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:)