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Oh soccer, why do they hate you so?

David Hall

by David Hall

08 Feb 05:42am

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Filed under: Football, Soccer, Sport

141 comments

Why does football/soccer bring out the hate?

Every time I read a story or a blog about football/soccer on the net, the reader comments always devolve into the bitch fight: it’s the world game, it’s the future or it’s a Euro game for ladyboys that will never overtake our domestic codes.

I write about the A-League on the Punch every week and every time my post goes up there’s always a response guaranteed to include the lines: “Who cares? Soccer’s a boring game for poofs, people who have slightly darker skin than me and posh expats who should go back where it rains a lot and the beer is slightly warmer. How long have you soccer zealots been saying it was going to take over? The A-League is rubbish and will never be more popular than AFL/NRL.”

Then, inevitably, some round-ball fan gets their back up and replies: “You parochial, wife-beating, drug-taking, street-urinating egg-chasers/knuckledraggers have no idea. The World Cup is beamed to 19 gazillion people across time and space and into the as-yet-abstract fourth dimension. Football is human civilisation’s highest participation activity since procreation.”

Don’t believe me? Check out the posts on Anthony Sharwood’s Punch earlier this week.

Why do football posts consistently bring out the haters? Seriously, it happens every time. I’m not a regular on AFL or NRL blogs, but do football fans turn on up those to vent their sporting spleens in the same way? A straw poll of my office – which includes magazines such as Big League and Alpha – says it doesn’t happen. So why do they bother?

This is a serious question to supporters of other codes: why do you always feel the need to get involved? If you heard people talking about how much they like American-style mustard would you feel the urge to interrupt and aggressively tell them that it’s a condiment for effeminate men and that it will never be as good as BBQ sauce? Would you bust into a pack of Star Wards nerds, call them Han Solo zealots and shout, “James T Kirk’s a real bloke, not some waistcoat-wearing princess’s boy!”

And soccer fans – why do you always give in to the abuse? Yes, we know football is the most popular sport in the world. Yes, we know there are loads of people in Australia that play it casually. But admit that the A-League is not exactly the highest standard, and realise that, other than the Socceroos, football will almost certainly never overtake the deeply entrenched AFL and NRL in the mainstream Australian public’s affections.

I’m not asking for peace and expecting us all to join in a hug of AFL/NRL-approved blokeyness. Just that if you don’t like the game, don’t watch it and don’t act like a d**khead when fans want to talk about it. Otherwise you might just find your message boards getting clogged up with the similar level of drivel.

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141 comments

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    • Elbowgrease says:

      06:51am | 08/02/10

      Let me be the first to say….. Soccer sucks

      Cheer cheer the red and the white
      Honour the name by day and by night
      Lift that noble banner high
      Shout down the thunder from the sky
      Wether the odds be great or be small
      Swans will go in and win over ALL
      While our loyals sons are marching onwards to VICTORY

      Reply

    • Dave says:

      08:10am | 08/02/10

      Elbowgrease - what are you on about?

    • Mick says:

      09:16am | 08/02/10

      It’s “shake down the thunder from the sky”
      One of the great lines in sporting theme tune history.

    • Auds says:

      12:56pm | 08/02/10

      There we go again being petty I’m talking in general of a soccer/football season through out the world and viewed by. I wrote +- and for your information the 2006 world cup in Germany 1 month only was also viewed by +-3billion people believe you me 2010 is not going to be any different I could get the proper stats but not worried its still a lot more than 12million per year.Get over it,this will never happen in footy code because you still have to out perform rugby union/league and there is no chance of that happening either.

      Reply

    • entender says:

      03:23pm | 29/11/11

      And we have the typical rant from a soccer zealot who can only supply numbers. This is why I hate this lame excuse of a game

    • Robert Smissen says:

      10:39pm | 08/02/10

      Elbowgrease sorry to burst your bubble mate, they invented AFL fumble-ball for bogans too slow & too uncoordinated to play real sports. AFL is about as interesting as synchronized swimming but no where near coordinated.

    • omegaman says:

      08:10pm | 09/02/10

      I love this song but the lyrics alone cannot convey how truly awesome this song when you have a banjo to get things rockin

      Also its “What though the odds”

    • T.Chong says:

      07:13am | 08/02/10

      Author Dave, having read many of same articles and replys, I think ( and most certainly hope ) that most of the neg comments directed at the varios codes are done with a large per cent of “tongue-in-cheek” ness, and arent really meant to be taken too seriosly by either side.
      Also, why the absolutely useless out-house quality YouTube clip?

      Reply

    • Rich says:

      07:46am | 08/02/10

      Maybe you should have written about the awesome Sydney game yesterday, and how the crowd cheered as one as the final header crossed into the net.

      That was magic.

      An article on the comments of other articles seems lazy.

      Reply

    • albe says:

      08:07am | 08/02/10

      wondered the same thing Dave. If people dislike something so much, why comment about it? It does seem to be lessening, and depends often on which site u are looking at. The more football-specific sites tend to not tolerate it… ignorant comments get shot down pretty fast lol.

      Most of us ‘world-gamers’ just want to rant about the sport we love in peace, without the constant trolling. Its clear some people have an agenda against the sport… maybe its up to the mods to screen the comments a little better.
      PS please mr/ms producer don’t screen out mine raspberry

      Reply

    • Dave says:

      08:13am | 08/02/10

      Did think about it, Rich but didn’t want to soil Sydney’s excellent result my getting draggedinto the usual anti/pro football slanging match.

      In terms of the A-League, I’m visibly excited about this Sunday’s title fight at SFS. Should be a cracker.

      Reply

    • AFR says:

      08:46am | 08/02/10

      or try Parramatta Stadium. The status of soccer is so high, it gets kicked out by some bagpipes.

    • Jonk says:

      04:21pm | 10/02/10

      Dave,  without bolding your posts or using a more specific nickname it’s very hard to know if you’re the author or one of the other 100,000 or so blokes called Dave…

      Shame none of your fellow Sydney-siders are going to show - forecast is for rain and lots of it.

    • Rob says:

      08:16am | 08/02/10

      The game will always be a niche sport in Australia due to its largely stunted development in most parts of the old British Empire. Association Football took on professionalism very early in England (1880s) and this made it “working class” and “dangerous” to the establishment , This is why it was never promoted in the colonies and became a by-word for “foreign” during the 20th century. .

      The problem for Association Football in Australia these days is not so much the knockers - many of whom are simple-minded bigots who feel confronted by the muticultural nature of modern Australia - but those who do understand and like the sport. The cultural cringe is well and truly alive and the A-League will never be good enough for the majority of fans. It was the same with the NSL,  but there were plenty of convenient excuses to hide behind back then.

      The fact is, the majority of the game’s fans in this country have not warmed to the A-League and this has presented the knockers with all the proof they want. The crowds at many grounds are now down to similar levels seen in the NSL - all this with full-time status and associated costs. Now the FFA have decided to put all their eggs into getting the World Cup finals down here. It’s a sign that they’re getting increasingly desperate and nervous at how things as (predictably) panning out domestically. .

      There are serious problems looming for the game here - both at domestic and international levels - because the post-2005 “new dawn” has been built on the back of the NSL and the now distant era of post war European migration. Look at the national side: pretty much all the players are first-generation Australians of working-class backgrounds with fathers born in traditional football countries overseas.  There’s not a whole lot of talent coming in behind them.

      Australia’s migrant intake has changed remarkably since the 1970s and Australian football will soon have to face up to this. Veterans like Schwarzer, Neill, Bresciano, Kewell, Cahill and co. repesent the old guard and will not be around for much longer. Fans should make the most of having a decent national side while it lasts, because the “socceroos” have been punching well above their weight during the 2000s and are due a fall.

      Reply

    • albe says:

      10:40am | 08/02/10

      is the A-League really the failure u make it out to be? The crowds are hardly down to NSL levels across the board.

      The only way u could see the support level as a ‘failure’ if if you’re comparing it to other sports. Really not that relevant.

      A better barometer would be look at other club FOOTBALL leagues in Asia. That’s the only measure that counts, we are competing against other countries in football, not other sports in Australia. This is a concept many seem unable (still) to get their heads around. A 10k average is actually very healthy by world football standards.

    • S.L says:

      05:05pm | 08/02/10

      Rob who are your speech writers? Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd?

