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Monday 28 February 2011

Sport for Women in Canberra this Sunday. Matildas Stars will be there.

Sports Hydrant uses online social networking technologies together with traditional offline programs to help connect the grassroots of sport to the elite and to help connect those who care about sport with each other.

Sport for Women Day 6
Sports Hydrant believes that as many people as possible in our society should have
the chance to experience the benefits that participation in sport can bring. Sports Hydrant is
committed to widening participation in - and increasing access to - sport across society, through the
sharing of knowledge and experience.

Themes

Sport for Women Day to be held on Sunday 6 March 2011, 8am-1pm, is an initiative led by Sports
Hydrant to send positive messages to women about women, health and active lifestyle and generate
increased participation in – and media coverage of – women’s sport.

Sport for Women Day will be held in sports stadiums in Sydney and Canberra, with the event also
taking place across up to 355 female only gyms (Curves) around the country; with the aim of
attracting up to 30,000 women to participate in group sporting activities.

SFWD is a celebration of women’s sport in Australia and celebrates the success of our individuals,
teams, organizations and women in sport generally.

Messages



Sport for all – From beginner to champion we are all part of women’s sport.



To enhance media coverage of women’s sport we must first invest in it and show we care.



Elite sportswomen in Australia are highly successful on the world stage; We should promote
our role models and reward them further for their leadership of women’s sport.



To increase participation we need to realise:





March, 2011



Many women take part in individual recreational activities. but still seek social interaction as part of their sporting experience.

Competitive sport is not critical to many women and some feel they lack aptitude for
sports. Enjoyment comes from participation and all women should be encouraged to get
involved.

Women are particularly time poor. Sport’s organizations should make it easier for women to participate in sport.

Program for SFWD

8:00am – Arrive at Cathy Freeman Park, Canberra University or Curves Gym, then briefing
9:00-10:00 am - Guinness World Record Zumba Class – It doesn’t matter how uncoordinated you are. If you are with lots of people, no one cares what you look like. Must register on website to count!

10:30-11:30am - Tug of War: Elite sportswomen teams of 8 having a go just for a bit of fun. (For Sydney and Canberra Venues only)
10:00 -1:00pm – Festival: Sport and sports – It’s all about connecting more people to more sport, an opportunity for Sporting organizations to promote their sport.

Athletes will be available to sign
autographs and take photos with fans. (Sydney and Canberra Venues only)

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World Game in Canberra - but why?

Sitting watching the Adelaide game at the Canberra Labor Club yesterday a friend noticed the SBS World Game crew walking in with five minutes to go.

Craig Foster, Sir Les Murray, David Zdrillic, Zeljko Kalac, Kimon Taliadoras,and David Basheer. ACT Senator Kate Lundy was with them.

What they all up to?

And the answer sent in by email is -

The SBS World Game Team are in town to play the Politicians at Parliament House for Harmony Day.

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Sunday 27 February 2011

Two Aussie Coaches in tactical battle! Great to see.

Ange Postecoglou Championship winning Coach of Australia's most unbeaten football team ever - up against Graham Arnold one-time Socceroos losing dispirited Coach, dire Olyroo producing Coach but long-term Assistant to Hiddinka and Verbeek.

Over two legs Ange won the day - in fairness he had all the confidence and momentum going into the first game - and despite the Mariners playing much better than in previous games Arnie's men couldn't score.

Arnie had learned much from his teams 5-1 debacle earlier in the season, employing his forwards much wider, using Perez to push forward to restrict the Roar playing out to their two wide full backs themselves always pushing up.

Last night the Mariners seemed to pull back to compact the space into their own third, never mind half, at times. Similarly the Roar - but the Mariners seemed to play their two strikers even wider this week when defending the ball.

Did it work?

Yes and no.

The Mariners created wonderful chances early, before the Roar had 67% of possession going into the break. The Mariners had scored two - stunned the pants off Arnie and the watching gallery but in truth the Roar had enough chances to score themselves.

Ange wouldn't have been to worried at half-time given their possession - notwithstanding their 2-0 lead was gone - and mental stuff starts to happen.

In the second half the Mariners were on top, getting good ball, good possession as the normally composed Roar started to look - awful.

Arnie must have thought the win was coming - but Ange switched Henrique for Nichols, more pace, same skill with Broich moving in to Nichols place and the game was won.

In an instant.

It was so simple, a little change and the Roar got McKay on the ball - he kept it, released a team-mate or two and the Mariners unassailable ascendency was gone.

Norwich in goal for the Roar still had to make a match-winning save but somehow the Roar had got out of gaol.

I'm still not sure why such a substitution was so powerful, so effective but Arnie will be rueing this one.

He had the Roar on the ropes - home Grand Final on the way - and suddenly it was gone.

A fantastic game, nip and tuck, with some fine football being played by Australian's finest - a feast.

Don't miss the final - I'm a big Adelaide fan but maybe only the Mariners have enough around the park to make the final a fascinating battle.

Let's hope it's a rematch of last nights game - would be a proud day for Aussie sport.

And with 50,000 at Suncorp we might even get some positive coverage for football's finest domestic day!

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Good news week for football

Mitch Langarak plays for Borussia Dortmund against Bayern Munich - Dortmund win 3-1.

