An Arrogant Bunch

If it’s Craig Foster’s aim to convince me to support Australia’s bid for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022 then he is going the wrong way about it. In a recent article in the Sun Herald and in a conversation with Les Murray on SBS he came off as arrogant and conceited. Even suggesting that other sports don’t matter and that football [soccer] would inevitably take over Australia.

It’s true that soccer (I refuse to call it football) is the only truly international sport, but Foster should not be so arrogant when the local A League is on the decline despite the addition of new teams. Soccer does have the highest participation rates in juniors, yet our top competition can only be compared to the 3^rd or 4^th division in England.

Les Murray even got in the act on SBS recently, referring to the behaviour of rival codes as belligerent, inconvenient and unaustralian. He even suggested that we try and attain the bid before sorting out what he considers to be minor details. Getting three other codes that garner more support in Australia to shut up shop for three months is not minor!!

These two want other codes to just lie down and let them have their way. They use the examples of other countries and how they would laugh at the situation we have here. We have a unique situation. I can’t think of another country that has four football codes running professionally.

How about stadiums? We just don’t have them. I’ve blogged about it already. Our best are designed for cricket and Aussie Rules. FIFA want at least 12 stadiums of 40,000 minimum capacities, we have maybe 8. We just don’t have the population to make those kinds of stadiums viable. If Foster’s prediction is true, that soccer will take over Australia, then the sport needs to get cracking on some new soccer only stadiums.

For now, all soccer commentators should pull their collective heads in and show the other codes a tad of respect.

Caught Napping

Rugby League fans are crying poor to the NSW govt after revelations they were on the cusp of granting a multi million cash injection to the AFL for redevelopment of the showground at Homebush Bay.

These grievances are however misguided. Direct your issues at the NRL. It’s them that have failed to be proactive in submitting for available grants. The AFL has also been more willing than Rugby League to invest in grassroots programs. Whereas the NRL has been, by comparison, sleeping.

Now with the inevitable addition of a western Sydney team in the AFL by 2011 the Rugby League bodies are trying to play catch up. If you pay attention to Phil Gould then you might believe that Rugby League has nothing to worry about, if (that’s a big IF) it get’s it’s house in order regarding a national independent body to take over from the multitude of bureaucracy filled state and regional bodies. Due to infighting this may take some time. As an AFL supporter I can’t say I am too disappointed.

They call western Sydney “Rugby League Heartland”. All that can change very swiftly as a cashed up AFL is primed to swoop in and won’t allow the venture to fail.