    • omegaman says:

      08:14pm | 09/02/10

      Australia’s not really multicultural Rob, its just a word for a minority of people like yourself to cling to.
      If you are a real Australian (regardless of your ethnicity) you would love AFL, unless you were ugly, then you would probably follow NRL.

    • Cameron says:

      08:29am | 08/02/10

      It possibly comes about because many soccer writers and lovers are so sanctimonious in the way they go on about their game. And also because a significant number of people genuinely do find the game deadly dull and boring and don’t mind saying so!
      I watched it a lot when I was a kid, but now you can put me amongst those who find it boring.

      Reply

    • Tom says:

      01:29pm | 08/02/10

      I agree. I resent being characterised as a Neanderthal or similar just because I don’t find watching 90 minutes for a 1 all draw particularly entertaining. Add the primadonna attitudes displayed by many of the players and it is just a little hard to take.

    • persephone says:

      08:56am | 08/02/10

      Just back from a great weekend of junior soccer, with my son’s team playing off for ninth or tenth place for the summer season.

      A nail biting ending, down to penalties, with no decision until the 14th kick on goal!!

      Soccer is growing whilst, all across regional Victoria, country AFL clubs are dying.

      So many of the parents I meet on the sideline are a bit bewildered by it; grew up with AFL, expected their kids to do the same, only to find that the kids are demanding to register with the local soccer club and give AFL the go by.

      The excellent opportunities offered to junior players (particularly girls, who are virtually ignored by the AFL) means this trend will continue.

      Unless the AFL can cater more effectively for kids (and girls in particular) it will continue to lose members to soccer.

      Reply

    • S.L says:

      11:49am | 09/02/10

      A side note to your story persephone is netball is getting increasingly worried about the increase in female registration in soccer ranks too.

    • omegaman says:

      08:18pm | 09/02/10

      what’s a metrosexual like you doing in country victoria persophone?

    • Elbowgrease says:

      08:59am | 08/02/10

      @Dave
      T.Chong has it mate, stir the pot and watch the crap rise.

      On a slightly more serious note i think that Rob is pretty close to the mark. I had a go at soccer in 2nd and 3rd grades at school but found AFL a much more fun game to play later on.

      Reply

    • cybacaT says:

      09:02am | 08/02/10

      Firstly, when discussing Soccer in Australia, you need to refer to “soccer” - not football.  Going against the Aussie lingo is EXACTLY what puts people offside and makes them annoyed - it’s the height of arrogance and adds nothing but confusion to our language.

      Secondly, if you take a box of crackers to a 3rd world country - the locals are going to love it - they have no other choice.  But bring that box of crackers to Australia where we have choice galore - a banquet of options to feast on - and people will turn up their noses in disinterest.  Equally we have a feast of much more entertaining codes here - aussie rules, league, union…even NFL.  The comparatively dull game of soccer doesn’t measure up.

      Soccer is a great game for kids, ladies or frail people to play.  It requires a basic level of coordination and isn’t too physically challenging.  Once someone skills up however and is fully coordinated, they can move on to superior codes where the range of skills required is far greater - not to mention the level of toughness.

      There’s nothing intrinsically bad about soccer - it’s just a very poor cousin to many other codes out there when it comes to watching or playing.

      Reply

    • Dave says:

      09:37am | 08/02/10

      “Soccer is a great game for kids, ladies or frail people to play.” Made me crack up.

      As for the comments about skill - what do you think takes more more skill? The ability to run and throw a ball to someone five metres away, or the capacity to use your feet to send a projectile 60-70 yards where it bounces perfectly for someone else running at top speed? To jump above a pack to catch a ball or to run between two opposing players, keeping the ball at your feet and not get tackled?

      The strength/athletic requirements of NRL & AFL are obvious - AFL players are particularly sound athletes - but to suggest they require a higher level of skill than soccer/football is nonsensical.

    • Malone says:

      09:46am | 08/02/10

      PUH-lease! I am a dyed in the wool league fan, but I can smell bullshit a mile away. Not very skilled? Get Chris Judd to curve a penalty kick intothe box for a header, or Jonothan Thurston to back heel a ball to himself into space, turn on a dime and smack the ball to the back of the net.

      Is one code more skillful than the other? No. But different skills are required in each code. It doesn;t make one coulod better or worse, just different.

      And cybacaT, if u dont think soccer requires fitness have a go at 5 a side indoor. Or even turn up for a game at your local club. I am sure the club memebrs would be entrhalled by your thoughts

      Live and let live.

    • ridders says:

      12:14pm | 08/02/10

      hahahaha blog post point proven by the comments. classic. art imitating life imitating art

      Reply

    • K says:

      09:09am | 08/02/10

      I have never been able to understand why they hate us so much? Why is it so entrenched in the AFL/NRL culture to hate football so much? If, as they say, we pose no threat to their established codes why do they act like such children when it comes to discussing ‘soccer’?

      Maybe they are scared after all.

      Reply

    • Sky says:

      01:08pm | 08/02/10

      Its because of things like this exact comment…  The arrogance of us vs them attitude. Its not the game of soccer that people dislike, its the attitude of a very small but overly vocal “fans” of the game. Then its the game that receives all the abuse.

      Malone hit it on the head when he said “Is one code more skillful than the other? No. But different skills are required in each code. It doesn’t make one code better or worse, just different.”

      How about you give the other sports a chance without being so quick to play the us vs them… You may actually be surprised as to how many “Leagueies” or other code followers actually enjoy a good game of Soccer.

      As for “football” being called Soccer in Australia, deal with it. Its to make it easier in differentiating when someone speaks about the games. Just be happy the game is being spoken about and enjoyed by so many people dont whinge about what they’re calling it unless is derogatory.

    • Charles Kelly says:

      12:35am | 12/02/10

      The thing is K, people who are “so entrenched in the AFL/NRL culture” DO NOT “hate football so much” as you ignorantly suggested - they LOVE football. You see, in case it’s escaped your attention, AFL and NRL are both codes of FOOTBALL - which means that your statement is the height of idiocy.

    • Jonathan Appleyard says:

      09:12am | 08/02/10

      Leaguies have the same attitude towards AFL. They’re a very insular and insecure lot.

      Generally I do have time for all codes, but agree with the post above about the sanctimonious attitude of soccer writers. It’s all about the “beautiful game” but the A-League and Socceroos playing style are as far away from that as you’ll possibly get. This is all about quality at our disposal than anything else, but journos need top start accepting reality than thinking we can be the next Brazil or that the A-League is a rival to the Premier League.

      Reply

    • albe says:

      10:45am | 08/02/10

      real football fans dream big Jonathan… its only the knockers that see dead ends everywhere.

      There’s no reason why in 20 years the national team can’t compete with Brazil. Give our club league a decade or two to get established and we can be competitive with Japan and even some European leagues. No football writer thinks we are a rival to the EPL globally, although the Fox TV ratings will attest to the fact that both leagues are well supported on our shores.

    • Mick says:

      09:26am | 08/02/10

      I watch football (some of you call it soccer but it’s name is football because it require the predominant usage of the foot and its official name is Association Football) and the NRL. Both awesome games made for TV.
      I prefer to go to AFL games live, as the field’s too big and so much happens off the ball that the small screen doesn’t do it justice.
      Although I’ve spent most of my life playing football (the soccer one) and living in rampant rugby league areas (north-west NSW and Newcastle), my favourite to watch and follow is rugby union.
      So go the Rabbitohs, Waratahs, Tigers, Jets and Australia at the World Cup.
      Anyone who has mindless criticisms of other codes cause it’s not the one you like, do everyone a favour and cut your fingers off so you can’t post on blogs.

      Reply

    • Mr Football says:

      02:27pm | 08/02/10

      This is crap

      All the codes are called football because everyone is on their feet and not on horseback like most sport was back in the 1800’s.

      This need to claim ‘football’ is stupid

    • Charles Kelly says:

      12:39am | 12/02/10

      Mr Football is correct.

      Historically “football” is named NOT in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball - but because it’s a ball game played on foot, not on horseback. The word originally referred to a variety of games in early Europe which were played on foot by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports more often enjoyed by aristocrats.