Asian Champions League starts Tuesday with Melbourne Victory away to Gamba and Sydney at home to Suwon Bluewings. We'll have the coverage on the Nearpost radio/podcast.

Fozzie gets stuck into Jesse Fink - two SBS bloggers going head to toe. Nice one Fozzie and come on Jesse Fink mate before you write.

Kosta Barbarouses misses many many chances for the Roar - did he forget how to shoot - but Thomas Broich makes sure this years final will have a huge crowd again - this time in Brisbane.

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Aussie Football sells out!

Brisbane Roar packed in 25,000 into Suncorp last night and Adelaide United's minor Semi if sold out this afternoon.

Football at Hindmarsh is always something special and this afternoons game will be no different - will Gold Coast spoil the party. I hate to say it but I think so.

Last night the Mighty Mariners showed why the Grand Final can be a humdinger if the yellow bellies can win their Semi and come back to Suncorp to take on the Roar.

The Roar has the momentum, 2-0 and 67% of the ball in the first half but were 2-0 down.

In truth this game could have been 3-3 at half-time with both teams missing many chances.

A tactical switch, Mitch Nichols being withdrawn, Henrique on and Thomas Broich into midfield changed the game - instantly.

The Mariners were looking the most likely in the second half with the Roar stumbling to find the rhythm of the last 26 non-defeated games.

Mariners keeper 18 year old Matt Ryan made a big NEARPOST error and the Thomas Broich took full advantage.

Who wouldn't want to see these two sides back in the Grand Final.

The Roar showed as they did in the first leg, the Mariners can and will create many chances against them. And indeed next time the Mariners may well spoil the party in front of 50,000 Brisbanites at Suncorp.

Great week for football.

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Friday 25 February 2011

Tony Sage: Slow reader?

DEAN HEFFERNAN JOINS PERTH GLORY

That's the headline and you'd have to think the Report on Perth Glory handed to owner Tony Sage this week would have a simple line:

Don't sign old players - Think Soccernomics, think Arsene Wenger..

At an age when Thierry Henry was being shipped out of Arsenal - The Glory are bringing em in - Deano is no Henry and he didn't have a great year did he?

Hurry up and read that report Tony - or else some agents are going to make an awful lot of money out of you - again.

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Tuesday 22 February 2011

Nearpost Poddie: Finals Football Zelic style.

Lucy Zelic, Paddy Bordier and Nick Cumpston talk finals football.

We've got all the news, and how many football poddies only cover Aussie football?

We are clearly Australia's number one football poddie, apart from all the others, We discuss all the news from Australian football. What more could you wish for from the Australian media?

Download.
or play right from your computer....

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Sunday 20 February 2011

News Ltd arrogance- Co-ordinated social media campaign required to take em on.

Hamish fan of Brisbane Roar wrote a comment to my earlier post re:anti football media conspiring to talk football down again and again and again.

It deserved it's own post so twitter and facebook fans would get to see it!

From Hamish:

More good thought Eamonn. I can feel your frustration.

Speaking of Muslims though, maybe we need to learn from the Arab nations' uprisings. We can outflank the coroporate interested media with social media.

From a Brisbane point of view, where Brisbane Roar are clearly THE news headline, it's become absurd. The 'football violence' shit in Melbourne has also been absurd.

We're actually in a position to expose News Limited sports news as the massive corporate PR exercise that it is, seeking allies in games like basketball, athletics and ALL women's sport.

I'm rambling, but in short I think we can use News Limited's arrogance as a weapon for round ball.

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Is it bash football/muslims month - again?

Rebecca Wilson didn't mention the Asia Cup once during the tournament, now she fires up all passionate and concerned about the dire states of our A-League Club finances.

Peter FitzSimons is all over the Australian World Cup Bid, dead interested in football he is, nearly filled his whole page with football (finances that is) fair enough perhaps but he hardly gave 100 words of wisdom in the two years of the bid, not even in his boring repeated Xmas columns.

Dicky Hindsight is trashing our Footballing Fozzie for talking over-enthusiastically about "our great game, it's great traditions, the indigenous code, our great fan culture." Isn't that the language they use in AFL - hey Fozzie not allowed to talk up football mate!

And of course in Melbourne they are stirring up a treat.

Football fans most violent is running hot alongside, stop the Muslims, don't fly them Muslims to their parents funerals and why is the NAB Cup not getting 100,000 people at every game!

February must be dead news month!

Come who is next bring it on - we football fans love yer!

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Heroes under attack - it's our own fault!

Violence in football on and off the field is not acceptable, and I love my Old Firms Derbies, just not the violence that surrounds it - Of course in AFL, League or Union the more violence the better but that's another story.

But I'm not interested in which set of fans are more violent, we know in Australia it will be football, its flares and fans that will come under the most biased scrutiny from the media.

So what, deal with it.

No flares, no tv news.
No tribal mass swearing, no offensive sound coming through your TV set.
No fighting, running at each other in packs, no throwing bottles etc, no problem.

And let's keep the police out of it.

We only have ourselves to blame.

The recent game in Adelaide between Victory and Adelaide showed the problems that would surround our game, still, if crowds grew.

Adelaide/Melbourne, Sydney/Melbourne are the flashpoints - and only these games it seems.

I neither know nor care why but the solution is simple.

Fan culture - The Barmy Army self-police, and have a policy of non-violence, it's about time Melbourne Victory away support did the same, Adelaide and Sydney supporters should do the same.

