5-10 years. We set up a NSD, then what? It would be great if there was a collective vision for the game - maybe it does end at two divisions, maybe it goes to 4, maybe all the divisions down to a very local level are tied together. Would just be nice to know the grand plan for the game - I think it would help supporters get behind the cause and give them hope that football could rule Australia (whether that eventuates or not is a separate issue - it’s hope that drives fans).
Snookers
Roar Rookie
100% agree with the Aussie’s giving everything shorter, punchier nicknames. But often the nickname isn’t the official name - ie. When you see a sign to a service station it doesn’t say ‘servo’ and the AFL’s official name isn’t the Australian ‘Footy’ League. Look, I don’t think we tell supporters what they can and can’t call the team! Nobody has the right to police what nickname fans use - Maybe it even evolves to ‘Rooies’ over time - who knows! But I think setting the official name (the one referred to on the website/social media/advertising/commentary as ‘Australia’ which is has more dignity commands more respect is definitely preferable.
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
Does it matter that they are not ferocious? More importantly they are unique to Australian fauna.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
calm down. I would never call anyone out for calling a game whatever they want. You can laugh to yourself while saying (to yourself) 'sure that's football mate' during that furious argument (that we see here on The Roar often, with followers of other codes) as they run around the field with the ball in their hands. It's ironic, that's my point, that people argue over use of the term football when only one code primarily uses their feet, and we can laugh at them (to yourself if you wish) that they would consider it football.
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
Giving things nicknames is probably the mot "Australian" thing we do here in Aus. We give everything Nicknames or other names for what they are. Calling a red head "blue, or ranga". Sometime smart ones, sometimes not so smart. I am assuming Dan is short for Daniel???
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
Because Frank Lowy was trying to distance the game as far as he could from the old NSL. After the game collapsed in early 2000's and the release of the Crawford Report, Lowy was tasked with re-inventing the game in Aus. To cut ties with Old Soccer and its ethnic bases and mis-mangement, and create something new and modern that was financially stable, attract new fans and ignite the "sleeping giant". Hence Soccer Australia became Football Federation Australia. Sorry to the Roar but here is a quick article on it https://bleacherreport.com/articles/91134-australia-old-soccer-new-football Unfortunately, instead of bringing Old Soccer along with him to learn from, strengthen and inform the new game, he burned many bridges between the Old and the New. I think this is something that is now starting to be rectified with the talk of the NSD and even grandfathering player transfer fees back to these old clubs that develop our youth.
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
Why are all the suggestions animal affiliated? We don't really have the most ferocious, animals to draw from. Koala's??? Bandicoots???? Gullahs???
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
Because no one knows what team you are talking about when you say "Australia". It then has to be followed by "Men's Cricket team". As was said above by Surside66, it is the Branding, the Name, that is so recognisable. Even those AFL and Union diehards know exactly who you are talking about when you say "Socceroos". They may not like the game, or get up to watch the Socerros beat Peru, but they know the name and recognise the brand and context.
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
You definitely hit a nerve. I reckon there would be less controversy in an article about changing the date of Australia day. I am enjoying seeing all the passion both ways though. We need more of it leading up to the WC
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
Think I just made this exact comment directly above yours Grem. Should have kept reading before I got up on my soapbox.
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
Agree, but we have to face facts, in Aus, football will always refer to rugby, NRL or AFL. Until Soccer/Football becomes the most dominant code, it will never bee seen in the wider community as football. How many times have we had the following convo with others...... "I can meet you after my football game on Saturday"......."No, I dont play front row, I mean Soccer". I prefer to call it football, but I see no shame or harm in calling it Soccer.
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
This idea of simply inventing and rebranding an already successful brand only feeds into the the same issues people are having about the A League. That it is a plastic, business based, franchise driven, souless invented league that has no connection to grassroots or our footballing community (disclaimer...not my opinion). Like it or not, the Socceroos is our national Football identity. Again, too many people trying to mold Aussie football it into a cheap copy of someone else's game. When will we stand up and be proud of OUR game, and OUR history, OUR clubs, OUR players, OUR style OUR A League and OUR SOCCEROOS.
Dan
Guest
There is absolutely no need for a nickname at all. The team name is Australia. That's it. Australian sporting teams need to mature and drop all the silly nicknames. I even thought it was stupid when I was a kid. Sure, have mascots for the tiny tots to enjoy, but get rid of all the childish stuff in the official branding.
Brett Pieper
Guest
Mate I follow Rugby league, but I always will follow the Socceroos, and I will always call it Soccer, no disrespect to all the football supporters, it's just what we have been brought up on , just like league or union we call it footy . Everyone who does not follow Soccer still know the name Socceroos, I like the name . Well done boys ,just do your best in the world cup, ????????????