    • Footy Fan says:

      09:28am | 08/02/10

      The game sucks and the fans suck. Why the game sucks. It is not engaged competitively, most soccer games end in ties. Both teams lose. Soccer is not a sport. It is an activity. Why the fans suck. They always rant about the McDonald’s Soccer World Cup. Even though most of the time it’s decided by penalty shoot-outs and dubious referee decisions from diving. Over many years there have been various claims of match fixing, some proven. There have also been many allegations of corruption against FIFA which puts the whole the results of the Soccer World Cup in doubt.  I used to play it as a kid but I grew up.

      Reply

    • albe says:

      10:48am | 08/02/10

      aha, so the whole world is deluded and its only lil ol Australia that has the nous to follow ‘real sports’ like Aussie rules and rugby league? People like you are the reason why some of us hope your thuggish sports die a slow death. Karma is indeed a cruel mistress…

    • DG says:

      09:49am | 08/02/10

      Speaking of abuse - if the “Western Sydney” fan club at the Sydney FC game (played at Parra) on Sunday are any indication of a future club for the district, my advice to the A-league would be to reconsider the expansion to western Sydney and to keep reconsidering until they decide against it. That small group at the south western end of the ground really added nothing to the game and earned more police attention than the away fans.

      Reply

    • H of SA says:

      10:06am | 08/02/10

      I reckon its cultural, I have played both Aussie Rules and Association Football and it was definately the culture of playing the sport - you were suppossed to hate the other one as they were the rival code. (I know some NSW, QLD will note i’m forgetting leauge here but I can only talk about my South Aussie experience where league is just not on the radar - though union is qutie popular as a spectator).

      It was in school, I played both and I could see that I didn’t have to fall for some one or the other mentality. I got over that in school, seems even as adults some can’t grow out of the hate.

      Reply

    • Dave says:

      10:09am | 08/02/10

      @ Malone - fair point. The insinuation that the other codes are skilled was wrong, there are some very talented blokes in the comps.

      @ Mick - exactly. Most of my mates go for at least two of the football codes, depending where they’re from. And the large majority of NRL and AFL player I’ve ever spoken to are right into their soccer/football as well.

      @ Footy Fan - pathetic.

      Reply

    • NQ Woombye says:

      10:14am | 08/02/10

      I love my footy,I played all my life til I turned 40. I watch the A league on TV, I’m a Sydney FC fan who lives in Queensland, (long story, but always told my kids you don’t change teams), we support Manly in league, Waratahs in Union, Swans in AFL. My son tried Auskick last season, this year he wants to play football, I might have a run in the over 35’s aswell. I don’t see the problem, as long a sthe kids are out there running around, who cares what they play. We can’t wait for the Sydney FC game on Sunday when they win the league under the noses of Melbourne, BBQ is planned and the fridge is stocked. Then the finals, then the World cup. In the meantime the league, Union and AFL kicks off, thank heavens for Fox sports, and the choice we have to play and support all of the codes.

      Reply

    • dw says:

      10:54am | 08/02/10

      i’ve always laughed at how can something called ‘footy’ seem manly. it sounds like a word from a child’s nursery rhyme. ‘playing footy’ sounds like something you do with your lady’s feet under the table at a cafe. ‘i love my footy’ sounds like a bizarre fetish.

      Reply

    • jeb says:

      11:59am | 08/02/10

      ha, ha. reminds me of when eric bana went on dave letterman’s show last year he was trying to explain to Dave how australians loved afl and called it footy. Dave’s only reply was “that’s a little gay, right?”. not that there’s anything wrong with that!

    • Dave says:

      10:55am | 08/02/10

      Its becasue you see ads on tv from soccer nsw saying cricket is boring and then they wonder why people hate soccer so much.

      Soccer have made their bed they should stop shinging when people give it back.

      Reply

    • Auds says:

      10:56am | 08/02/10

      The saying goes talk/write about me good or bad doesn’t matter as long as you talk/write about me because that tells me you worried read the comments and you will see that the hate comes from the 1 code/footy like you, have to always bring this subject up so that you yourself can be convinced that soccer is not becoming a threat to your code if it wasn’t you wont be spitting your venom out and hate for the sport.I fly interstate quite often and when flying over suburbs you will see more soccer/football fields than footy fields yes soccer/football will never grow to the level of the other code because as long as you have people like you and footy officials spitting there venom about soccer/football you will always scare of sponsors and without any big sponsors we know what happens in sport it will never grow and the other thing is that soccer/football is a winter sport and playing in summer and in this heat it is very tiring that is why the quality is not that good and it looks bad yet when they go and play overseas they play very well and as for you keep it up I know you worried.I HOPE YOU NOT SCARED TO PRINT THIS and in democracy the majority is always right so +_4 billion people on earth watch this sport week-in, week-out compared to 1.5 million per weekend over 8months off the year so who is right, enjoy your 8months of footy.

      Reply

    • Mickey says:

      01:57pm | 08/02/10

      Your entire argument seems based upon the idea that the majority is right. If thats the best you can come up with you really are on shaky ground ( a lot like soccer in this country!)

    • Malone says:

      11:33am | 09/02/10

      Just to clarify auds… Majority rules, that has nothing to do with whether they are right or not.

      Small but important distinction.

    • Harquebus says:

      10:55am | 08/02/10

      Spectator sport is for the emotional stimulation of brain dead morons. Glorifying sportspeople because they can kick or hit a ball is not something to be proud of. Roger Federa or whatever his name is earned $20 million plus. Simply outrageous. How many lives did he save?
      My heroes are unsung. Community volunteers and volunteer health workers etc.
      David, you have a small mind and worry about small things.

      Reply

    • AFR says:

      12:36pm | 08/02/10

      Harquebus, please enlighten us on what you do with your spare time, and how it makes you so much a better person than us small mainded sports lovers?

    • Dave says:

      12:42pm | 08/02/10

      Thankfully, Harquebus, it doesn’t take my entire mind to think about football.

      Yours, however, must be very narrow if you need to make comments like these to make yourself feel superior.

    • Andrew says:

      01:27pm | 08/02/10

      Well said Harquebus. Bread and circuses!

    • Andrew says:

      03:07pm | 08/02/10

      ... except the comment about Dave having a small mind wink

    • Harquebus says:

      10:46pm | 11/02/10

      AFR. I read.

    • Dr McKay says:

      11:06am | 08/02/10

      Brought up in League, played soccer as a kid.
      I really do not think Soccer will take the hearts and minds of most Aussies until they do domething about the absolutely rampant cheating/diving that goes on.  I know there are different cultural views on “bending” rules, but HARD and FAIR should be the two words to sum up soccer.  Then it will stand a chance in this country.

      Reply

    • Macca says:

      12:08pm | 16/02/10

      COmpared to intentional offsides and late-hits in league not cheating?

      I’m all for stamping out diving, but don’t throw stones in a glass house

      As for Australian’s not adopting Football as a national sport. Not sure, wonder what all the Asian and European decendants think?

    • SM says:

      11:15am | 08/02/10

      Firstly, soccer is such a dreadfully dull spectacle.  Especially at the A League level. Then you have the typical Aussie soccer fan.  They’re hard to describe, but they’re kind of like those guys who go to a different pub each night to play free poker. A most unusual breed.

      Reply

    • Jon says:

      12:41pm | 08/02/10

      Yes I agree. I think A stands for average.

    • Malone says:

      11:39am | 09/02/10

      Guys, guys… it’s like anything. It’s not enough to understand the rules but one must understand the tactics.

      That’s not to say, once the rules are undertood, soccer is never boring, all sports are at some point. I think some education on the tactics used in a sport and why a certain team is doing certain plays, and what to look for to read the game would be a useful addition to any sport’s promotion.

      Just think of tryiong to explain test cricket to people without going into the tactics, or watching motorsport with no understanding of the importance of pit stops, tyre changes, fuel consumption, etc.

      Seek to understand not judge.

    • Trolldoll says:

      02:24pm | 11/02/10

      I have tried to understand the tactics in soccer and it appears that soccer tactics come in 2 flavours.

      (1) Try to make a solo break and score indivdually (or hope someone isn’t too busy adjusting thier hair to support your break)

      (2) Fall down in the penalty box to try to fool the ref into giving you a penalty

      Are their any other tactics I’ve missed?

    • Steve Smith says:

      12:15pm | 08/02/10

      The arrogance of football fans calling the sport football, football.. how dare they!! I’m totally with you on that one.

      However, in regard to taking a box of crackers to a third world country. I would suggest against that. Your probably going to need a whole pallet, because you give out a box and their going to want more, so if you do choose to go to New Zealand, be prepared.