Maybe Victory do - it ain't working is it!

No violence no story and maybe then we can all concentrate on the positive sides of the fan culture, and indeed the game itself.

Fan culture - let's hear it and see it and stop whingeing at the police, the security guys, the mums and dads of Australia - or else you'll be singing to an empty stand.

Interesting: How come all this stuff is coming out anyway just before the AFL season with AFL pre-season cup struggling to get crowds to match Football and Union? Media works in mysterious ways - make that predictable ways.

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Wellington lose two nights in a row - can Ricky sleep?

First Wellington Phoenix slumped out of the finals series as the Dylan McAllister led forward line couldn't score in the proverbial brothel despite putting in a strong performance in Adelaide on Friday.

Then they have to watch as their former young gun Kosta Barbarouses single-handedly delivers a fantastic semi-final opener, only to supply the Grand Final home ground second goal against the Mariners.

Oh Ricky how must you weep!

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Perez fails to deliver as McKay's Roar march on.

All the hype about Patricio Perez the Mariners star Argentinean counted for nothing as he failed to deliver in the game that mattered, the A-League semi-final.

A close game and the Mariners were perhaps unlucky not to score as they hit the post a couple of times but in truth it was Perez with some key space and ball, particularly in the second half who could not deliver a final ball, or test the Roar keeper with any decent shot that saw the Mariners needing a miracle in Brisbane.

John Hutchison was preferred to Mustafa Amini - the enforcer over the playmaker and perhaps it was the football purist in me who smirked as Matt MCKay stole the ball from Hutch and then released it instantly for Kosta Barbarouses. The young Kiwi has a lot to do, but he done it as Robbie would say, and 1-0 Brissy.

Matt McKay and Brisbane's fitness again started to shine through as they simply over ran the Mariners men. McKay found the heat no problem starting and ending the move that could see 50,000 in Brisbane for a Grand Final in three weeks.

When it counted McKay beat Perez hands down.

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How to win the A-League Youth Title?

Gold Coast United won the A-League Youth title for a second time in a row on the weekend, with two Canberrans Andrew Baresic and Stephen Lustica securing the victory over the AIS.

And if you were wondering how to get your club to win a Youth Title the answer is simple.

Sign a Canberran.

In particular sign Stephen Lustica.

He's just Captained the Gold Coast to their second title, but this is his third in a row. The first with Sydney FC.

The guy has more titles than A-League appearances however. But that's Miron for you I guess.

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Saturday 19 February 2011

Ten A-League Coaching decisions I liked in Season 6.

1. Rini Coolen's steal of the year. Iain Ramsay is given game time and wins games creates goals. Nice one only ruined by the ending.

2. Ange Postecoglou - turns a team of good players into a passing, moving, dream machine.

3. Ange - so good I mentioned it twice.

4. Graham Arnold - for turning the Mckinna dour Kilmarnock inspired Mariners into the Magnificent Mariners - the West Ham of Aussie football.

5. Graham Arnold - for quickly learning from his dumb decision to attack the Roar in the 5-1 defeat game.

6. Vitaslev for turning Sydney FC into a slow boring rabble into something with shades of rebirth inspired by Nicky Carle, Dimitri Petratos and Bruno Cazarine.

7. Ernie Merrick for building a talent pool better, faster and more skilful than Melbourne has ever had. Exciting times ahead.

8. Ange P for teaching Aussies that just because the salary cap is equal doesn't mean the Coach can't effect and make a huge impact.

9. Ange for making us ask why are Perth, Gold Coast, and Sydney at times so crap from a fluent football point of view.

10. Graham Arnold for introducing, and harnessing M Armini, unleashing Josh Rose, finding Mr Perez and getting enough mobile skilful players so Matt Simons presence is okay - sort of! We love you Matt!

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Ten mad Coach decisions A-League season 6.

1. Miron Bleiberg - Youth Development Encouragement Award. Not!
Taking Chris Harald, 18, off after 38 minutes and slagging him of on National TV.

Aside - notice how Taj Minnicon has floundered under Miron and his "when the whistle stops it's who evers in the white chairs first' team picking policy.

2. Miron signing import Peter Pertchold late in the season. Arnie gives M. Armini, 17, a fair go - Miron thinks the Captain of his Youth Team, Stephen Lustica Aussie U20, is worthy of how many games?

3. Ricky Herbert - Sick of Kiwi's and gets rid of Kosta Barbouroses for Dylan McAllister. Lost you the finals Ricky - nice one.

4. Iain Ferguson - Was he responsible for putting this years squad together? Getting rid of Tando to bring in Danny Vukovic - any real difference?

5. Iain Ferguson - rumoured to be bringing in Dean Heffernan. Give Youth a go! Although in Perth anyone under 30 is youth - go Deano.

6. Rini Coolen - Young Gun Iain Ramsay replaced by S. Slory - ageing Dutch nobody. Bet he gets his books online as well.

7. John Van Schip - three pensions and you're crap. John Aloisi, Gerry Sibon and Josip Skoko. Just two pensions too many. Which two, is up to you.

8. Vitaslev Lavicka - Hayden Foxe. Signed for what reason exactly? Because he was better than Matt Jurman, Seb Ryall or any other Aussie willing to play centre back or because Poppa was in his ear - maaaaattteeeeess.

