Bye Bye Becks?

I guess there is gold in them there hills - and flogging David Beckham one more time must make some match-fixer a happy man.

But aren't we over this?

With the Matildas, Olyroos, The World Cup campaign and the A-League about to kick-off do we really need a micky mouse show game again.

The novelty has surely gone or are we so interested in Beck-fever (does it exist anywhere other than Newcastle or Perth these days?) that we need him back for a game of football that means nothing.

Once was great, twice in a regional centre was interesting, but to go around again. Forget it!

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Forget Beckham, it's Celtic for Melbourne

SBS are reporting that Melbourne Victory are aiming to play Beckham in a glamour game in Melbourne later this year.

But BETTER than that they are trying to fix a game with Celtic for July.

Take that Craig Foster:)

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Tickets on sale for Pan-Pacs but which Aussie team will go?

The Beckham fest in February in Hawaii includes J-League Cup Champs Gamba Osaka and American Champs Houston Dynamo's and an Aussie side.

Which one?

No-one knows. Will it be the Champions?

How hard is it to announce the team which will play from Australia, after all there are only seven teams.

Press Release below.

Pan-Pacific Championship Tickets

on Sale This Wednesday

Prices start as low as $10 (USD) to watch international soccer stars including David Beckham, Brian Ching and Satoshi Yamaguchi, converge on Hawaii for a new international tournament in February 2008



NEW YORK (Monday, December 17, 2007) – The perfect holiday gift for soccer fans will be available starting this week when tickets for the inaugural edition of the Pan-Pacific Championship (PPC) go on sale to the general public beginning at 6:00 a.m. (Australian Eastern Time) on Wednesday, December 19.



This marquee international soccer tournament will be held on February 20 and 23, 2008 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, HI. Fans may purchase individual tickets online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the Aloha Stadium Box Office, located at 99-500 Salt Lake Boulevard in Honolulu, open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time. For further information, call the Box Office at +(808) 486-9300.



The four clubs participating in the 2008 tournament include the reigning MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo and Haleiwa, Hawaii native Brian Ching; the current J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Champion Gamba Osaka, featuring 19-year-old Japanese sensation Michihiro Yasuda and J.League star Satoshi Yamaguchi; the 2007 SuperLiga finalists Los Angeles Galaxy, whose international roster includes English superstar David Beckham and perennial MLS all-star Landon Donovan; and a representative team from the Australian Hyundai A-League to be announced at a later date. The week-long event will also consist of festivities organized by Major League Soccer for the Hawaii youth soccer community.



Each ticket for the Pan-Pacific Championship will allow fans to attend both matches of the respective doubleheader. Advance tickets for the international showcase range from as low as $10-$50 (USD) for the Semifinal doubleheader and $15-$60 (USD) for the second doubleheader featuring the third place match and PPC Final. Special rates for children 12 are available.



For group ticket inquiries and other Pan-Pacific Championship information, please visit the tournament’s official website, www.PPChampionship.net.



ALOHA STADIUM: HONOLULU, HAWAII (all times local)



Wednesday, February 20, 2008 (Semifinals)

Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) vs. Gamba Osaka (J.League) - 6:00 PM

Houston Dynamo (MLS) vs. Hyundai A-League Representative TBD - 8:30 PM



Saturday, February 23, 2008

Third Place Match – TBD - 6:00 PM

PPC Final – TBD - 8:30 PM

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Sally Shipard on the Women's A-League Challenge

Sally Shipard takes to the field for Sydney FC this weekend. Sally updates us on the Inaugural Women’s A-league Challenge and her time in the Beckham Scrum.

Sally's post starts here:

The Inaugural Women’s A-league Challenge commenced 3 weeks ago

In sunny Newcastle. The Newcastle Jets team defeated Sydney FC 4-2. All players for both teams were notified one week in advance leading in to the opening game.

One week of preparation was not sufficient enough as most of the girls who had recently competed at the World Cup in China had been resting since their Quarter-final appearance against Brazil.

However there were 6 goals, so there was some entertainment for the growing crowd, as spectators began to arrive for the Men’s A-League clash between Central Coast Mariners (CCM) and the Newcastle Jets.

Hopefully everyone enjoyed the game, after all the 3 game challenge is a trial to see how the Australian public react to a Female league.

After spending a week in Newcastle preparing for the match with my adopted team the Newcastle Jets, I made my way down to Sydney just in time to watch a ‘David Beckham’ training session. I was to complete a few days of work experience with a few different companies before heading home to Canberra.

It was very exciting to be watching the Galaxy train, although I must admit my eyes were trans-fixed on the mighty Beckham. Which I believe was the case for every journo and photographer who were present.

On the night of the match, I was in the media box with the journo’s from the Newspapers who were to write their stories for the following days print.

The majority of them had dead-lines for 12pm that night. It was fascinating to see how it worked. A very male dominated industry was something in which I noticed. Hopefully I will be one of the many women to influence that change. I was able to attend the post-match press conference.

I gained a great insight into the world of media that night and just how much of an impact one guy can have on a countries perspective of Football. Amazing!

Our A-league challenge re-commenced in Brisbane on the weekend just gone, a curtain raiser to the much anticipated Men’s game between the CCM and the Brisbane Roar.