      But that being said, your opinion in regard to watching the sport, is interesting. I’m sure the ratings for the 2010 Football World Cup final will fall below half a billion people and prove you right!

      Reply

    • Martin Milne says:

      12:33pm | 08/02/10

      The reasons NRL/AFL fans knock football is because they are scared of a game that could threaten their little cosy world where they don’t have to worry about international competition because hardly anyone else plays their sport.
      Mean while football fans, like all followers of the “true faith”, have to proselytize at every chance they get.

      Reply

    • Evan Findlay says:

      07:23pm | 08/02/10

      Football is AFL. You mean soccer.

    • omegaman says:

      08:30pm | 09/02/10

      do you have any mates?

    • Charles Kelly says:

      12:52am | 12/02/10

      No Martin Milne, “NRL/AFL fans” DO NOT “knock football” as you ridiculously suggested - they LOVE football. You see, in case it’s escaped your attention, AFL and NRL are both codes of FOOTBALL - which means that all your statement has actually proven is your ignorance.

    • chris says:

      12:35pm | 08/02/10

      Curious that a lot of the hate comes from the followers of a bastard code of rugby, played in a handful of states in a backwater country once described by its prime minister as “the arse end of the world”. Aussie rules fans really do have a deluded view of their place in the scheme of things.

      Reply

    • Dave says:

      12:45pm | 08/02/10

      Not that you’re generalising, eh, SM?

      Reply

    • Jon says:

      12:56pm | 08/02/10

      I know it’s complicated for the soccer fans as most of their songs only have a few syllables.  The scoring easier too, 0-0 1-1 2-2 that sort of thing. Go the Swans!

      Reply

    • Andrew says:

      12:56pm | 08/02/10

      My main disappointment with this article is that it’s based on the premise that the AFL and NRL fans ‘started it’, for lack of a better term. Don’t believe me? Then read the blog again. That’s probably true in soccer blogs, but the other way around in AFL and NRL blogs. AFL and NRL fans sledge each other so much that it’s just a bit of fun now. The real question is: why do we hate soccer? Here’s my shortlist: 1. Prevailing opinions among soccer fans towards the use of the words ‘football’ and ‘soccer’ in Australian English. 2. Soccer’s eager doomsayers who reckon soccer will kill our beloved codes (suggestion to soccer fans: try putting yourself in our boots on that issue. It’s not endearing) 3. The culture of victimhood, thankfully dying, that permeates SOME SECTIONS OF the soccer fraternity e.g. media conspiracy theorists. 4. Their (unreciprocated) contempt towards AFL/NRL. 5. The fact that soccer thinks itself BETTER and MORE IMPORTANT because it’s BIGGER. 6. Diving. 7. The fact that it’s OK to call it soccer in the US and elsewhere, but not in Australia. 8. Blind A-League zealots who tell us every A-League match is an epic. 9. Insipid, blancmange FIFA marketing. 10. The fact that in a sports-loving nation where all codes are respected, soccer has estranged itself.

      In short: stop sooking about everything.

      Reply

    • Mickey says:

      01:50pm | 08/02/10

      nice try Jerome, but no. The reason most fans of the football codes give it to the soccer fans is the arrogant crap that dribbles forth from soccer fans. The game may be the premier sport in Europe. But guess what. We are not in Europe! Over here the game is slower, less skillful than the European league. Its growing, but has a hell of a long way to go. Until then, it will always be the little brother of NRL and AFL in this country. You may be living in a global village, but the majority of us live in Australia. Inadequate? Not likely. Try looking in your own backyard if you seek feelings of inadequancy.

    • Dave says:

      02:18pm | 08/02/10

      I didn’t mean to say AFL and NRL fans started it - I don’t go on other codes’ blogs, so I don’t know how much cross-code slanging there is. I just wondered why football blogs always bring out so many people who can’t stand the sport - as evinced in these responses.

      As for the shortlist, there are certainly some valid points there. A proper response to the question I posed in the first place.

    • Charles Kelly says:

      12:57am | 12/02/10

      Did you ever consider Dave, that if you referred to your code of choice as “association football” or “soccer” and NOT just “football”, followers of other codes of FOOTBALL would be less inclined to comment?

    • Auds says:

      01:03pm | 08/02/10

      There we go again being petty I’m talking in general of a soccer/football season through out the world and viewed by. I wrote +- and for your information the 2006 world cup in Germany 1 month only was also viewed by +-3billion people believe you me 2010 is not going to be any different I could get the proper stats but not worried its still a lot more than 12million per year.Get over it,this will never happen in footy code because you still have to out perform rugby union/league and there is no chance of that happening either.Hey D.Hall don’t be a chicken print.

      Reply

    • SM says:

      01:23pm | 08/02/10

      Hey Auds, do you play poker?

    • Dave says:

      02:19pm | 08/02/10

      SM, what is it with you and poker? I watch the A-League and can’t stand the game. Poker, that is, obviously…

    • Jerome says:

      01:14pm | 08/02/10

      Trying to find the reason why NRL/AFL fans feel the need to give thier negative opinions of football in Australia is really quite simple.
      While immensely popular here in Australia, in the grand scheme of things BOTH codes are, at best, regional pereferences with a base of a million or so die hard fans GLOBALLY.
      Single European giant football clubs have more fans than this for their club alone. And as the world continues to become more globalised, a regional sport with a very small (relatively speaking) talent pool is destined to play less and less of part on the world wide stage.
      Aussies dont have to like football, but in a globalised society where the rest of the globe does like it, well, it has to make the other footy codes here fell a little…...inadequate?

      Reply

    • Trolldoll says:

      02:42pm | 11/02/10

      Some European contries have a higher population than Australia too,  so by that logic Australia perhaps should feel a little bit ........inadequate? Or perhaps just be proud of our history and tradions like cutting the heads off tall poppies and taking the piss out of people with tickets on themselves

    • Tom says:

      01:36pm | 08/02/10

      A few people have raised the popularity point. To which I ask - depending on the month, the Commodore or Corolla are the best selling cars in Australia, does that make them the best cars on the market? Avatar is the highest grossing movie of all time, does that make it the best movie of all time?

      Popularity does not necessarily have anything to do with the quality of the sport. Also note that soccer has rarely become the most popular sport in countries with indigenous football codes, such as Ireland, the US, Canada, and Australia.

      Reply

    • Mickey says:

      01:52pm | 08/02/10

      Andrew, well said! and entirely correct.

      Reply

    • Rabbitoh Rob says:

      01:54pm | 08/02/10

      Part of the reason Soccer discussion gets such a negative reaction from fans of the pigskin codes is the arrogance of the games central administration, and some of it’s fans.  This ridiculous insistence on calling it “football’ for one thing… and the myth that the term “soccer” is some kind of ignorant Americanism,  The term “soccer” goes right back to the early days of the game in England… an abbreviation for Association Football, as distinct from Rugby Football.  This push to claim exclusive rights on the term “Football” is nothing more than a marketing ploy by FIFA that has been going on since the 80’s.  Soccer fans in this country see themselves as superior, and try to tell the rest of us that we are somehow missing out on a naturally superior game.  Well some of us just aren’t interested.    It has it’s place in this country, but it should continue to be called Soccer, and fans should accept its status as a fun participation sport and minor spectator sport.

      Reply

    • John says:

      02:10pm | 08/02/10

      Well said, maybe SMH should read this comment chance back calling it soccer like it did a few years ago.

    • Shark Man says:

      03:16pm | 08/02/10

      @ Rabbitoh Rob I did a little research.

      I take it when you mean 80’s, you refereing to the 1800s right. You are almost right I think the FA Cup started in 1871. F = Football

      Spain it call futbol - 1880
      Norway - NFF - 1902
      Brazil Football Confederation - BFC - 1914
      and on and on and on pick a country.

      I have even attached a link copy of the football charter 1905

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Charter_FIFA_(1_septembre_1905)_original_screen.jpg

      but if your info in the USA it was originally called
      the United States of America Foot Ball Association - 1913 but changed it name to United States Soccer Federation. 1974

      and Canda
      originally called Western Football Association 1880
      name changed to Canadian Soccer Association - 1926

      and finally Australia

      South British Football Association - 1882
      and various other names
      but in 1977 - it was first offically called soccer - NSL
      So the FFA have every right to call it football

      But if you want me to call it soccer i will call it soccer. hey even call it tiddaly winks like the Courier Mail in Brisbane call it. but I know its really football wink.  I dont see myself as superior and I if you are not interested that fine. 