9. Branko Culina - for letting Ljubo Milicevic out of his cage. Ljubo was running the show. No Ljubo, no Jets. Ljubo got Branko a 4 year deal, what oh what can Branko do now.....get Jason?

10. Vitaslev Lavicka - this one was announced half way through last season - get rid of two time champions Clint Bolton and bring in Reddy steady benched a lot - Liam Reddy. Didn't work did it?

Why is it the Nearpost knew the outcome of all these dumb and dumber decisions before the players took the part.

Do you really need your Coaching Badges to understand football and football players - i don't even have grassroots but I'd back myself on team selection, team recruitment and team development against some of these decisions.

And Fergie's trying to get in early next season already. Evan Berger and Dean Heffernan - two left-backs but with one thing in common!

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Canberra football: a chink of light appears? Will FFA let us in this time?

Are we big enough? In Canberra?

The headline suggests "Small players to get a shot at A-League's best"

Well they don't come any smaller than Canberra football in the eyes of Jim Forrest's FNSW or our beloved national body the Double FA.

So don't be surprised if Canberra is given the longest most arduous route possible to get a chance to play a NSW Premier League team, never mind an A-League team.

Come to think of it, stuff NSW, let's head to Victoria, Adelaide or even Tasmania and qualify through those possible pathways!

And why not use it as a future builder - play our best youth players and bugger the senior guys - bet we don't!

A self-imposed vision for the future:

7 under 21s on the park at anyone time and use it to build our player opportunities and player base.

We have two hopes.

Lyall Gorman is in the hot-seat, or one of them and he's a decent, football minded, community minded bloke.

And John O'Sullivan's departure at FFA Headquarters gives me massive hope that one day we might get something, even a crumb.

Small players to get a shot at A-League's best
Michael Lynch
February 17, 2011
FOOTBALL Federation Australia will launch its FFA Cup in March next year with the final to be played on Australia Day, 2013.

The tournament would be open to all clubs at every level of the football pyramid, FFA general manager Lyall Gorman said last night at a football fan forum meeting in Melbourne.

The A-League clubs are likely to enter the cup at the last-32 stage.

Smaller teams that have survived earlier knockout rounds will get the chance to mix it with the likes of A-League premier Brisbane Roar and the country's biggest club, Melbourne Victory.

Gorman said that the cup would ''be a major opportunity to turbo-charge the game at grass-roots levels and convert fans from being merely followers to supporters.''

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Adelaide business basket case? Ramsay over Slory, Aussie v Dutch, Youth v aggro.

Love Adelaide United, love Travis Dodd, and love that goal last night.

Flowing football at its best, Brazil, to Argentinean, to Dutch slotted by an AUSSIE!

While all the focus has been on Paul Reid I'm more intrigued by the Iain Ramsay debacle.

Why has Ricky Dicky Coolen given us Mr Slory. Dutch version of mates rates?

He had Iain Ramsay up left, Lucas Pantelis can do a job, and with Dodd and Matthew Leckie on the right why oh why did he bring in Slory.

Is he really any better than Ramsay. Not yet he isn't and they've only got one maybe two games to go.

Ramsay is Australian.

Ramsay has created goals, scored goals and can you would think only improve. And would benefit from further games.

Now he's never going to play again is he?

Young Aussie helped Adelaide into top four, but come final time they've signed Slory.

Slory looks up for the fight, make that any fight. He's not Aussie, he's not young and he's probably not cheap.

Aussie is young, has had some great games, he's Aussie so why would you sign a replacement?
That's exactly what is ruining most of our clubs.

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Kiwi madness undoes Finals hope - Kosta out - Dylan in!!! More Coach madness.

So you aren't allowed to have a Youth team - because of FFA paranoia, finances, rules, whatever - and yet you play professional football against other clubs, ten of them, most who have a Youth team and after six years of football - we're seeing heaps and heaps of young players filling in as your stars get injured or are out of form.

Think Matthew Leckie, Iain Ramsay, and more many more.

Wellington Phoenix.

Got to feel for them. Gave a wonderful display last night against Adelaide, against all the odds but Ricky lost this one pre-season.

Who wants to live in New Zealand? Not even Troy Hearfield - he's off back to East Coast of Australia.

Overseas stars? Well if they are paid enough they'll go there instead of Tramere, Bournemouth or Leeds.

But most want to go to Sydney I guess.

But when Ricky and co do find a young jewel, they need to polish it, value it and keep it.

Brisbane’s Kosta Barbarouses - he's Kiwi - 5 times the player this year than he was last year when Ricky Herbert never played him.

And they let him go.

Now they have another young gun - the enlightened Kiwi fans unearthed him, not Ricky.

Then again Ricky likes three big buggers upfront - Dylan McAllister in Kosta Barbarouses out, out, out.

Why would you do that? A young Kiwi out and an failed old stager in?

Wellington trying to emulate Perth?

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Friday 18 February 2011

Fozzie: SOS. We need you in Canberra - can you help?

Peter Funnell author of all things www.nearpostlocal.blogspot.com is on to it. So I'm going to use Twitter to get to the man that matters - the Foz! Not sure this is a Capital Football thing - they are more about U12

Football People Power In The ACT - We Need it!

