Ian ConstantineSoccer in Australia
August 24th 2006 11:05
Australia vs Urugay 2005
For years Australians have been useful to cries from the crowds such as ‘BALLLL!’ and ‘he’s been doing it all day ref!’ The pure reason soccer hasn’t been successful in Australia for years it that soccer has relied on the pure European crowd. Not once has it tried to appeal to the AFL or NRL supporters. Throughout the NSL era it relied on the support on racial background of every club. Did you ever see the Raiders appeal to the Croatians? Or the Geelong Cats appeal to the Serbians? No. National sport is a completely national thing. Why should Australian clubs segregate themselves because the clubs which are represented have foreign leanings.
Having grown up supporting the NRL and AFL, I am conditioned to supporting big hits and bumps, but having seen the displays put on by foreign soccer players, it is little wonder the sport doesn’t succeed here. In the US they are conditioned to seeing the big (and I mean BIG) hits that the NFL put on. They aren’t going to be satisfied with the shitty little league they put on, and nor should we be. We want to see BIG hits, passion that sees us put our bodies on the line, passion which sees the average bloke at the pub rise to his seat and say ‘how about that ref? He was offside!!!’ We don’t want the average Joe Bloggs to say ‘Beckham? He cares more about his hair than his sport.’
Australians just aren’t conditioned to soccer. While it is argued to be the fasest growing sport in Australia (which is rubbish, it has been for the past 600 years), it will never be the most popular sport in Australia. While people in foreign countries may believe it is the ‘world game’, I will always consider a night in front of the box watching Fox Footy much more entertaining than watching SBS at 4am watching Tunisia vs The United Arab Emirates.
Cheers,
Nick Lockyer
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