Aussie Stadium...You would be looking at much better shots if I had remembered my camera!

Yorke celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the season for Sydney FC - Great poster for Australian soccer

Yorke's got all the technique and experience

Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory

It was such a sin. Among all things, I forgot my camera. I would have taken so many nice shots at Aussie Stadium. My seat was so close to the field, Dwight Yorke would have been within ear-shot if I had hurled any abuse!

The atmosphere in the stadium was just brilliant. And the game wasn't bad as well. I wasn't exactly expecting such a fast-paced game. Both teams went at each other right at kick-off. Expectations were high as the two teams were considered the top two sides of the league. The turn-out was fantastic with 25,208 fans in full voice. This is more than 10,000 more than what organisers had anticipated. 1600 spectators were let in free half an hour into the match because of congestion at the ticket stands.

My Uncle and I sat at the wrong seats for the first half. Or else we could have had a much better view of Yorke scoring the first goal. It was a fabulous diving header, just like so many he had done for the Red Devils. We went down to our seats in the second half and we were probably less than 10 rows from the pitch. There wasn't a running track round the stadium, it was one built for field games.

Melbourne scored through their star striker too, and coincidentally with a good headed goal as well. The two sides were pretty evenly matched throughout. Melbourne played well as the away team, and in my opinion, more than deserved the draw. They had a good defense to neutralise Sydney's attack down the flanks and looked threatening on the counter. They had quite a few chances in front of goal towards the end and were very close to scoring the winner in the dying seconds. Sydney played with slightly more flair. It was an attacking side with two big strikers and Yorke just behind them. There were some great passes but they lacked impetus going forward and were not decisive in the attacking sense. If Sydney had been more clinical with their finishing, they would have had a good win at home. But as it turned out, both teams just took their only chance and the game ended in a 1-1 stalemate. All in all, a great advert for the new soccer league. Very encouraging indeed to everyone involved in Australian soccer.

The Sleeping Giant

It's amazing how the A-league over here is just starting...my arrival here couldn't be more perfect. Would be going on Tuesday to check out Ivan's video interview with Dwight Yorke, ex-Man Utd player.

Always an exciting time to be part of something like this. The dawn of a new endeavour...
Below is the unedited version of my first writing assignment.

The Sleeping Giant by Chee Yu Qun (305066145) Alvin

My impression of Australian soccer has always been good. Not fantastic. But enough to ward off any pessimism linked to the future of the sport here.

Nevertheless, I was slightly surprised to find the domestic soccer scene in a state of disrepair. Only not too long ago, soccer professionals here were much sought after by South-east Asian countries, including Singapore. Signed as marquee players, they brought with them, amongst other talents, experience gained from a professional set-up. Famous names included Alistair Edwards, Abbas Saad and Craig Foster, just to name a few.

There is a constant stream of Australian players plying their trade abroad. Players like Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka have been able to make a name for themselves in the international scene, building successful careers in their respective European clubs.

This exodus of young local talent hurts the development of Australian soccer. Young kids here don’t have anyone they can watch week in, week out and look up to. Furthermore, the management of the domestic league hasn’t been up to par. Previous national advertising campaigns for soccer have failed due to a lack of support and funding from former National Soccer League clubs focused on promoting themselves to their support base.

This point was highlighted by Ivan Zelic, an ex-professional player I interviewed over the phone. He has played professional soccer for the past 10 years.

“They’ve got wrong people steering the ship for NSL,” Ivan explained. “The clubs had their own ethnic ties. It was wrong marketing style…marketing only went out to certain ethnic communities. And this affected spectator turnouts.”

However, the ex-Socceroo who is now playing part-time and running junior development clinics for kids, expressed optimism for the future of Australian soccer.

“Australia is a sleeping giant,” he says. “Having this new league campaign properly in place is a good first step for Australian soccer.”

Ivan is referring to the new Hyundai A-league which kicks off on August 26.