Sourced from the SBS World Game, Craig Foster's Blog http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/craig-foster/blog/1040063/My-message-to-the-fans

The SBS World Game held a Football Fan Forum in Sydney. They intend to do more of these forums around Australia. We need a Football Fan Forum in ACT.

Why doesn't Capital Football organise a series of community forums. What are they scared of? We need a lot of positive engagement with the community and Clubs and the Captial Football Board.

Craig Foster reflects on the first Football Fan Forum. Everything he says is absoutely correct. We should take the same approach in the ACT region and we can start with the game here in the ACT redion and work up through the A league and W League to the Socceroos and Matildas.

We have no one to blame but oursleves if we don't have the Football (and Futsal) environement we want for our chidlren and our talented young players.




My message to the fans


The start of a new fan movement?

I certainly hope so, having spent last night talking football with a considerable group of football lovers in Sydney alongside various dignitaries such as Mark Bosnich and Sydney FC’s Edwin Lugt.
What a valuable and heartening experience it was.

Among the crowd a group of supporters whose football involvement stretched from running clubs, such as Mark Ambour of Waverley Old Boys, the head of the Eastern Suburbs Associoation Peter Hennessy, the boys from The Football Sack - a staple of the football twittersphere, former Deputy Mayor of Woollahra Marcus Ehrlich, the Chairman of the National Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Warren Mundine to the many Sydney FC fans who eagerly took the opportunity to question Edwin directly and plead their case for more involvement and engagement.

It’s far too rare in football for everyone to come together, well, at least from the fans' perspective.

Football Federation Australia meets with the clubs and media. Players meet with the fans at various times. But the fans rarely have the chance to meet with those responsible for managing the game they love so much.

It is a phenomenon that is quite common abroad. In England, during my time at Crystal Palace, the Chairman and club owner and team manager would meet with the fans several times a season to talk directly.
This process was seen as necessary in the running of the club, within a football culture that recognizes the invaluable connection between the club and those who support it and keep it alive.

As any fan will tell you, the chance to speak directly and praise or voice frustrations brings them closer to the club and makes them feel an important part of the game.
Issues discussed last night ranged from the ticket prices at Sydney FC to the stadium suitability, player recruitment, the brand of the club and the confusion over what Sydney stands for over the past six years, marquee players and the value of Dwight Yorke in season one, and how Sydney can connect with the fans more regularly.

Much of the two hours were spent on the need for greater football understanding at head office and the necessity to engage our own football family who can ensure the survival and prosperity of the A-League. If the game will only reach out and make them a part of the journey.

The AFC Asian Cup was raised, and the question asked about what it can do for the game.
I congratulated FFA for its achievement in gaining the hosting rights for the 2015 edition of the tournament.
It is a fantastic achievement and a diplomatic success to be endorsed as the only bidder. I explained that the 2015 AFC Asian Cup offers Australia massive benefits in three areas: tourism, business and diplomacy.

:: Tourism because nothing else Australia can undertake can bring a billion Asian eyeballs to bear on the gifts our country has to offer, not even Oprah;
:: Business because Austrade’s Business Club Australia is skilled in using these tournaments to connect business leaders from the fifteen countries with our own at events built around the games;
:: Diplomatic because the opportunity for the Australian State and Federal Governments to engage with their brethren from many of our major Asian trading partners and political partners is extraordinary.
All of this serves simply to position football as the one game that can deliver such immense benefits for our relationship regionally.

FFA can leverage this position to continue football’s rise in both prominence and influence nationally.
There was a broad range of topics discussed and I was pleased to gain an insight into the frustrations and joys of being an Australian football fan, but in the end, after thanking all for showing their passion by coming along, I left the fans with the following challenge:

Get organized!

This must be the start of a new fan movement that sees all the disparate groups come together under an umbrella organization to focus the huge numbers who love the game into a single force.

I have said many times that if football ever gets organized as a single entity we are exceptionally powerful as the largest sporting constituency in the country, a power that can be wielded at all levels of commerce and government to ensure a greater share of resources the game needs by virtue of our size.

Well, now is the time.
Football is about emotion and the fans must separate their passion into the different areas: their club, the Socceroos and the game itself.

Parochialism reigns when it comes to one’s club, as it should. But when the national game and the national team are concerned, we all have a shared agenda, a combined mission to push the interests of the game, which takes collaboration.

So following from the success of the fans forum, I urge all the fan groups around the country to begin the process of getting together to create a single voice.

When this happens, Australian football will hit light speed in it's development. such as Mark Ambour of Waverley Old Boys, the head of the Eastern Suburbs Associoation Peter Hennessy, the boys from The Football Sack - a staple of the football twittersphere, former Deputy Mayor of Woollahra Marcus Ehrlich, the Chairman of the National Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Warren Mundine to the many Sydney FC fans who eagerly took the opportunity to question Edwin directly and plead their case for more involvement and engagement.

It’s far too rare in football for everyone to come together, well, at least from the fans' perspective.

Football Federation Australia meets with the clubs and media. Players meet with the fans at various times. But the fans rarely have the chance to meet with those responsible for managing the game they love so much.

It is a phenomenon that is quite common abroad. In England, during my time at Crystal Palace, the Chairman and club owner and team manager would meet with the fans several times a season to talk directly.
This process was seen as necessary in the running of the club, within a football culture that recognizes the invaluable connection between the club and those who support it and keep it alive.

