Australian football cannot afford to mess up the opportunity presented to it by golden month of Matildas, FIFA World Cup
Millions of Australians have been drawn to football by the Matildas. ADAM PEACOCK reveals why, in many ways, the real work starts now.
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Last night, walking out of Stadium Australia in the swirl of Spanish celebration and English sorrow, a single thought struck me.
Every prejudice about football in Australia is gone.
Dead.
Rest in Peace.
Our little corner of the world had been one of the few frontiers yet to succumb to the beauty and passion of football, to the frustration of many, this infected disciple included. From the volunteers putting corner flags out at 7am on frosty fields to the bigwigs in the Football Australia boardroom, the mainstream’s resistance to football’s charms – and the constant need to justify our obsession – has been maddening.
Those who haven’t understood the magnitude of football have long inquired about Australian football’s litany of problems, of flares and failings, of musings that the A League isn’t the Premier League and never will be.
For so long, you felt like responding, ‘No sh-t!’ but instead attempted to convey, invariably without success, that the sport is much, much more than just a result or a weekend crowd figure.
It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe.
But football people understand it. Others have not.
Until now.
The Matildas have entranced and enchanted millions and brought the nation together like few, if any, sporting team before them. From those with football in their bloodstream, to those on the periphery, all have been dragged in by this World Cup’s irresistible gravitational force, capped by a magnificent final.
Games were a celebration. Hardly a hint of angst.
The nation gets it now.
For the first time, we are one tribe.
But what are us disciples left with? With the confetti still being picked out of the perfect Stadium Australia grass, how long will this World Cup afterglow linger?
The FIFA caravan has left us with a king-sized chance that, if left to wither like previous opportunities for football in this country, would be a travesty.
TRUTH ABOUT A LEAGUES
In a little over a month, the top tier of football in Australia starts again: the A Leagues, run by the APL.
Some will sneer.
Others will say the A League is sh-t.
That’s the ridiculous, misguided perception of many involved in the game.
But the standard of the A Leagues is not sh-t. How can it be? The players whom the nation has fallen in love with came from there. And this summer, the next Socceroos and Matildas will be playing there. We don’t know exactly who they are yet, but the fun part is finding out.
Has the administration been perfect?
Goodness no.
The A Leagues clubs have insisted on running their own race, separate from Football Australia. Last summer, the rampant optimism from the Socceroos’ World Cup run lasted all of a week before the Grand Final was sold off and all hell broke loose. A golden opportunity for the game was missed.
The A Leagues now have another chance to capitalise on national team success, and early moves such as free passes to A League Women’s games and a stand-alone opening weekend in October are encouraging.
They will be even better if games aren’t scheduled for 3pm on January afternoons.
END THE IN-FIGHTING
Internally, divisions need to disappear. That’s not easy in a sport such as football, where everyone has a strident opinion on how it should be played on and off the pitch.
Forever, the face in the mirror is what has really hindered football.
There is a disconnect between Football Australia and APL that does not make sense. CODE Sports heard one representative talk about the other organisation during the tournament. It was as if they were talking about another sport.
Another rival.
Another enemy.
What? Why? I hope they stopped to consider that if Sam Kerr was coming through today, there’s every chance the Sherrin that was in her hands as a primary school kid would stay there. AFL, NRL and other sports have more cash to splash on developing players, which is great for women’s sport, but an enormous stretch on possible talent in an already small talent pool by comparison to world standards.
The dysfunction within Australian football is obvious in the halls of power. The Matildas No. 1 scarf wearer, federal sports minister Anika Wells – who, it must be said, has been more receptive to football’s needs than any of her predecessors – made the salient point that when it comes to asking for help, football has five different parts of the game banging on the door.
The lack of a co-ordinated approach is stupid and needless.
It can’t be all on political agreements to help the sport.
No, football must first help itself and find ways to nurture the best talent with the best possible coaching, from those on the cusp of national representation to those playing under sixes on a cool Sunday morning.
Facilities are crucial but so, too, is the need to get the right people to make the most of them. By all means build the needed dressing rooms and fields, but make sure the players that use them have the right instruction to push all levels of football forward.
There are talented players in every corner of Australia hoping talent and hard work morph into opportunity. They must be harnessed the right way. For as good as Aitana Bonmati is, rest assured, there are more like her coming in Spain, knowing only a life only where football is intertwined in every part of society.
That’s what we’re up against.
FOOTBALL’S PERFECT DAY
This is how beautiful football can be.
My World Cup final day started at a local ground watching my son play. For me, this was utopia. The ground was scattered with parents and relatives watching their boys and girls play. The football vibe was pure. Of sorrow the Matildas couldn’t quite get that bronze. Of anticipation of a World Cup final to be held just ten kilometres away.
And then we saw Spain produce that majestic first half, saw England battle back with unrelenting conviction, saw the game stretch to an enthralling 104th minute – and then woke up to see another six million people had watched the game on television.
Grassroots to the grandest stage of all in a few, glorious hours.
Perfection.
But it can’t end here. With affection for football in this country skyrocketing, and old prejudices banished, the opportunity is there to grow the game and ensure many more days like this are experienced by many more people.
Yes, a 0-0 can be the best thing you’ve ever watched.
Yes, a WhatsApp group chat usually confined to footy results can be devoted to the merits of the Matildas playing a dual pivot.
Yes, that young boy wants “Kerr 20” on the back of his jersey for Christmas.
Football is no longer a mystery to mainstream Australia.
Those who already loved it love it more.
Those who didn’t quite get it have been won over by the magic Matildas.
Let’s not stuff it up.
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