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y ozis dont like soccer...they r more interested in damn rugby and cricket (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter sheva07
- Start date
It's because the Socceroo's success (or lack of).
It's because Soccer Australia haven't developed a league which attracts crowds.
It's because Australia has International teams for rugby and cricket which do well (as opposed to our soccer team).
That's about it. Of course, had Australia even reached the World Cup (from memory the last time was '74), people might take more interest in it. Btw, I'm not sure about this, but soccer is the most widely played sport in the country.
It's because Soccer Australia haven't developed a league which attracts crowds.
It's because Australia has International teams for rugby and cricket which do well (as opposed to our soccer team).
That's about it. Of course, had Australia even reached the World Cup (from memory the last time was '74), people might take more interest in it. Btw, I'm not sure about this, but soccer is the most widely played sport in the country.
SHEVAGOL !!! i like your taste, Sheva is the best striker in Europe, and a personal favourite, from a footballer and Milan fan point of view. 
In relation to the topic, attitudes IMO are a big reason for Football being a minority sport and consequently being labelled its American alias - "soccer" (a word i dont like).
I also feel that many (but not all) rugby fans see Football as a "wimpy" and "boring" sport.. which are somewhat primitive opinions, but having spent my entire high school years at a rugby dominated school, they are still very prevalent.
I see the media as a problem too. Notably channel 7 (who hold the rights to the Footballroo's games), whose coverage of Australia-Jamaica was pathetic.. the commentary was amateur, their knowledge was sketchy and the worst part, advertisement breaks! You can have ad breaks in cricket, but not in a game like football where something in a few seconds a goal can be created or a person sent off. Having ads ruins the continuity of the game.
Sports Tonight are also a problem. They seem to have an overwhelming favourability to the big/glamourous clubs like Man Utd, Chelsea and Real. It is so ignorant to give these major teams even more exposure, even when they play boring football. On a personal level the fact they have little interest in Milan even if we are Euro champs also gets on my nerves.
One positive thing i have noticed is World Cup time, which was followed even by the rugby players at school, and even the girls too! Its truly an event which has more too it than sport, and if Australia can qualify i think we would see more interest in it even than in the rugby "world" cup.
In relation to the topic, attitudes IMO are a big reason for Football being a minority sport and consequently being labelled its American alias - "soccer" (a word i dont like).
I also feel that many (but not all) rugby fans see Football as a "wimpy" and "boring" sport.. which are somewhat primitive opinions, but having spent my entire high school years at a rugby dominated school, they are still very prevalent.
I see the media as a problem too. Notably channel 7 (who hold the rights to the Footballroo's games), whose coverage of Australia-Jamaica was pathetic.. the commentary was amateur, their knowledge was sketchy and the worst part, advertisement breaks! You can have ad breaks in cricket, but not in a game like football where something in a few seconds a goal can be created or a person sent off. Having ads ruins the continuity of the game.
Sports Tonight are also a problem. They seem to have an overwhelming favourability to the big/glamourous clubs like Man Utd, Chelsea and Real. It is so ignorant to give these major teams even more exposure, even when they play boring football. On a personal level the fact they have little interest in Milan even if we are Euro champs also gets on my nerves.
One positive thing i have noticed is World Cup time, which was followed even by the rugby players at school, and even the girls too! Its truly an event which has more too it than sport, and if Australia can qualify i think we would see more interest in it even than in the rugby "world" cup.
hmm which reminds me, in the recent match between marseille vs real madrid i think.... craig foster and someone else was commentating. they are absolute shithouse. no passion or technical knowledge whatsoever in their commentating. bring on martin tyler!
You don't have to generalise with the term 'ozis'.
It can be directly traced back to the times when football (or soccer, either will do as the term soccer is basically required in this country) became known as wogball, and although this period produced some great players (and many great matches), when it began to die off during the 90s there was no real market for the sport to become broadly based along the lines of AFL and the NRL, and the Super 12s to some extent. A few 'Australian' clubs emerged during this time to set the trend of the future, of which only the Glory has been a success, as the Spirit have become regarded as a Scottish/Pommie club due to the Rangers takeover and have shifted their base away from the relative centrality of North City to Warriewood (although they still hold the record for the highest crowd figure for the regular season), Carlton suffered due to its name (Carlton the AFL club isn't that popular outside its supporter base), and Parramatta just didn't work out as planned. At the moment the Australian Soccer Association is moving forward, which is something, at least, after years of factional warfare.
Besides, soccer/football IS a very popular sport, it is just that at the Australian level it isn't a popular spectator sport, and with greater financial rewards in foreign countries (for both men and women) I doubt that a league at the level of the champions league will emerge. A highly competitive league is possible, but in a nation with such a large spatial size yet only a small population is that what we need? Perhaps we are at our best as an exporting nation?
Another possible reason is that too many people are of the opinion that the European leagues are all much better than the NSL, which may be true at times but is in no way a blanket description. Maybe if everyone were realistic with regards to what to expect from an NSL match... ?
Craig Foster does know what he is talking about, as otherwise we wouldn't be a football analyst for SBS.