“Previously, there were no good coaches to reward talent. With the introduction of the A-league, the clubs would have good foreign coaches and players. Exciting times lay ahead…Australian soccer finally looks to be going somewhere.”


I found out that soccer at youth level here is at a very good standard. Soccer claims to be the largest team participation sport in Australia, just ahead of cricket, with a high level of female involvement and many social competitions, but 70 per cent of registered players are aged 17 or younger. It is interesting to see soccer being such a popular sport with the kids but not so much with the adults.

William, a 15 year-old Manchester United fan from Mitchell High School explains to me that he plays because many of his friends play the game. He reasoned that soccer is not too rough or too difficult to play, hence its popularity.

To Ivan, soccer is a great game to play, growing up in your teens. However, he feels there hasn’t been anyone in domestic soccer competitions that teenagers like William can look up to.

Compared to AFL or NRL rugby competitions, the domestic soccer league hasn’t been well managed or supported. And many have the view that soccer is a sissy sport, which Ivan refutes vehemently.

“Soccer is a sport where you can use any part of your body to control the ball.”

Elder brother Ned Zelic, captain of the Newcastle Jets, would be hoping for a lot of that control in the new A-league.

League rival Sydney FC has got ex-Manchester United player Dwight Yorke in their ranks. Incidentally, Ivan has done a video interview with Dwight, who was surprised not to see soccer anywhere in the news. He doesn’t understand why rugby is so popular here when it’s not as international a sport as soccer is.

“It’s surprising it hasn’t been a success when so many kids are playing,” he said.

Well in all honestly, I have been wondering the exact same thing.

Timothy Steains, 17 and Nobu, 21 shed some light on this when I had a chat with them.

Tim studies grade 11 at Gosford High School, and has friends who would go watch the A-league. He on the other hand, probably wouldn’t. He has lost much of the passion for the past year or so. Getting an injury didn’t help, that’s for sure. Priorities have changed for him as well he explains, choosing to spend more time on studies and professional opera singing.

“The domestic league hasn’t been of a good standard so far, hence the lack of interest from adults especially.”

But this former Goalkeeper of the Year and Player’s Player of the Year playing for the Hornsby youth team, thinks A-league may get popular when it becomes a well-managed professional competition close to home.

Nobu, originally from Japan, agrees.

“Australian soccer is not popular or famous because the clubs or national team haven’t made into any major competitions.”

He has been in Australia for 11 years and has actively participated in youth competitions with different teams.

“But it is gradually getting more popular and the standard is getting higher.”

He feels that if Australia makes it to the World Cup, there would be a huge spike in public interest. Otherwise, he thinks, things would likely stay the same.

All three of them, William, Timothy and Nobu have little intention to play professionally in the future. This is such a pity.

Australia possesses a wealth of talented youngsters with all the qualities to make it to the top. Many clubs are recognizing this and are attempting to harness and nurture this raw talent by developing professional structures and giving their players a career path to state, national or overseas leagues.

One club, the Parramatta Eagles, has secured a partnership with one of the biggest clubs in the world, Manchester United. It is now the official youth development partner for Manchester United in the Oceania Region, jointly developing a professional youth development program.

I am sure William would be very interested to know of this development.

Another important development is the move of Australia into the Asian Football Confederation - effective 1 January 2006.

The FFA is hoping that spikes in interest that have traditionally surrounded games played by the national side, broaden into more consistent support with this news.

The Socceroos will begin playing Asian Cup qualifiers from February next year and the top two club sides will qualify for the Asian Champions League.

Ivan thinks this is a good chance to form links with Asian clubs and nations. Closer ties with Asian teams would allow for more quality competitions to be formed, and improve the level of play around the region.

Australia’s World Cup history is one of lost opportunities and much heartbreak. But 1974 will long live in the memory of every Australian soccer fan. The 1974 finals in West Germany remains the one and only time that Australia has made it to the World Cup.