      PS I love Rugby, League and Aussie Rules and love watching them all when I have time.

    • albe says:

      04:28pm | 08/02/10

      man this is such a dumb argument… what happens when rugby league or Aussie rules ‘football’ goes overseas? Do you still insist on calling it ‘Football’ then? You’d be laughed back to the airport, of whichever country you were…

    • Charles Kelly says:

      01:05am | 12/02/10

      WRONG Shark Man - your code of football is called “ASSOCIATION Football”, NOT just “Football”! The international governing body of your code of football is the “International Federation of ASSOCIATION Football” (FIFA).

      Soccer is a ENGLISH term, NOT an American one - and Rugby was called “football” BEFORE soccer was.

    • Fracnis Forbes says:

      02:26pm | 08/02/10

      David,

      Well said, I love soccer / football. But I also love watching the league and AFL.  I can honestly say as a avid football / soccer follower I have seen some terrible games this year. ( Brisbane Roar) but I have seen some absolute heart stoppers that have been a show great skill and team work.  As like the other codes.

      Soccer is lacking in the abilty to take kids from the park to become supporters. I read the in a dominate league area like SE Qld 50% of all boys 6 - 16 year old play soccer. approx 150,000 . that will rise 2.5% for the next 20 years.  If the teams like the Brisbane Roar and gold Coast United get 50% of these kids going to a few games a year. It alot of people but if they can get them to keep following them as adults will be the secret.  The AFL are excellent at it via Auskick and other school programs. But in Brisbane any way league rules but with the migration of southern states and overseas people the numbers are changing.

      Reply

    • Van says:

      02:30pm | 08/02/10

      I am a professional soccer coach and played it all my life. All talk of hatred towards each code is very pathetic. To say that one code is better than another is idiotic, of course you are going to prefer the game you have grown up with AFL or NRL or Union or cricket or Soccer. You may try watching any of the other sports we have, but you will most likely than not stay with the game you grew up with. I dont like AFL so I dont watch it on the telly or read about it in the papers nothing, and it doesnt bother me. People that say that soccer is a girls sport should really give it a go before you knock how tough soccer is, but yes it doesnt help soccer when you have moron’s in the game that feel the need to dive around like they have been shot which is something most soccer fans really hate (and if they dont they arent realy fans), but thats not to say that doesnt happen in AFL I seem to remember watching a peice on Fox Sports News the other day about umpires looking to crack down on diving in AFL and they showed heaps of examples of players doing it, it doesnt happen as much as in soccer but it does happen. Yes soccer australia did a few years ago seem to launch a campaign that it would “take over” sport in Australia, well that is just not going to happen when AFL and both rugby codes have been here for over a hundred years you just are not going to displace that, it hasnt worked in America but soccer is slowly getting more respect over there. Yes soccer is by far the biggest sport globally but we are talking about sport here in Australia where it is possibly 3rd or fourth biggest (that may change on who you ask) . It wont stop fans enjoying the sport!  Each sport is different, each requires a different amount and type of skill and should be respected as such, I dont like Footy but I respect the athletisism of the players and the intricacies of the coaching. All the codes fans show way too much arrogance with them thinking that theirs is the best. End of the day support your favourite sport and just leave the other sports alone, no one sport is better than the other its all about personal preferance. I think everyone just has to get over themselves.

      Reply

    • CynicalGoatWA says:

      03:11pm | 08/02/10

      As long as the FFA and their supporters keep referring to the national mens side as the “Socceroos”, then their dismay at the great “unwashed” for daring to refer to their sport as soccer, is laughable to say the least.
      Soccer will never challenge the AFL and the NRL for general sporting popularity in THIS country….no-one in their right mind would argue with world wide claims to great popularity, but in Australia….you are urinating in a thunderstorm.
      And when only 2 A-League clubs are reportedly going to turn a profit for the season, and 2 of the other clubs are only existing due to filthy rich mining owners, then your league is in pretty ordinary shape. But that’s what you get when you try to expand a decade before you are ready.

      Reply

    • Macca says:

      12:12pm | 16/02/10

      @CynicalGoat, you think Football won’t compete with the other codes in 20 - 30 years time?

      Have to agree to disagree, but I don’t see all those Asian and Southern European immigrant decendants jumping on your bandwagon

    • Fred says:

      03:45pm | 08/02/10

      Im a football fan and it just rubbish to think that the A- League can ‘take over’ as a the nation number one sport.  I love my league and the sheer hardness, speed and pace of the game, ALF for the pure accuracy and athletic abilty, union of the power and great passing kicking and brute strength. Football is a very tactical, physical and highly skilled game. It not rugby , league or AFL . its totally different and different supporters, history, culture and ball. It is far more global and does cross more cultural boundaries. If you dont like football fair enough but at least acknowledge there is a level interest in Australia to realise that it part of the sporting culture.

      Reply

    • Auds says:

      04:04pm | 08/02/10

      SM you not a very good poker player because if you had to place a bet on which sport is 1 of the most popular in the world you would lose and I would win.Andrew ask D.Hall he wrote this column and I’m sure he is not a soccer/football fan our argument is that soccer is football 70% of the world still call it football so just acknowledge that,then there will be no more arguments from us because we don’t care what happens in AFL and we would like you to keep out of ours and then D.Hall won’t have anything to write about.And enjoy your next 8 months off footy( I still play footy,footy with my wife at the dinner table).Don’t forget to print.

      Reply

    • Michael says:

      10:04pm | 08/02/10

      Why do we always feel the need to get involved? Easy. We genuinely feel that soccer is a cruel, frustrating game. It has the random cruelty of a pinball machine. That’s why William Webb Ellis picked up the ball in frustration and ran with it. We pity soccer fans for the torture they put themselves through: few goals, random ricochets and, worst of all, tying your arms behind your back for an entire game. It is head-bangingly mind-blowingly frustrating to us. Sport is about unleashing the beast, not tippy toeing round the rosey. What did George Orwell call sport… “serious sport is was minus the fighting”. Soccer is to be pitied compared to grabbing the ball and charging headlong into the opposition, and looking around at your team mates and screaming “are you with me? are you going to smash through this wall with me?”. It about the charge, the chase, the smash, the tackle. It’s about deep gut emotions. And soccer is not even on the same planet. We laugh at your sport. Worse, we think it’s so cruel that it is a crime to market it to children. And now contrast that to the seemingly insane reality that it is the world’s most popular game. This we don’t understand. And with it being the most popular game comes the pressure of group-think and conformity. Do you see our conflict now? We despise and pity your insane game, and yet we live in a world that pressures us to like it. Don’t underestimate group-think: even though we hate your game we would actually like to conform and like it. But we genuinely despise the game. The end result is only one sane response: to ferociously attack your game whenever we hear anything positive about it, lest the group-think start to invade our heads. Capiche?

      Reply

    • Dave says:

      07:59am | 09/02/10

      Capiche - and you think only NRL is about tearing into the opposition? Everything you said about guts and physicality still applies to football (you don’t watch, so you don’t understand it, so you blindly criticise) therefore your argument is utter tripe.

    • Jeb says:

      08:30am | 09/02/10

      “are you with me? are you going to smash through this wall with me?” HA HA! have you ever played football - any code? 

      Anyway, putting the melodrama aside for one second, a question - do you “ferociously attack” anything else that is popular (but you personally don’t like) to stop the “group think” invading your head?

    • Michael says:

      07:54pm | 09/02/10

      Orwell actually said “Serious sport is war minus the shooting”. Dave, it takes bravery to jump of a cliff, but that doesn’t make it a great sport either. A great sport emulates war. Soccer has the vocal tribal fans, but the onfield part is wet lettuce. That’s why State Of Origin is the pinnacle of Oz sport, because it is the closest thing to war. Ask a self-defence coach what skills you have available under the emotional stress of real conflict: gross motor skills. Soccer, on the other hand, is a beard stroking contest of fine motor skills. Grunt versus finesse. No compare. Yes, Jeb, I played league & union and I surely do oppose lots of other popular ideas if they run counter to human nature. After all, how useful is a culture if everyone follows and no-one leads? But if y’all soccer fans still feel emotionally satisfied with fine motor sport then y’all run along and play now. Me? I’m going to smear my face blue and prepare to destroy some queenslanders. Grrrrr.