Maybe he is just not interested in European matches? That would be my guess, as he is far from neutral when discussing Australian soccer/football.
edit: All of that has been taken from observations made over the past few years.
It can be directly traced back to the times when football (or soccer, either will do as the term soccer is basically required in this country) became known as wogball, and although this period produced some great players (and many great matches), when it began to die off during the 90s there was no real market for the sport to become broadly based along the lines of AFL and the NRL, and the Super 12s to some extent. A few 'Australian' clubs emerged during this time to set the trend of the future, of which only the Glory has been a success, as the Spirit have become regarded as a Scottish/Pommie club due to the Rangers takeover and have shifted their base away from the relative centrality of North City to Warriewood (although they still hold the record for the highest crowd figure for the regular season), Carlton suffered due to its name (Carlton the AFL club isn't that popular outside its supporter base), and Parramatta just didn't work out as planned. At the moment the Australian Soccer Association is moving forward, which is something, at least, after years of factional warfare.
Besides, soccer/football IS a very popular sport, it is just that at the Australian level it isn't a popular spectator sport, and with greater financial rewards in foreign countries (for both men and women) I doubt that a league at the level of the champions league will emerge. A highly competitive league is possible, but in a nation with such a large spatial size yet only a small population is that what we need? Perhaps we are at our best as an exporting nation?
Another possible reason is that too many people are of the opinion that the European leagues are all much better than the NSL, which may be true at times but is in no way a blanket description. Maybe if everyone were realistic with regards to what to expect from an NSL match... ?
Craig Foster does know what he is talking about, as otherwise we wouldn't be a football analyst for SBS.
Maybe he is just not interested in European matches? That would be my guess, as he is far from neutral when discussing Australian soccer/football.
edit: All of that has been taken from observations made over the past few years.
Last edited:
Originally posted by reynaldo
SHEVAGOL !!! i like your taste, Sheva is the best striker in Europe, and a personal favourite, from a footballer and Milan fan point of view.
In relation to the topic, attitudes IMO are a big reason for Football being a minority sport and consequently being labelled its American alias - "soccer" (a word i dont like).
I also feel that many (but not all) rugby fans see Football as a "wimpy" and "boring" sport.. which are somewhat primitive opinions, but having spent my entire high school years at a rugby dominated school, they are still very prevalent.
I see the media as a problem too. Notably channel 7 (who hold the rights to the Footballroo's games), whose coverage of Australia-Jamaica was pathetic.. the commentary was amateur, their knowledge was sketchy and the worst part, advertisement breaks! You can have ad breaks in cricket, but not in a game like football where something in a few seconds a goal can be created or a person sent off. Having ads ruins the continuity of the game.
Sports Tonight are also a problem. They seem to have an overwhelming favourability to the big/glamourous clubs like Man Utd, Chelsea and Real. It is so ignorant to give these major teams even more exposure, even when they play boring football. On a personal level the fact they have little interest in Milan even if we are Euro champs also gets on my nerves.
One positive thing i have noticed is World Cup time, which was followed even by the rugby players at school, and even the girls too! Its truly an event which has more too it than sport, and if Australia can qualify i think we would see more interest in it even than in the rugby "world" cup.
sheva rulez indeed....look at what he has done for ac mlan back from his injury!!! fantastic!!!
henry is not bad too...listed as FIFA world player of da year nominee
i think its mainly gotta do with the NSL, if u look at the strength of the NRL u wonder y internationally Rugby league isn't popular, but then domestic rugby union isn't as popular as league, but internationally we have a succesfull union team
so by comparin these 2 sports i think the domestic competition is the source of the problem
so by comparin these 2 sports i think the domestic competition is the source of the problem
jayz
walking
ever heard of the term, 'ethnic sport'?
Well at least one thing that all other codes of sport that envys and wants from Australian soccer is the junior level paticipation rate which from memory was streets aheads of it's rival which in the end is the future of the sport.
well if soccer was actually marketed to the australian public better, nay at all, then it might actually garner some sort of following. of course, one of the other problems with running an aussie soccer league is the nations geographical isolation - there is no decent opposition within the reach of another ocean, importing foreign talent is impossible, etc etc.
AND DAMN FIFA WONT GIVE OCEANIA A DIRECT QUAL TO THE WORLD CUP!!!!! BACK STABBING BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!
*ahem* now i have that out of my system, what i'd like to see done is prime time coverage of nsl matches. thats the first step, and it should hopefully be happening next year.....if seven pull their fingers out and actually use the television rights they payed for, take a slight gamble on the ratings and then market it so that gamble pays off...slackers.
/rant off
cheers;
sam.
AND DAMN FIFA WONT GIVE OCEANIA A DIRECT QUAL TO THE WORLD CUP!!!!! BACK STABBING BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!
*ahem* now i have that out of my system, what i'd like to see done is prime time coverage of nsl matches. thats the first step, and it should hopefully be happening next year.....if seven pull their fingers out and actually use the television rights they payed for, take a slight gamble on the ratings and then market it so that gamble pays off...slackers.
/rant off
cheers;
sam.