http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/bonita-mersiades/ Some people might think Bonita Mersiades is one dimensional because her professional life and her sporting passion combine, but it hasn’t always been that way.  While she has been around football all her life as a child, player, community volunteer, ‘soccer mum’ and now as administrator/management (including time as the first and, so far, only female team manager of the Qantas Socceroos), she has also had real jobs in government and the not-for-profit sector in strategic policy/communications. She also enjoys other sports (she counts Richmond, the Brumbies and the Raiders as three of her other teams), other cultural activities and politics and says that her passion for football has always had the broader dimension of Australia’s place in the world ... in fact, that point where international sport meets international politics.  Bonita also authored Frank Farina’s book on his playing career. She is head of Corporate and Public Affairs for the Football Federation of Australia. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/world-cup-bid-shine-like-a-big-big-star/ “Shine like a big, big star!” This quote may sound like an odd introduction to an article about Australia’s bid for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022, but it is also the basis for one of the inspirational highlights of the bid team’s work in Cape Town two weeks ago. All bidding nations were invited to Cape Town by FIFA to participate in a media expo to present our claims.  The media expo was the first of only three formal presentations for bidders to the FIFA Executive, the international football community and international football media.  While it was the ‘set piece’ event for bidding nations during the week, Football Federation Australia (FFA) also planned other activities to ensure we were noticed in a very busy period for world football. The inspiration came from a visit to a township school outside Cape Town by Federal Minister for Sport Kate Ellis, FFA Chairman Frank Lowy, CEO Ben Buckley, Head Coach Pim Verbeek, and the eight Aussie kids who had won a competition to be Bid emissaries for the week. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Bonita Mersiades) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/world-cup-bid-shine-like-a-big-big-star/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/world-cup-bid-shine-like-a-big-big-star/#item1982 Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:35:09 +0000 Bonita Mersiades | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/reasons-the-world-cup-would-be-good-for-us/ Like many Australians of my generation and background, there was hardly a weekend when my dad wasn’t taking me to a football ground.  In fact, Sunday meant Sunday School and soccer and the opportunity to catch up with all the people who spoke the same sporting language.  Football clubs were the centrepiece of the social life of many migrant and refugee communities and many clubs became some of the great nurseries of football talent over subsequent years. Since then, football’s popularity has grown across Australia and has expanded from the weekend ritual of migrant families to become the most popular sport for Aussie boys and, increasingly, girls. Its rising prominence in Australian culture comes at a time when the country is bidding for the FIFA World Cup to come here in either 2018 or 2022. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Bonita Mersiades) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/reasons-the-world-cup-would-be-good-for-us/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/reasons-the-world-cup-would-be-good-for-us/#item1652 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:30:13 +0000 Bonita Mersiades | Author bios | The Punch