    • Jeb says:

      07:47am | 10/02/10

      @ Michael’s reply: others may be glad our culture has ‘leaders’ such as yourself who are continuously challenging the status quo. But methinks your a bit delusional. Your comparisions to war are cheesy at best and would have been a big laugh for any of the league teams i’ve played in.

      i guess besides soccer there’s many other sports based around skill/technique not gross-motor skills. i like a lot of sports and can appreciate the respective requirements of each. some don’t. Fair enough if you don’t find soccer emotionally satisfying. But the crux of the original article is why you aren’t on say a golf or cricket blog telling them that their game sux because you can’t smash into each other and that you about to do some face-painting.

    • Robert Smissen says:

      10:48pm | 08/02/10

      I guess in a country that thinks Commodores & Falcons are real cars, you can’t expect them to understand any sport that doesn’t condone biting, gouging & punching behind play.

      Reply

    • Mickey says:

      12:34pm | 11/02/10

      Mr Smissen you are entirely correct. Much better to condone falling down in a screaming heap, crying hysterically to the ref when the wind blows past too fast. Thats much more entertaining eh?

    • Andrew says:

      08:29am | 09/02/10

      I think the problem is that both sets of fans just can’t accept that the others exist and that others like it. Both are guilty of being arrogant zealots who know the only true way forward for civilisation. I grew up watching the NSL and i think i can speak with authority as a football fan. I have sensed a big change in the attitudes of soccer/football fans. The fans now seem to have this enormous chip on their shoulder that just puts people off side. I get shouted down for daring to question the quality of the A League and the decisions of the FFA. So its not only AFL and rugby league fans who cop this, its soccer/football fans as well. I am apparently a backward thinking ethnic (im as aussie as they come) who wants to take the sport to the bad old days. These guys don’t even know what they are talking about. And their complete reluctance to even recognise the league which kept the sport alive in the country has meant a lot of fans were lost (also Sydneys over the top season one marketing). They still come out for the National team, we have been supporting this team since day dot and will continue to do so but we are lost to the a league. I agree with a lot of the AFL/NRL fans who seem offended or put off by the views of a lot of the current soccer fans, there does seem to have been a change in attitudes to a more militaistic, we are right and your all wrong, join us or die attitude.

      As for the NRL/AFL fans, well this has been going on for a while and will not change. We have always had people make ignorant comments about our choice to follow the sport we do. This seems to be caused by an attitude where only sport for tough people is a real sport. These people are not going to change. However if they just accepted that some people prefer soccer/football then they might find some of the ignorant soccer fans will change their tune a bit.

      As for the soccer vs football debate, it has to be the stupidest debate ever. I call it football as that is how i was brought up calling it. But at the end of the day, who cares what someone else calls it. Soccer fans if you stopped getting so up tight and upset when a NRL/AFL fan says soccer then it will cease to be an issue. Same goes for NRL/AFL fans, just accept that some people want to call soccer as football. It is how we were brought up. But as i said, who cares what other people call it, it doesn’t make it a fact.

      Both sides need to just calm down and change attitudes a bit and all codes will beneift as their will be less of an us vs them mentality. This goes for all the NRL/AFL fans who belittle the code for ‘being a bunch of pansies’ and those soccer fans who talk up how big the sport is worldwide and that they a threat to the NRL and AFL (heres a tip guys, it never will). Also as both soccer and NRL/AFL are played at different times fo the year so they are really not in competition. Lets all just grow up and be a bit more civilised.

      Reply

    • Jeb says:

      08:48am | 09/02/10

      Very good response Andrew. I totally agree with everything you said.

    • omegaman says:

      08:44pm | 09/02/10

      You are such a cool, chilled out guy Andrew! The chicks must be throwing themselves at you!
      You are right…we should all just “calm down”  and learn to get along. What about the children?
      Starting games with a rousing rendition of Kumbyah and giving every player their own ball would also lower stress levels considerably.
      Maybe we should have demonstration games of different codes at half time?

    • Charles Kelly says:

      01:18am | 12/02/10

      No Andrew, just because you and others were “brought up” in ignorance doesn’t excuse the fact that it’s still ignorance. There are only three types of people who call “Association Football” just “Football” - ignorant, arrogant, or both.

      At least four codes in Australia have the right to use the term “football”, and that SHOULD tell you something. The official managing bodies of EVERY code BUT soccer are well aware that as there is more than one prominent football code in Australia, each code NEEDS to have its own point of identification. This is what’s known as basic common sense and intelligent thought - something that historically has been dismally lacking in the managing bodies of soccer in Australia (which is actually what prompted the rebranding in the first place).

    • Andrew says:

      10:00am | 12/02/10

      omegaman, i am afraid i don’t quite see what your point is?

      Charles Kelly, i thought the rules, teams, ball, league and pitch/goals were obvious points of identification enough. but nice to ehar that genralising is still around. Although i agree that the term association football is a valid term i am unaware of anyone in australia or around the world who calls it such. My point is that because i call my sport football doesn’t make you wrong, it is just what i and my family choose to call it. I think you have proved my point with your very generic comments about the whole football vs soccer debate is one of the stupidest going around.

    • Charles Kelly says:

      12:27am | 13/02/10

      So Andrew, when you go to a restaurant and order a steak do you say “I’d like to order a steak”, or do you say “I want some meat”? If it’s the latter, what sort of looks do you get from the waiters? Maybe you prefer pasta, so do you say “I’d like to order some pasta”, or do you specify what kind of pasta you prefer? Maybe seafood is your thing, so do you say “I’d like to order some seafood”, or do you specify what kind of seafood you’d like to order? Oh, what’s that? You would never be so blatantly idiotic as to not specify what particular type of meat/pasta/seafood you were referring to? Really?. . . Really???. . . Then WHY do you find it acceptable not to specify what code of football you’re referring to???

    • cybacaT says:

      09:32am | 09/02/10

      I made the point that soccer requires less skill and some tried to challenge that.

      Soccer requires the ability to run and kick a ball either straight or curved to an opponent or the goals.  Occasionally you may use your head.  ...and that’s about it.  I’ve played soccer - there isn’t much more to it.

      Let’s contrast with Aussie rules - you need to be able to run and kick an oval ball either standing or at speed, you must be able to sprint at full tilt while repeatedly bouncing an oval ball.  You need to be able to handpass short to medium distances.  You need to be able to dish out and take a tackle - which is a skill soccer players perhaps don’t understand.  All of the above has to be achieved in a longer, more physically demanding game where players much maintain those highly developed skills despite being pummeled for much of the match.

      Please don’t ever try and claim soccer requires anywhere near the skill of other football codes.  This is one myth that has been *busted*.

      Reply

    • Trev says:

      10:23am | 09/02/10

      I have played both Aussie Rules at a ok level. Aussie Rules coaches can usually pick a soccer player as they have a better idea of defence, reading the play and anticipating kicks. They are often used a taggers as well. One our 2 teamd we have about 5 x - soccer players and you can pick them a mile off. kicking has to be altered to kick through and obviously tacklling, hand ball needs work.  We occasionally drop from standard training and played some soccer with in the team and the ability to cross over from aussie rules to soccer was funny. We realised that the abilty of soccer players to kick left and right, inside outisde of both feet a skill that not alot of aussie rules focuses on. Also to think ahead before you get the ball what to do with it. In defence trying to lose a marking man or employ a zone defence. I never really got what it was about till we started playing it a bit, I accept that soocer isnt my first love but certainly see why people love playing it and watching it. 

      obviosuly what cybacaT says is naive and limited. But he is entilted to his or her view

    • Jeb says:

      10:45am | 09/02/10

      Yet these great skills aussie rules requires seem to be able to be picked up quite quickly. Testiment to this are the many players in the afl who come to the sport late in their development as athletes. I doubt anyone has reached a high level of soccer without playing it continuously for a very long time. Or signed to a high level club having only played a couple of games as a kid. Happy to be proven wrong.

      btw This is not meant to knock AFL as it’s a good game.

    • Mickey says:

      11:05am | 09/02/10

      I’m not a socer fan, but to think you have underplayed the skill level when played ast thye elite level. Sure, the Australian A league is covered by your description, but you cannot be seriously claiming that the European Premier league is as well? There is a hell of a lot more to the game when played at that level.

