State of Play: Overview : SBS Insight

Overview

Is Soccer in Australia as healthy as it looks?

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‘The World Game’ in Australia seems stronger than ever, but some of its biggest supporters say fundamental problems across the board mean the game is in danger of sabotaging its golden opportunity.

There’s little argument soccer -or football- as plenty of people in the game call it - has come a long way since the dark days of 2002 when the game’s former governing body was virtually broke.

Now Australia is about to take part in the biggest show on the planet, The World Cup for an unprecedented second tournament in a row. The national women’s team ‘The Matildas’ just won the Asian Cup for the first time. Australia is also bidding to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022.

Locally, the national domestic competition, the A League, is expanding with new teams.

But average crowds have dropped off, several clubs have struggled financially, and critics argue that there are major flaws in the administration of the game.

Many grassroots clubs say they’re barely surviving, and yet some were part of the foundation of soccer in Australia.

Many junior clubs say there is not enough money, support or a clear pathway for developing quality junior players, undermining Australia’s ability to become a top soccer nation.

So on the eve of the World Cup in South Africa, Insight asks: Is the future of ‘The World Game’ in Australia in jeopardy because of the way it’s run?

Insight will be broadcast from Sydney’s Marconi Stadium.

‘World News Australia’ presenter Anton Enus will be hosting this episode of ‘Insight’. Host Jenny Brockie is on personal leave and will be back on deck as usual for season two.

Meet the Guests

Han Berger

Han is the National Technical Director for Football Federation Australia. His focus is on improving the development of elite players, as well as raising the standard of coaching at the grassroots level. Prior to joining the FFA, Han was the Director of Football for the Dutch premier league club, De Graafschap. He has had a long and distinguished coaching career and worked as head coach for several Dutch premier league teams.

Brendan Schwab

Brendan is the Chief Executive and General Counsel for Professional Footballers Australia which looks after the interests of players. Brendan sat on the National Soccer League Task Force which recommended a design for the A-league – the top men’s football competition in Australia.

Les Murray

Les is the most prominent commentator and presenter of football on Australian television and is known throughout Australia as Mr Football. Les is currently SBS Sport’s editorial chief and presenter of the World Game as well as a commentator and columnist.

Kyah Simon

18-year old Kyah netted the winning goal in a penalty shootout to take out the women’s Asian Cup in China a week ago. The Matildas made history by being the first adult Australian team to clinch a major international football trophy. Kyah and her teammates had already landed themselves a place at the Women’s World Cup in Germany next year by making it to the finals.

Danielle Brogan

Danielle plays football for the Matildas and Sydney FC as a defender. Her career highlights include being part of the squad for the FIFA World U/19 Women’s Championships in Thailand. Danielle has been playing football since she was six years old and attended the NSW Institute of Sport and the NSW Academy.

Gerry Gomez

Gerry is a football coach and the founder of the Sydney Soccer Football Academy. He is an ex-Socceroo and former National Soccer League (NSL) player. Gerry provides one-on-one training to elite youth league players. He has played for numerous teams including Sydney City, Marconi Stallions, and Kelantan in the Malaysian league.

Jordan Gomez

12 year old Jordan is one of Australia’s brightest young football stars. He has been selected for Project 22, a new elite player development initiative by Football NSW aimed at producing future Socceroos and Matildas who will potentially compete at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Jordan trains 14-15 hours a week. He plans to travel to Barcelona in July for further training.