football err soccer in Australia

FOOTBALL or Soccer? The battle has been silently engaged, but too few of us have noticed.

There have been a series of minor skirmishes, and several subversive actions, but we Aussie Rules fans, are sitting blissfully unaware that our great game is about to be challenged seriously by soccer. For heaven's sake, they're already trying to call it football. Imagine, in our footy-mad state, trying to call soccer football.
Of course, they say it is the world game, that it's called football in most countries, and that they don't use their hands in their game. Yeah, but they hit it with their head, which is about the silliest technique of propelling a ball that has ever been devised.

Actually, the name is one of the more serious issues. Quite blatantly, or as some would say, provocatively, the new soccer administration in this country, has renamed itself, the Football Federation of Australia. Some high-profile soccer identities are starting to correct those of us who call their game soccer. They obviously have no sense of history. Yes, various forms of football have been documented since the Chinese dynasties of the second and third centuries B.C. There are the more ghoulish histories of soccer being played with the severed heads, and skulls of vanquished opponents, but the fact remains: we were playing our football, with its codified rules, in competition before the Football Association, in England, from which the term soccer evolved, (as-SOC-iation) forbade any handling of the ball in their game.

That year was 1869. We claim the historical high ground.









Soccer was predominantly a British sport. The Brits exported their game as well as they exported their culture, their religion and transported their human refuse. The game has been extremely popular, and has been enthusiastically embraced and enhanced by hundreds of other countries. It is significant, however, that three of the most ferociously patriotic nations; the USA, Ireland and Australia, have their own codes of football. Football is the dominant sport in those nations where soccer has struggled to gain a stronghold. Any attempt to impose a relic from imperial Britain upon us will be vigorously resisted – if we know it's happening.

Some of the national newspapers, television networks, and websites have already capitulated and use the term football when they are talking about soccer. There is no rationale to this when we have four major football codes in the country: rugby league, union, Aussie Rules and soccer. Instead of clarifying the situation, they are only confusing it. When you say or write the word soccer, everyone knows what you are talking about.

If you say "football" you could be talking about any one of four codes. And in our proud state, football means only one thing: Australian Rules.

For fifty years now, pessimists have been predicting the downfall of Australian Rules football and the prosperity of soccer. Only now do I believe that the threat is serious. Too many young kids are playing soccer. It's a much easier game to learn and to play, and you don't need 18 players to have a match. Soccer's senior administration introduced a promotion this week called "Football Anytime" to encourage kids to "get out there, get active, and play football anytime". They mean soccer of course, and they got $800,000 from the government to do it. The AFL has to react to all these initiatives that are making other sports more accessible and easier to play. Michael Wright, our Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, spoke with glowing praise recently of the modified rules and programs that were encouraging more kids to play volleyball. The AFL can learn much from these programs and those which soccer is employing.

In less than a month, our national soccer team will attempt once more to qualify for the World Cup finals. The dark cloud of failure and an ominous sense of tragedy have been their constant companions in recent campaigns. This time, I sense it will be different and it will unite the sporting fans of Australia like nothing since the 2000 Olympics. And if they do qualify, how could they be called anything else but the SOCCEROOS? The name will become an iconic Australian institution. How then could their game be called anything else but soccer?

Football or Soccer hmmmm. Of course it's football soccer is for little kids and Americans for those of us waiting for the day Australia would be in the world cup 2006 has been along time coming. I wouldn't worry too much about the name everyone knows there's a difference between footie and football. I don't see how ya figure that AFL or NRL or Rugby is easier to learn than football. they are all hard games that require skill to excell at, beside AFL has so much money behind it I don't see it going anywhere why do you think all the world cup / socceroos games are on SBS. because it makes money :rolleyes: Australian kids are always going to play AFL (NRL in NSW even if the Swans did steal the premiership from West Coast) no matter what happens a few high profile socceroos matches isn't going to change that. Don't worry about it there's enough room for everyone.

P.S I work in the newsroom for the second bigest radio network in Australia...and yes we call it football :lol:

wow theres another Aussie on this forum!!!

soccer wont ever be big here

biggest reason is

the best players don't even play here!! they take their 20 million dollars to go play for Chelsea etc .. it just wont be big here the A league is nothing it ain't the best players

you look at our socceroos team who is actually really a aussie?? well Craig Moore might be the only one

and personally I'm a league fan not a yawnuion fan yes go the tigers!

Fair enough I'd say most people go for NRL personaly even though I live in Sydney I'm from Perth so footie will always be AFL to me :) go the Dockers.