    • omegaman says:

      08:45pm | 09/02/10

      Yeah cybacaT but its different in real life than on your X-box. There’s no pizza and you get oranges at half time

    • Jo says:

      12:39pm | 09/02/10

      Jeb is spot on. I myself am a soccer man through and through but i really enjoy watching afl. I know alot of guys who play aussie rules and are not big soccer fans, yet they all admit that the skill in soccer far exceeds that of AFL. AFL’s appeal is more so in the athleticism of its participants (aside from ruckman), and occasionally its skill level. But look at how many players who play another sport, change to AFL and within a couple of years they are able to play at the highest level?? That would be impossible in almost all other sports, soccer definately included.

      Reply

    • Trev says:

      05:02pm | 09/02/10

      There is no way the a AFL player could play A- League and vise versa. But cybacaT derides that soccer is easy saying it a basic easy game that he / or she mastered at age 3.  My point I guess is that both sports are great to watch and require different skills. And I can understand why both are so popular.

      Reply

    • cybacaT says:

      07:49pm | 09/02/10

      3 key reasons why soccer is “the world game”:

      1.  It’s damn easy to play.  It requires a round ball and 2 goals to kick at.  The skill level is the most basic of all football codes - so basic the first ball skill a toddler learns is kicking/dribbling a round ball around.  Because it’s so simple.  I’d love to hear exactly what other skills are involved besides kicking a ball straight or curved into a goal or to an opponent?  Doesn’t matter what league you’re talking about, unless you want to throw in diving as a skill then that’s all soccer needs!

      2.  It’s a very simple game for spectators to follow.  One thing that puts many people off sport is they find it just too hard to understand.  Other codes have plenty more rules, there’s a lot more strategy and intellect required to play them (NFL, Union), and for a spectator it’s just too hard.  Enter soccer where it’s as basic as you can get - aside from the offside rule, you just kick the ball around until someone puts it in the net.

      3.  As pointed out earlier, much of the world simply doesn’t know any better.  Living in an African 3rd world nation, a cracker looks great as food and soccer looks like an exciting sport.  Move to Australia though and we have slightly higher expectations.

    • omegaman says:

      08:51pm | 09/02/10

      depending on whether you have a playstation3 or an x-box playing soccer may also require different handsets.

      In the third world they only have playstation2, which is why soccer is so popular because we threw our playstation2s away like three years ago now

    • jo says:

      09:43pm | 09/02/10

      cybacaT - I thought at first you were just a little naive but to say soccer is the most basic skill wise out of all football codes makes me think that you are surely taking the mickey. Kick a football to most people and they will be able to mark (catch) it - basic hand eye co-ordination. Kick a soccer ball along a bumpy surface as most pitches are and you will find that the average person will not have any idea how to properly control it. Proper control of a soccer ball is the hardest skill to master, not ‘kicking a ball straight/curved’, which is actually easy to master. Your argument completely falls down when you see people converting from other sports to AFL quite easily.

    • Gweeds says:

      03:24pm | 10/02/10

      I’ve read all the comments above, but I think most (some were quite eloquently funny, thanks Micheal) missed the point of the article: “Why soccer (let’s call it that here) attracts such opprobrium”?

      There two main types of AUSTRALIAN soccer haters: (1) Those who think that soccer does not belong to the Australian culture together with full cover burqas and female circumcision.  Soccer is a foreign game and it offends them that it get attention, any attention.  So any opportunity they get (such as blogs comment sections) they say ‘Soccer is boring, played by primadonnas that fall at any opportunity, fans are hooligans etc. etc. and (2)  The ‘Eurosnobs’ that have probably grown up watching the top European leagues either in their country of birth and belittle the A League as being rubbish and not worthy of any attention.

      As David stated in this article any time soccer is mentioned, could be just an article about a match immediately these two groups start a wind up in comment thread.  Immediately the thread is lost (as David also state) as the original purpose of the article gets lots in the usual and predictable claim and counter claim.  Do articles of other sports attract such negative attention?  Are we going to read anti-hockey articles?  Or perhaps someone bemoaning the expense of sending any Australian to the winter Olympics.  I think that Cricket (all versions) is one of the most boring sport on earth.  But I am quite capable in ignoring articles about it, and resist the urge of writing posts about how dour is the game on cricket threads.

      I also agree that there are some annoying ‘Football (soccer) Uber Alles’ fans.  But they are really a minority.  You just have to go to the Melbourne Victory fan forum to see how they are ridiculed.

      So to all you soccer haters please refrain to write on soccer threads.  Soccer fans have heard all your arguments before, ad nauseam for the past 40 years at least.  You are adding nothing new and if you have to resort to regurgitate anti-soccer arguments that have been around since the Dead Sea was just getting sick to get your jollies then get some therapy.  JUST LEAVE US ALONE and go back to your favourite sports/codes.  There’s a Good Boy.

      Reply

    • Charles Kelly says:

      04:18pm | 12/02/10

      Well Gweeds, if “AUSTRALIAN” fans of the round ball game “have heard all [the] arguments before, ad nauseam for the past 40 years at least”, why do some still ignorantly insist on officially referring to their code as “Football”, which clearly refers to EVERY code, not just theirs?

      You ask if we are likely “to read anti-hockey articles” - and I’d say the answer is no, because “hockey” barely raises a blip on the Australian sporting radar. We have little to no chance of EVER winning an Olympic medal in “hockey”, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many Australians are even aware that it’s played in this country.

    • hockeyfan says:

      08:09pm | 14/02/10

      Hi, the Australian men’s hockey team (the Kookaburras) won gold in Athens in 2004, while the Australian women’s team (the Hockeyroos) have won three Olympic gold medals including Sydney 2000. Even at club level, it’s a great sport to watch with obviously world class players running around. Cost you about three bucks fifty for a whole afternoon of fixtures back-to-back. And they don’t complain about anything.

    • Charles Kelly says:

      11:41am | 15/02/10

      Noooooooooo! REALLY hockeyfan??? They had ice rinks at the Athens Olympics???

      What’s that??? You mean there’s more than one type of “hockey”???

      But hang on a sec - for the majority of the world, “hockey” means the game we here in Australia refer to as “ice hockey”! You’re referring to that game usually referred to as “field hockey” right? So why don’t we call it that in Australia? What right do we as Australians have to go against the majority of the world when naming our sports?????

      Oh, I see - so the official governing body of “hockey” (the skating kind) in Australia (the AIHL) were actually intelligent enough to realise that as Australia already has a more prominent type of “hockey” in this country, it would be prudent to refer to their preferred variation by a name which specifically identifies its point of difference.

      I wonder why the official governing body of Association Football in Australia aren’t that smart? Too many balls to the head?

      Oh, and thanks for helping me prove my point. wink

    • fieldhockeyfan says:

      01:10pm | 15/02/10

      You’re right Charles, I’m sorry for upsetting you by using “hockey” when I should have said “field hockey” because that endorses field hockey over ice hockey and indoor hockey. I want to apologise to each and every fan of all forms of hockey, and let them know I’m committed to an ongoing program of education and self-improvement on this issue so that I don’t further add to the confusion in the future.

    • bj says:

      01:48pm | 15/02/10

      What’s the odds that hockeyfan is actually charles kelly? now that someone (i reckon you) has taken your bait, you better be going onto those ice hockey blogs and jumping on the first kid who calls it hockey.

    • Charles Kelly says:

      09:28am | 16/02/10

      Er, NO “bj” - I have no association with hockeyfan or fieldhockeyfan. I guess you BLEW that one . . . “bj”.

      You’re just miffed because someone took my bait, allowing me to reveal what you’d have rather stayed hidden. It’s obvious you knew where I was going with my initial statement about hockey, and you were really hoping nobody would notice.

      In case some of you missed it though, clearly my intention was to highlight the gross ignorance of those who refer to “association football” as just “football” when there are already two, maybe three, more prominent football codes already in Australia - and the argument that “most of the world do it, so we should too” is a load of crap.

      Even though it’s the opposite in many other parts of the world, Australia’s overwhelmingly preferred form of hockey is what’s known elsewhere as “field hockey” - and as such, they actually have the RIGHT to call it just “hockey” in THIS country. UNLIKE the official governing body of association football (soccer) in Australia, the official governing body of ice hockey here are rational intelligent people, so they call their organisation the “Australian ICE Hockey League” even though in many other parts of the world it wouldn’t be necessary.

