Canberra/Asia Business Football group to form?
The FFA might not want a team in the A-League from Canberra but Canberra will host up to seven games in the 2015 Asia Cup.
Fantastic.
Now show us how the FFA, Capital Football, ACT Government has any plan to use this huge and significant tournament to build the game either through a professional football team, a youth team and a legacy for the kids who play the game in Canberra.
After all when the Asia Cup departs will Canberra kids have a pathway or improved facilities for football.
If not? What is the point of this tournament coming to Canberra and what the hell are the FFA and to a much lesser extent Capital Football up to.
We stuffed any benefits from hosting the 2000 Olympics in Canberra, at least I can't see any for football in Canberra, let's hope we are on the front foot with this one and hear our local politicians and Capital Football Board telling the football and sporting community the benefits and direct legacy for football.
Maybe we should have an Canberra/Asian Business/Football group working with the ACT Government with a representative from Capital Football, Heather Reid. Terry Snow, Danny Moulis, Coffeys, IT and Defence Specialists, ANU, and large building firms are others who spring to mind given their Canberra and Asia interests.
There will be many many opportunities for Canberra to link with Asia through football over the next thirty years and what other business or sport can do this?
We need our own think tank/business lobby group, particularly those like Coffeys, various building firms, even Transact who have strategic interests in growing into Asia.
Or will we stuff this free gift as well?
AFL got thirty million for 3 games a year, (good for them) surely 7 Asia Cup games should provide local football a benefit.
Let's hear from Capital Football or anyone able to move the game forward.
2 comments:
Eamonn you are spot on. Sadly I fear what you are asking for will not be there after the Asia Cup has come and gone (assuming that Canberra even gets any games which as I understand it is not guaranteed anyway).
I remain hopeful that somehow the new TD at CF will come up with a plan that delivers a professional mens football team, a youth mens and boys teams, and facility improvements for all boys and girls in Canberra.
I took CF to drive the W-League project and rightly or wrongly it will take CF to drive this same project for the mens and boys. But it seems up to now there is no will to do this, and the clubs are incapable/unwilling to do it alone/in co-operation.
Yes let's hear from Capital Football or anyone able to move the game forward.
I'd be interested to see you or Peter get CF on your programs and ask them these very questions.
The business angle is a good one. If Canberra's (and Australia's even) business leaders can realise that football is a vehicle for business with Asia like no other sport, they might actually put some money into it, or get involved some other way.
Unfortunately football is under resourced here and not much money is flowing around. The money that is there is not going in the right places. It's easy to blame CF but they have limited resources too.
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