Astrojax..lunch? it was like this

Astrojax asked me for the real NPC lunch..so here it is.

I enjoyed a wonderful steak, with my friends from Capital Football at the National Press Club today. Frank Lowy, Sir Frank to you, and FFA CEO Ben Buckley were entertaining us...and they did.

I moved seamlessly across to Canberra A-League bid leader Ivan Slavich, asking him quickly and quietly how the bid meeting this morn had gone with the FFA. He's close I reckon, very close..particularly as we listened to Ben replying to ABC Tim Gavel's question.

Hmmn my table murmured....or was that appreciation of the wine!


I mingled briefly coz it's always brief innit when they find out who I am, with Front Page Canberra Times journo Merryn Sherwood and spied FFA Media boss Bonita Mersiades..from a distance..I'm still smarting from my non-invitation to the World Cup bid launch.

SBS Phil McCallef has put on some more weight since I last saw him in Bangkok two years ago; so thought about the steak a bit more as I wolfed it.

Back to Bonita, she's fierce you know, would eat you alive and me and probably will if she ever gets to read this, and she'll know you are reading this as well, she's that good, but she's doing a dandy job even if I'm not allowed in.

Maybe that's a good thing.

Anyway, I noted she was taking all the questions down to Frank and Ben, and I'm sure ABC's Tim Gavel's was noted, (very good question Tim) as was John Taylor's from the Daily Telegraph....not having a good week that mob.

Notice the Telly didn't sent their headkickers this time:) Where's Phil Rothnickers when you want him

I was going to ask a question, try and throw my voice, pretend I was from the Western Sydney bid but had some steak left so got into it..as you do (you can take the boy out of Burton on Trent, but y'know the rest free food etc)...and Western Sydney might be not quite so strong...just quietly said someone...or was that the wine.

Then some FFA big wigs spoke to Heather Reid from Capital Football and I got my handshook by mistake.

A very even biggerwig from the FFA who's name I can't mention ran away, instantly, when I was introduced as a "blog writer." Sort of funny seeing the 5 meter dash record in a crowded lunch room.

How would they have reacted if they said I was a retired teacher looking for a quid, any quid!

Sports Minister Kate Ellis came in, everybody looked, I mean everybody coz I was watching em, and then Andrew Barr came in, not so many looked.

Frank was awesome, Ben was smooth and I thought his tan is quite nice for one so office bound. And I ain't gay I'm just from Canberra...that sort of guy. I notice stuff like that.

I pinched myself that I was listening to one of Australia's finest businessman, nay World Businessmen leading the game, football, here in Australia, and he was right here in Canberra talking about Australia, football, business, World Cup.

Loving it Frank. Not a step back.

And a good think that man Slavich got this Canberra A-League bid going coz this city would look a tad stupid this week wouldn't it? Y'know we've got the Brumbies so we'd love the World Cup...err right.

And I love what Frank is doing for the game, his vision for the country.

And then Frank spoke of the 32 training centres we would need for 32 teams across all our regions and what a legacy that would be. That struck home.

And when he added John O'Neill had been the first to congratulate him after we qualified for the World Cup I thought that's how it should be Union and Football, Wallabies and Socceroos together.

So that was, my lunch at the Press Club..oh and Canberra Stadium officials met with the FFA prior to the lunch and word is...

Socceroos in Canberra....word is they'll be back..so get used to it!