      As I said before, I wonder why the official governing body of association football in Australia aren’t that smart?

    • David says:

      10:36am | 16/02/10

      I wouldn’t be surprised if it was bj who made the comment attributed to fieldhockeyfan.

    • bj says:

      11:16am | 16/02/10

      I wouldn’t be surprised if “David” is actually charles kelly

    • Charles Kelly says:

      01:33pm | 17/02/10

      Awwwww gee “bj” - you’re obviously waaaaay too clever for me. You BLEW this whole scam wide open . . . “bj”. Yeah you got me. I’m “David” - in fact I’m actually David Hall, and I just really enjoy having petty inane arguments with myself. Well, truth be told I’m actually responsible for every single post on here, including YOURS - it’s this nasty multiple personality thing I’ve got going (too many soccer balls to the head).

      Now that I’ve come clean, perhaps you won’t look so stupid for suggesting that I actually wrote comments which clearly contradicted my point.

    • mahony says:

      12:09pm | 11/02/10

      This article only served to tell us what we know about fans of all codes and seek to entrench the AFL/NRL hegemony .  Football will be #1 - it is only a matter of time.  The isolationist, internal market that is the US will effectively repeal the ‘sokkah threat’ - but Australia won’t be able to.

      Reply

    • Andrew says:

      04:01pm | 11/02/10

      Jawohl, Herr Mahony. Schnell!

    • Matt says:

      02:16pm | 11/02/10

      Were any of these posters reading the article? What a predictable and depressing response. But thanks for your considered, moderate words David and for being an interesting read on the game I love.

      Reply

    • Charles Kelly says:

      08:55am | 12/02/10

      Regarding the naming of the code: the main factor in play here is that the fans and official managing bodies of EVERY code BUT soccer in Australia are well aware that as there is more than one prominent football code in this country, each code NEEDS to have its own point of identification - and while soccer fans remain ignorant of this very simple point, it’s impossible to take them seriously in any capacity. Name-wise, the defining factor of the Association Football code is the word “Association”, which was many years ago abbreviated to the nickname “soccer”. If the term “soccer” isn’t used when referring to the code in countries where is more than one prominent football code, the word “Association” has to be included along with the word “Football”. Anyone incapable of displaying such basic common sense deserves to be treated like the fool that they are.

      Reply

    • wow says:

      07:19pm | 15/02/10

      If you ever wonder what it is like to be at the receiving end of any form of discrimination (age, sex, race, religion), try being a soccer fan. The same reasons why you get those form of discrimination is the same reason why soccer fan get picked on. It really is as simple as that. The only difference is political correctness doesn’t apply to soccer discrimination.

      Most of any discrimination is fear, although some probably don’t really know why they do it other than because their parents tell them so or because of peer group pressure. Some do it for fun to elicit a response, a bit like bullying. Maybe someone with a degree in social science can do a thesis on this.

      Reply

    • Charles Kelly says:

      09:49am | 16/02/10

      It’s abundantly clear that the majority of Australians are NEVER going to agree with officially calling Association Football just “Football” in this country, so at some stage the ignorant illiterates in charge are going to have to wise up and rebrand the game in Australia yet again. Evidently they don’t want to go back to “soccer”, so a new name will have to be found. As the word “ASSociation” is essential in determining which code of “footBALL” is being referred to, and given the overwhelmingly camp Broadway musical theatrics which dominate the general public’s perception of the game, the choice is perfectly obvious - “ASS BALL”.

      Reply

    • Macca says:

      12:03pm | 16/02/10

      @Charles Kelly, I’m off to Footy Training, what ball will I be using?

      Take the ignorance elsewhere mate and accept the co-existance

      Reply

    • Charles Kelly says:

      12:56pm | 16/02/10

      Well Macca as “footy” is a colloquial AUSTRALIAN term for MANY years given only to Rugby Football (both codes) or Australian Rules Football, if someone refers to “footy”, it’s an oval ball - simple as that. Unless, of course, that person is an ignorant illiterate moron who either doesn’t know any better or has no respect at all for Australian tradition.

    • jordi says:

      09:42pm | 21/05/10

      if soccer is no good why do the other codes clone everything soccer does there even starting to dive wtf world game 4 life the other codes are shooting themselves in the foot by being critical of things such as diving

      Reply

    • the truth says:

      09:56pm | 21/05/10

      the majority of you haters on soccer are fearful its going to become big in australia cut the bull people with sense can see right through you don’t be insecure 90% of soccer fans woul’nt bag another code different breed of people slightly more intelligent are soccer fans

      Reply

    • Charles Kelly says:

      10:47am | 30/05/10

      Well “the truth”, don’t you think it’s reasonable to assume that “people slightly more intelligent” (as you say) would actually be able to spell, and be capable of constructing a coherent sentence? So where does that leave you? How sad.

    • peter says:

      10:20pm | 21/05/10

      i can’t get my head around why the USA called it soccer in the first place and then we coppied them along with a couple of other countries the code deserves its official name because lets face it the word soccer just sounds lame which is the opposite of what the code is they should call the AFL soccer it suits it

      Reply

    • Charles Kelly says:

      09:56am | 29/05/10

      Well peter, did you consider that maybe you can’t get your head around it because it isn’t true? If you actually had a clue, you’d be aware that “soccer” is an ENGLISH term which goes all the way back to the origins of the round ball code. The official name of the round ball code is “Association Football”, NOT just “football”. Wake up and smell the ignorance.

    • jesusknowsthetruth says:

      10:33pm | 21/05/10

      oh soccer why do they hate you so i have no idea please people let go of envy it leads to life threatening illnesses just admire you will live longer

      Reply

    • Bruce says:

      03:15pm | 28/05/10

      The story of how AFL hard-man Ron Barassi, out to prove the soccer was a game played by ‘Big girls’ sustained an injury that ended his VFL career.

      http://www.brisbaneroar.com/2010/05/afl-vs-soccer/

      Manolis Papadopoulos remembers the footy players making their intentions clear immediately. According to Papadopoulos, Barassi led the charge, literally, taking every opportunity to rough-up Slavia players. This backfired when Barassi went into a tackle and was let down by his woeful technique. John Auchie simply put his foot behind the ball and when Barassi came charging through for a massive toe-bash he found himself flying through the air and landing in a crumpled, injured heap.

      Oh the ‘lols at the ‘soft game’. I also beleive that a sports phsyio who has worked extensively with AFL and Soccer teams stated that football was the harder game.

      Lastly, while we might see playing for a free kick the lowest form of cheating; other nations see our bullying and aggressive gamesmanship just as obnoxiously.

      Reply

    • Brian Meynell says:

      04:31pm | 30/05/10

      The majority of abuse towards ‘Soccer’ here seems to come from AFL fans. You only have to go to AFL states during the winter to realise that AFL owns the media in the winter and there is no other sport mentioned on TV. It’s a closed shop. This is why AFL fans are complete wankers when it comes to discussing various codes. They simply have no idea what they’re talking about, so they resort to cheap ‘putdowns’ to describe Soccer and NRL.
      Richard Collis, chairman of Sydney Swans is on record as describing Sydney as Australia’s toughest football market(all codes) because there are four codes of football in the one town, and each code, including AFL and Soccer get fair media coverage. In Melbourne its AFL ONLY.
      I prefer watching NRL, but good luck to the Socceroos, I’ll be cheering for them. I can’t be bothered with AFL, I might get mistaken for a Victorian, yuck!

      Reply

    • Andy warhol says:

      09:55pm | 28/04/11

      The world is a global village,Australia is located in Asia, football(soccer)is the no1 sport in Asia,life is football,it also opens many other doors for example, business,trade,fashion and cultural links.Asia is booming and football in Asia/ Aus will boom to.Football has to be the no1 sport in Aus, the money in the game will be huge and the best talent in the world will come here to play. Aus is in a very unique position,beautiful weather,multicultural and amazing stadiums.The time is now, dont miss this opportunity Football Australia.Only FOOTBALL!!! can offer this window of opportunity.

      Reply

    • Pablo Picasso says:

      09:50pm | 04/06/11

      That is so true, couldn’t put i better myself. A very smart opinion andy, only if all australians shared this veiw. Are you a football journalist?

 
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