Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill has been named captain-ambassador for football's 2015 Asian Cup.
The tournament, to be played in Australia, is now less than 500 days away but the build-up has already begun.
The event's organisers are not only excited by the prospects of a tough contest on the field, but also the way football can be used to strengthen relationships with multicultural communities.
They plan to name more community ambassadors and events targeting ethnic groups in the lead-up to the first match on January the 9th, 2015.
The countdown to the 2015 Asian Cup tournament has begun, and there is a buzz amongst the host country's organisers.
The 23-day event will be played in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Newcastle, with 32 matches played by the best sixteen teams in the region.
But against the backdrop of fierce competition, the Asian Cup will be an opportunitiy to show off Australia's cultural diversity.
Football Federation of Australia Chief Executive David Gallop says the event will highlight the importance of the Asian region to Australians.
"Asia becomes more and more important to Australia, economically, politically, socially, and football will be an opportunity for us to forge more ties. Joining East Asia, is an important next step for us in our integration into Asian football. I think there's a level of excitement in this tournament coming up - 500 days to go. It's going to be a real eye-opener not only for football fans but Australians."
New South Wales Minister for Sport, Graham Annesley, agrees the biggest football event ever played in Australia can attract valuable relationships on and off the pitch.
"It's an outstanding chance to strengthen cultural, social, diplomatic and economic ties with Asia. I'm very confident the tournament will open doors for business, tourism and create new community connections."
Michael Brown is the Chief Executive of the Asian Cup Local Organising Committee.
He is tasked with organising the event that is expected to bring about 45,000 visitors to Australia.
Mr Brown says as a sport, it is the world's most popular game, and as Australia's most multicultural sport, he is using this as a reason to engage ethnic groups and build on their support.
Over time the Local Organising Committee will be announcing more community ambassadors to continue this relationship.
Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill has been named Captain-Ambassador for the event.
The Local Organising Committee's Michael Brown says the appointment recognises the role Neill has played in football, both in this country and abroad.
"He's had a wonderful history of international football through Asia and now with Japan and Australia. When I approached him, he was so excited about it. He's genuinely enthusiastic about the role he can play and the role that football can play."
Speaking from Japan, where he recently signed with J-League club Omiya Ardija, Lucas Neill says he is honoured to be given the ambassadorship and knows the importance of having Australia play host to the Asian Cup.
"I'm very excited to be involved and offered the role of ambassador for the Asia Cup, I think it's an amazing honour I think it's a great opportunity, not only for football, but as a country, to be able to show Australia off to all of the globe in what will be wonderful tournament, full of colour in what will be good football."
And the local organising committee is hoping that the stadiums will be full of the noise and atmosphere that mirrors scenes from football matches in other countries.
Communications officer for the Asian Cup Local Organising Committee, Tim Naughtin [nor-tin], is confident of achieving this goal.
"If we have Japanese Australians, or Japanese coming from overseas, to support the Blue Samurai, if we have Iranian Australians filling the stands in the Iran matches, this is what's going to give the tournament the colour, the excitement of the Asian Football atmosphere that will make people in Australia stand up and say, 'Wow, this tournament is something else, we didn't realise'. And I think when we get people in the stands in 2015, people will realise what football can be, international football."
Ali Abbas came to Australia as a refugee from Iraq and now plays in the A-League.
He's has tasted Asian Cup success, winning the tournament with Iraq in 2007.
Abbas says Australia is capable of hosting a major football tournament and says the Iraqi community is looking forward to 2015.
"I spoke to some of them. They are really excited about it. Because they think, it's an Asian World Cup. They love it and really want to see that."
Australian football is riding a wave of attention in a market that is cluttered with three other football codes.
Fuelling that wave have been marquee signings of Shinji Ono, Alessandro del Pierro, and Emile Heskey, along with the success of the Western Sydney Wanderers in their debut season.
And the Socceroos have qualified for the World Cup in Brazil, six months before the Asian Cup.
This period, says Michael Brown, has boosted football fans' enthusiasm about their sport.
"For football to have the profile it has now, with the A-League, with the Socceroos, and obviously the World Cup, and the Asian Cup in 2015, it gives us great momentum to continue to build this code in this country."
FFA Chief Executive David Gallop says the Socceroos are constantly driven by success.
"What I've noticed is when our guys pull on the shirt, they want to have success. They're very proud of wearing the Socceroos shirt and I think in the Asian Cup we will see our Socceroos put in very disciplined, very committed performances: they want to be successful in this tournament."
Socceroos Captain Lucas Neill agrees.
"Regardless of who we're playing, it's about national pride, and the fact we're getting to host the tournament. It's about Australia taking on the best in Asia. Taking on teams like Japan, South Korea, North Korea, China, they're huge nations and proud footballing nations and we get to compete with them for the tagline of number one in Asia."
Meanwhile David Gallop says the excitement is building.
"This is where football surprises people. It really does give the goosebump moments in Australian sport at the moment. And to see nations up against each other and to see Australian-based fans going to those games I think will be really exciting for football, and shows that football is the game that represents this country in all its diversity like no other."
The opening game of the tournament will involve Australia and be played at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, on Friday January the 9th.
