Football World Cup

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.

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  • Vee says:

    11:18am | 08/11/09

    Thanks Bonita for stirring up so many of those familiar family memories and for proving that girls can have their say on the appreciation of such a stunningly beautiful game.  Or maybe that’s just those woman who appreciate the speed, style, grace and aesthetic of soccer.  Soccer is not only… Read more »

  • Frank Scicluna says:

    12:55pm | 06/11/09

    Wonderful memories Bonita. How far do you go back? I remember travelling by train from Fairfield to the ES Marks field as a 13 year old to watch Leo Baumgartner, Karl Jaros, Les Scheinflug and all the other great imports for Sydney FC Prague in the late 50’s while all… Read more »

 

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