The way in which the teams are selected for the games are quite simple, whichever Matilda or Young Matilda is available to play they get on the team sheet. The teams are as even as possible in order for the games to be competitive.

It would have been nice if there were more goals scored, the final score was only 1-0 to the Newcastle Jets.

The crowd would have been more involved if that were the case.

Hopefully this weekend in Sydney the match will be entertaining. As the purpose of these games is to ‘showcase’ what we are capable of and to make a positive impact on the Australian public, we want to prove to the FFA and a potential sponsor that if a Womens A-league competition was established, it would be more than viable.

Stay tuned for updates in December

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Clint haven't you ever seen a Beckham bender!

You're 3-0 up, 80,000 people and Ufuk Talay fouls.

A soft foul, right in front of the goal.

Ufuk you didn't did you?. Nah it just happened.

Then yer man Becks steps up. Where would he put it?

Well the most famous Englishman ever didn't get famous without everyone knowing he bends it into the top corner.

Everyone knew except Clint Bolton or so it seemed.

As the ball sailed towards goal Clint must have got the surprise of his life to see a Beckham free-kick going top corner.

And did he appear slow to stretch across, or was it just me.

You see I've been brought up on exhibition sports. From a young age it was wrestling on TV, and when the Beckham bender went in, me just thought....wrestling.

Clint you didn't did you?

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The Australian in me started to stir..even for a friendly.

There was 80,000 plus when the teams came out for the Sydney Galaxy game, it was electric for a friendly, even on my telly:)

I'm not normally into friendlies no matter how many people, or Beckham's on show, but when the game started I just wanted Sydney to thrash Galaxy.

And I heard the Cove singing and I thought yes I know these guys. These are the ones who I listen to every week.

and the Sydney FC banner they had was brilliant, "70,000 people, we play every week."

I wanted the A-League stars to do well, to do better than well.

and then..Alex Brosque scored once and then twice. Yesssss!

Why was I cheering? It was a friendly but the Australian in me wanted, needed Sydney to do well.

And the Sydney crowd lifted, and started to cheer for Sydney FC, and then Ruben Zadkovich scored.

3-0 after 30 minutes. Not bad for a friendly. Not bad for Sydney FC, not bad for Australia.

But most of us Aussies already knew the A-League was fine. We've seen the Asian Champions League. We've seen the National Soccer League. Beating a US side even with a Beckham.

Aussies can do that, we knew that.

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Beckham is great for Australian football

The purists and the cynics (me) may not be impressed by the Beckham/Sydney FC game.

I'm not going. There's no points at stake, not even a cup. And I like my football to mean something.

But this will be a great, historic night for football in Australia.

And it is a great initiative by the Football Federation of Australia. So hat's off to Channel 10 for showing the game, to Sydney FC, to the 80,000 who will rock up and to the FFA.



And it is so much more important than the big games when Manchester United and other club sides used to come.....

Because they are playing Sydney FC. A club that is building a story in the new A-League. A club that is already known in parts of Asia through it's Champions League games.

80,000 people will see Sydney FC play live. Millions will watch on Australian TV.

This is the first time the A-League will have been shown to the masses, the kids who play football but can't watch it. And building the brand is so vital to football's success in Australia.

Sure some Australian journalists have turned their noses at the game. But it doesn't matter.

With the AFC annual awards in Sydney the following night. And the Socceroos about to start on a two year qualifying campaign.

The benefits of Australia being in the AFC are about to start to flow through.

You just wonder where the game might be should the Socceroos have a successful qualifying campaign.

So come on Beckham, bend one in...mate:)

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Sydney FC and Beckham live on Channel Ten

LA Galaxy to Face Sydney FC at Telstra Stadium

Football Federation Australia (FFA) today announced that the US Major League Soccer (MLS) Team LA Galaxy will play a one-off match against the Hyundai A-League's Sydney FC in Australia later this year.

“It is my pleasure to announce that Football Federation Australia has negotiated for the LA Galaxy, including their new star recruit David Beckham, to play a one-off match against Sydney FC at Telstra Stadium (Sydney) on Tuesday the 27th of November,” said FFA Chief Executive Officer Ben Buckley.

“This historic event will be Beckham’s first appearance outside of North America for LA Galaxy, and his first visit to Australia.

“I am also very pleased to announce that Network Ten will broadcast this major event live nationally in a three hour special presentation.


Comment:
Great to see the game live on Free To Air.

Also interesting the channel which picked it up. The one with the highest profile in the 15-30 age group.

We live in interesting times for football in Australia.

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Sydney FC 1 Melbourne Victory 0

Sydney FC will play David Beckham's LA Galaxy in November.

A spokesman inside Melbourne Victory confirmed Sydney that had won the race to play
Beckham.

LA Galaxy are expected to play in Sydney at the end of November.

The rivalry for top club in Australia on and off the field is building. Sydney and Melbourne attracted huge crowds last year. 50,333 people attended one clash at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne.

With big names Archie Thompson, Kevin Muscat and Ljubo Milicevic at Victory and Sydney chasing John Aloisi and Phillip Cocu the rivalry next year could go up another level.

Any thoughts?

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