It's true the media's on the bandwagon at the moment so the socceroos get some airtime but your right the A League while it's not bad to watch isn't the premier league or the Champions and it never will be. I'm just stoked the Aussies are in it in 2006 and I rekon we might even do all right and get through to the next round. if not there's allways next time.

I've seen a few Aussies around not suprising realy considering we are the biggest file sharers per capita.

Take it easy M8 gotta go to the bottelo now....

ohh your from Sydney? only couple hours form where i live here

I think we can beat Japon Brazil I dont think so and the other game it will come down to getting into the next round

ohh yeah i was a fitzroy fan now lions fan so heheh yeah your dockers got a touch up by us last week

what radio station you work with btw i radio announce and do radio production here myself

go guus go :)

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Originally Posted by Not Adster

The Brits exported their game as well as they exported their culture, their religion and transported their human refuse.

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That's a bit self harsh.

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The person who wrote the article in the first post seems to be a bit of a xenophobic arse, btw - and who told her that puntsphere wasn't big in Ireland.

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Originally Posted by manker

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Originally Posted by Not Adster

The Brits exported their game as well as they exported their culture, their religion and transported their human refuse.

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That's a bit self harsh.

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The person who wrote the article in the first post seems to be a bit of a xenophobic arse, btw - and who told her that puntsphere wasn't big in Ireland.

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rolf

Australian rules football is a real sport? I thought it was a made up one like Guyball, Blernsball, Anbo-Jitsu, Quidditch or Triad.

Are we even supposed to take an article which contains the word "socceroos" seriously?

I really, really don't care whether the Australians play puntsphere, or what they call it. I don't give a flying fuck.

So much so that I am going to post about it on an interweb forum about filesharing.

That is all.

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Originally Posted by Cheese

Australian rules football is a real sport? I thought it was a made up one like Guyball, Blernsball, Anbo-Jitsu, Quidditch or Triad.

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:glag:

moQ'bara > anbo-jytsu. :geek:

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Originally Posted by Guillaume

moQ'bara > anbo-jytsu. :geek:

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Geek of the Week.

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Originally Posted by Adster

ohh your from Sydney? only couple hours form where i live here

I think we can beat Japon Brazil I dont think so and the other game it will come down to getting into the next round

ohh yeah i was a fitzroy fan now lions fan so heheh yeah your dockers got a touch up by us last week

what radio station you work with btw i radio announce and do radio production here myself

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yah japan is a good chance but no way we'll beat Brazil...but if we beat Japan and Brazil lose their first match and we manage to tie with them well that's a different story.. doesn't matter realy at least we're there :)

don't even talk about the dockers...constantly let me down. but they'll have their day -I hope.

A raido jock the Journo's best friend not sure if I want to say it but I think the answer to your question might be India...


still don't know 2SM....:lol: :lol: and i'm serious about the :lol:

what do Brits call football then if they call soccer football:blink:?

Rugby

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Originally Posted by Gripper

Rugby

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if football is rugby, then what do they call rugby?:blink:

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Originally Posted by Seedler

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Originally Posted by Gripper

Rugby

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if football is rugby, then what do they call rugby?:blink:

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soccer

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Originally Posted by Proper Bo

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Originally Posted by Seedler

if football is rugby, then what do they call rugby?:blink:

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soccer

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:blink: Borly?

:wacko: Wow.

confusing, eh?

It takes a bit to get used too :lookaroun

Why can't people just be allowed to call it soccer? I call it soccer if I am talking to stupid people or Americans, so as not to confuse them. If they're trying to get soccer to kick off (ha ha) in Australia surely they don't want to get people's backs up by correcting them every time they call it soccer.

so it's football, american football, and then rugby for brits.

For merkins, it's just soccer, football and rugby.

See, how much easier is that!

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Originally Posted by Seedler

so it's football, american football, and then rugby for brits.

For merkins, it's just soccer, football and rugby.

See, how much easier is that!

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exactly what I said

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Originally Posted by Cheese

Why can't people just be allowed to call it soccer? I call it soccer if I am talking to stupid people or Americans, so as not to confuse them. If they're trying to get soccer to kick off (ha ha) in Australia surely they don't want to get people's backs up by correcting them every time they call it soccer.

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Should just call it sockbawl to please everyone, especially me, because I just coined the term.

Random tag usage. :no2:

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Originally Posted by Seedler

so it's football, american football, and then rugby for brits.

For merkins, it's just soccer, football and rugby.

See, how much easier is that!

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no rugby isn't rugby league and thats where people get confused down here in Australia and its annoying

Rugby when you say rugby ths rugby Union

rugby league is rugby League the real mans game

union > league

fact.

yawnion fact league the best game for excitment