As any fan will tell you, the chance to speak directly and praise or voice frustrations brings them closer to the club and makes them feel an important part of the game.

Issues discussed last night ranged from the ticket prices at Sydney FC to the stadium suitability, player recruitment, the brand of the club and the confusion over what Sydney stands for over the past six years, marquee players and the value of Dwight Yorke in season one, and how Sydney can connect with the fans more regularly.

Much of the two hours were spent on the need for greater football understanding at head office and the necessity to engage our own football family who can ensure the survival and prosperity of the A-League. If the game will only reach out and make them a part of the journey.

The AFC Asian Cup was raised, and the question asked about what it can do for the game.
I congratulated FFA for its achievement in gaining the hosting rights for the 2015 edition of the tournament.
It is a fantastic achievement and a diplomatic success to be endorsed as the only bidder. I explained that the 2015 AFC Asian Cup offers Australia massive benefits in three areas: tourism, business and diplomacy.

:: Tourism because nothing else Australia can undertake can bring a billion Asian eyeballs to bear on the gifts our country has to offer, not even Oprah;
:: Business because Austrade’s Business Club Australia is skilled in using these tournaments to connect business leaders from the fifteen countries with our own at events built around the games;
:: Diplomatic because the opportunity for the Australian State and Federal Governments to engage with their brethren from many of our major Asian trading partners and political partners is extraordinary.
All of this serves simply to position football as the one game that can deliver such immense benefits for our relationship regionally.

FFA can leverage this position to continue football’s rise in both prominence and influence nationally.
There was a broad range of topics discussed and I was pleased to gain an insight into the frustrations and joys of being an Australian football fan, but in the end, after thanking all for showing their passion by coming along, I left the fans with the following challenge:

Get organized!

This must be the start of a new fan movement that sees all the disparate groups come together under an umbrella organization to focus the huge numbers who love the game into a single force.
I have said many times that if football ever gets organized as a single entity we are exceptionally powerful as the largest sporting constituency in the country, a power that can be wielded at all levels of commerce and government to ensure a greater share of resources the game needs by virtue of our size.
Well, now is the time.
Football is about emotion and the fans must separate their passion into the different areas: their club, the Socceroos and the game itself.

Parochialism reigns when it comes to one’s club, as it should. But when the national game and the national team are concerned, we all have a shared agenda, a combined mission to push the interests of the game, which takes collaboration.
So following from the success of the fans forum, I urge all the fan groups around the country to begin the process of getting together to create a single voice.
When this happens, Australian football will hit light speed in it's development.

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Wednesday 16 February 2011

How many touches do your club A-League midfielders take on the ball?

Ten years ago research shows that midfielders in Europe had 6-8 touches every time they got the ball.

Five years ago it was down to 3-5.

Now studying the Quarter Finals of last years Champions League it was down to an average of 1.8 touches per midfielder.

Who says?

Coach from Dinamo Zagrab one of the top ten Youth Development Production Factories in Europe. Check the video here.

Check out your club on the weekend. Sydney FC fan? Oh you can't guess Stuey Musialik's average was a little higher - you know I think it might have been!

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Tuesday 15 February 2011

Nearpost talks finals football fever - w-league review and more

Lucy Zelic, Peter Funnell and myself Eamonn Flanagan talk finals football.

We've got all the news and what does Lucy think of the PFA Media Scholarship for Ross Aloisi?

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Simply tongue-tied

Ross Aloisi received the PFA Craig Foster Football Media Scholarship, in recognition of his work as a football analyst for Fox Sports and a regular columnist for Soccer International. Aloisi played in the old NSL and was a part of Adelaide City’s championship in 1992. A Socceroo who spent 6 years in Europe, he was a key player in the establishment of both Adelaide United and Wellington Phoenix in the A-League.

I'll get my coat!

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Tommy Oar carves them up in Holland

Just when the Oarsome hype is about to die we get this.

From FourfourTwo, we love you guys,

In Holland's Eredivisie, Adam Sarota got his second first-team start for FC Utrecht, playing 69 minutes in midfield, as they drew 3-3 at struggling Willem II on Saturday.
Tommy Oar and Michael Zullo were not in the Utrecht matchday squad.

Now I love Tommy Oar but who would read a Sarota story? And thought the boy Sarota's progress was worthy of a mention. Playing in Eredivision in midfield, that's better than much-heralded Tommy Oar, James Holland or Michael Zullo.

And Sarota, of the four, left the A-League with the lowest number of games, is the oldest of the bunch.

Interested me? Poland hands off!

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Monday 14 February 2011

Canberra Stars: Bush v Lustica. Ange v Miron.

Both young guys are from Canberra football - both have played many many times for the Australian under 17 and now Under 20 teams both had to travel thousands of miles to learn their trade at a very young age.

Bushie probably had the steal on Stephen Lustica in the early years - getting more game time in more Rep teams at a younger age, but Lustica made his mark loud enough, soon enough, running out time and time again for the U20s.

Both went on to play for "their" (Canberra doesn't have any football for young men) Youth teams, Lustica at the Gold Coast, Captain no less and Bushie, just a little further away, in Brisbane.

And while Lustica is a little older what part chance takes in development?

Miron rarely plays young Lustica bar Mirons-Mad decision to debut him against Victory away in centre-midfield. In front of 25,000 his team are thumped 4-0 what a shocking experience for a young player.

Ange brings Bushie on with 30 to go on Saturday, cruising at home to the Gold Coast - a taster for next season perhaps. In front of 20,000 a great experience a wonderful start.

Both played in Brisbane on Friday night.

Add with Canberra born Baresic, Topor-Stanley, Pilkington, Rogic, Casey, Milanovanic, and a few others in the wings and you'd have a youth team producing bigger and better players over and over.

Canberra keeps producing them. How many more would we produce after five years of A-League football in Canberra?

Must be hard for the other codes in Canberra to keep grabbing the talent pool - then again you need to do a lot of work in the gym I'm told for the other codes.

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You'll never walk alone - it actually works - Brisbane should grab it.

Of course I'm a Celtic fan and this is our song.

But anyone at the Socceroos v Uruguay game and indeed watching the Brisbane Roar game on the weekend will know that this song can work in Australia as well.

So many fans in Australia want their own song, their own anthem, after six seasons, few clubs it seems has one, one that any fan can join in.

If I was Brisbane Roar - I'd grab it now and call it their own.

50,000 Roar fans at a Grand Final? Well I reckon they'd all get into it before kick-off even if they'd never been to a game.

An anthem needs to be able to be sung on occasions by anyone in any part of the ground - YNWA - one club should grab it.

The Roar heard it sung by the Celtic fans a couple of years ago, they poignantly rolled it out on Saturday.

Lock it in Brisbane.

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Saturday 12 February 2011

Football the winner in Adelaide

21,000 rocked the Adelaide Oval last night as United beat Melbourne Victory 2-1.

Wonderful atmosphere, wonderful players on show. Too many to mention but Marvin Angulo for Victory continues to catch the eye.

As did Travis Dodd with his winner - what was Michael Petkovic doing - make that all season.

Great to see the stands rocking and the game flowing, Archie was back, Carlos Hernandez outdone by Marcos Flores, and with Sergio Van Dijk, Lucas Pantelis, Kevin Muscat, Archie Thompson, Iain Ramsey not even in the starting eleven's there is increasing depth and quality about these teams.

Finals football should be fantastic from here on in.

Tonight don't miss the Roar - they're expecting a big crowd and tomorrow check out the Young Guns from the Mariners.

Great stuff - we need more people in the stands but there is enough football quality going around to get any sports fans excited - unless of course you follow cricket and golf - hey chill just my bias!

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Thursday 10 February 2011

Hope you didn't miss it - Aussie football moves a notch?

When was the last time three players, u20, scored in an A-League team, or NSL team for that matter in Australian football?

Mariners young forwards Mustafa Amini and Bernie Ibini-Isei and debutant Mitchell Duke all opened their A-League scoring accounts last night.

Significant?

You bet and a sign of the times not just at the Mariners but across Australia football.

So the young guns keep pushing and the beauty of it is there will be another three and more coming through next year, and the year after that.

With the U17 and U20 into the World Cup Finals and these guys making a mark on the A-League the future of Aussie football is getting brighter by the day.

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Wednesday 9 February 2011

Coerver Coach to offer World first Youth Development Diploma in Canberra March5/6

Alfred Galustian will be in Canberra - the home of football - to run Coerver Coaching's first Diploma in Youth Development March 5/6.

Alf and Coerver are currently employed by the FFA to teach the new Skill Acquisition Coaches and by the English Premier League to teach their young coaches.

So what a coup for Canberra! You can get more details from former Futsalroo and Coerver Australia Director Jason Lancsar: contact@coerveract.com

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Robbie Kruse a Socceroo: So who is next?

Robbie did it at 22. Played in the A-League and made a significant contibution for the Socceroos in a big tournament, the Asian Cup.

So if Robbie can step up who will be the next guys to challenge, the next young guys currently plying their trade in the A-League but good enough to make an impression two or three years from now?

Here's five to consider....remember where Robbie was two years ago? In and out of Brisbane.

1. Luke Devere - okay he's just left but hey he could do it.
2. Matthew Leckie - a lot to learn but could make an impression a la Robbie sometime soon.
3. Iain Ramsay - left field? no left side and we need him. Could he develop further?
4. Mustafa Amini - has time on his side, heaps of it.
5. David Williams - like to see him at a decent club to start to really get success in a winning team.

6. AndIf Robbie can do it, can his mate Mitch Nicholls make the next step. A leap to far? Robbie did it!

oh and Dimi Petratos another bolter with time on his sides

Heaps more around but if Robbie is the marker we could have some decent squad members coming through our young boys.

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Small Sided Games - Becoming pap in Canberra?

I'm serious about football, technical skill, education, kid development and abusing clerics in the Catholic Church...but hey that's another story!

When Capital Football the Peak Body in Canberra announce that u12 boys and girls will now play competitively, ie with results and league tables produced each week, I'm wondering on what criteria this could be considered beneficial to the development of players.

Educationally - no
Player development - no
Reducing parent sideline rage - no
Improving player morale and enjoyment - no

All Aussie teams, kids and parents want to win. Every week, no matter how many points are up for grabs.

We've already seen SSG's slipback in the U11s in recent years, and while experts argue Futsal is great for your skills only one club I know has bucked the FFA trend and gone against 7 v7 at u8 and 9 in Canberra - they play 5 v 5, the pressure seems to be on to move back to where we came from.

Think Leckie not Messi, Emerton not Sneider, Insaghi not Cahill - and that's at the top end! God help us in the u12s!

Of course well-meaning folk will say by 12 players want competition, but from my sideline stance, kids and parents are well aware of who has won the most in their non-competitive comp, so do we really need the publishing of tables to lift the spirits and enjoyment of the game.

Hope your team aren't bottom and thumped each week for all to see.

SSG's philosophy slips a little each year.

And when can we see the National Curriculum - no not the broad document they call the National Curriculum - the details. As a former teacher everyone curriculum I saw had meat and bones on the docu, what to teach each week in some detail.

FFA need to go to stage two.

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Tuesday 8 February 2011

Nearpost: Zelic chooses Sydney FC to win Grand Final

Lucy Zelic says Sydney FC to win, Eamonn says De Vanna, and Paddy calls it Sydney in the Grand Final this weekend.

Brickbats to the ABC - Golf over football - pap!

Paddy,Lucy and Eamonn are on the pitch and review the W-League final, the A-League losers - those that didn't make the finals and who of the losers were actually winners - and why. News, Quiz and dedication to Josip.

How many football poddies only cover Aussie football?

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Sunday 6 February 2011

Asian Cup success hides state of the Aussie game...or does it?

Great we got to a final with a strong performance over Uzbekistan and a strong but ultimately losing performance in the Asian Cup Final.

No-one more delighted to see the team playing some decent fast forward focused football and let's face it we should have won the final. Will we ever get a better chance?

Have we ever played better against Japan over the 90, or even 120. Were the Australian side faster, fitter and technically on a par with our Asian neighbours - well, possibly, at times.

But Uzbekistan despite their useless defending in the 6-0 semi controlled most of the first half. And anyone who saw the other games will know Korea and certainly Bahrain and Iraq were not thumped by the Australian side.

We won - just against Bahrain and Iraq. And not with much to spare in my view.

Great to see some mobility in the team. Matt McKay, Brett Holman, Robbie Kruse and Sasa Ognenovski further enhanced their status. Mile Jedinak and Carl Valeri also.

But while we rejoice in a great tournament - Harry Kewell, superb, Tim Cahill less so, Lucas Neill and Sasa Ognenovski were strong throughout - we were still not good enough to win; and these guys will be hard to replace in coming years.

Certainly in big big games.

And I haven't mentioned our Keeper!

Nathan Burns, Dario Vidosic, Matthew Leckie and others may well replace the stars above but look at the difference in class, in game knowledge. Will they ever get it?

A Mark Viduka or Harry Kewell to build a team around for ten or more years? Have you seen one?

We've survived another tournament, done ourselves proud, but Aussies true current worth yet to be revealed.

Note Korea and Japanese average ages? And how many of their players did you recognise from the World Cup?

Maybe Scott McDonald, Josh Kennedy, and Robbie Kruse will provide enough firepower to get us through to the next World Cup if Cahill and Kewell can't make that trip to North Korea; and maybe Matt Spiranovic and Luke Devere and co are good enough to cover for Lucas Neill should we need it. Maybe.

Maybe we have a bit of time to bring the next crew forward - I've no doubt the U17 and U20s will provide us with much talent in years to come.

And while Matt McKay was a revelation it was Robbie Kruse, 22, a striker, who showed enough to me to suggest that if Timmy or Harry is out injured over the next couple of years we have at least one young Aussie proven at the Asian level who could assist the cause in coming years.

And with Robbie Kruse doing it, how many other A-League Aussies could step up when needed?

We won't dominate the next World Cup Qualifiers but surely with the Olympic Qualifiers, U20 and U17 at the World Cup this year we must, given our Coaching revolution we now have, we must be encouraged by our ability to get a little closer to qualifying for the next World Cup than any of us could have dared to dream just six months ago.

Our new breed will gain valuable experience in 2011 in various tournaments and surely someone can step up to the elite level, early, a la Kewell and Viduka and march straight into the national team.

An Aussie U20 so good he must start in the National team - wouldn't that be nice to see!

PS: The 19 year old passed to the 20 year old and he scored the goal for Korea against Australia.

Korea didn't get to the final but who will improve more? The Korean forward line or Tim or Harry?

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Nearpost tag to change after Asian Cup Final

Socceroo David Carney said: "I just got dragged into thinking it was going Nearpost.

"If I didn't go near post he probably would've went there because there was so much room. It was one of those decisions you had to make."

"I listen to the Nearpost poddie every week and Holger reminds of the tagline each game." added Carney....(maybe)

We always knew the Nearpost was important - just didn't realise quite how important.

Our Nearpost Poddie tag will now have to change:

If you are going to the Neapost....get there first - but please cover the back as well David!

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Wednesday 2 February 2011

The Socceroos stand tall in Asia

Lucy, Paddy,and Nick are on the pitch and examine our narrow loss in the final of the Asian Cup and of course all the A-League news.

We are not in mourning at the Nearpost - Oh No! Lots of positives for Australian football in this Asian Cup campaign. But did Carney have to leave that Blue Samuria player alone in front of goal in the last gasp of exetra time??? The margins are very fine at this level. The Socceroos stand tall in Asia.

How many football poddies only cover Aussie football?

We are clearly Australia's number one football poddie, apart from all the others, We discuss all the news from Australian football. What more could you wish for from the Australian media?
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