There are signs that Australia can make it. Only recently in 2003, a friendly game between Australia and England saw the Socceroos outplay a star-studded English side which included captain David Beckham, beating them 3-1.

Next year’s World Cup Finals would be held in Germany again. Would history repeat itself?

Football Federation of Australia head of marketing and strategy Geoff Parmenter is someone who would like a positive answer.

Early this month, an advertising campaign worth $10 million was launched, selling Australian soccer to the key audience of 16 to 24-year-olds, a new generation of fans.

“You could view this as a new product launch, but in our minds, it’s even more substantial than that. We’re trying to unveil a new culture.” Mr. Parmenter said.

Families and older supporters as well as young players were part of the broad audience for the new football competition, which needed to make a clean break from the collapse of the former NSL, successive failed World Cup campaigns and ethnic soccer flare-ups that have eroded the sport’s image.

There is a worrying belief that the A-league is lacking in quality even before a single ball has been kicked, Editor of Soccer International magazine John Iannantuono points out.

Some people are still reluctant to embrace change and support the new vision for Australian football, he says. These people want the national team to succeed, want the game to have more exposure, but are unwilling to get behind their A-league club, still choosing to compare quality between the now defunct NSL and European football.

The importance of a successful domestic competition should not be underestimated. A sound domestic league is, in my opinion, the lifeblood of the national team; a never-ending production line of emerging talent. Furthermore, it is the base to which further success can be built upon.

Australian football is undoubtedly in its most exciting period, and the benefits of a successful domestic competition are immeasurable. However, patience will be required from the footballing public if the competition and indeed Australia, as a soccer nation, are to prosper.

UNSW

UNSW

UNSW

The Other Uni

Victoria Park

Victoria Park

Main Quad

Victoria Park

Victoria Park

Socceroo Encounter

Something really cool happened today.

I interviewed a professional soccer player today for an article that i'm writing. He isn't so famous in the international soccer scene but he has played for Australia before. Having played professionally for ten years, he was in the World Youth Championships with the Socceroos, playing alongside the likes of Harry Kewell, a better known player.

Funny thing is, he's into the media industry as well, hoping to get into tv broadcast. He is playing part-time now, and spending the rest of the time running soccer clinics for kids. And guess what, he had just done an interview himself, with Dwight Yorke, an ex-Man Utd player! Dwight has just arrived about a month ago to play for Sydney FC .

Well, hope i get something published...

Chinatown

Went to Chinatown again yesterday. For dinner. But I got more than I bargained for. Spilt hot tea all over my pants. And got pretty bad service too. It ended with a big laugh at the end though.

The food was alright. It was a small taiwanese restaurant which I reckon has got better business than most around. The spaces were pitifully small, and there was barely space to walk between the tables. As I was just going to settle down in my seat, the pot of tea at the edge of the table caught my jacket and toppled. It scalded me somewhat. But I was lucky the tea had cooled a little and wasn't exactly boiling hot. Still it was quite uncomfortable sitting in my drenched pair of jeans. Seriously, I have to be thankful nothing inside got badly harmed!

The service was bad because the waitresses can't wait for customers to finish their food and get up to leave. So they would be hovering around and making a beeline for those empty or almost empty plates and bowls. Business is always brisk to say the least. Sometimes it feels faster than fast food. Then again, fast food isn't that hot or tasty. They had a good variety of Chinese dishes as well.

The bill came and we were using the serviettes as we got ready to leave. My uncle had both the used serviette and bill in one hand. A waitress reached out her hand to ask for it. The bill obviously. But my uncle thought she was offering to dispose off the tissue for him, and so he withdrew his hand and waved her away. Hilarious! We had a good laugh indeed...

National Day 2005

The National Day this year is particularly significant for me. Not because I'm taking part in the parade or in any way involved. In fact, I'm not even in the country. For the first time in 27 years, I'm watching the parade from overseas ...

We gathered at Jason's place at Renwick to watch the parade. He had broadband internet with a mid-range connection speed. The streaming video was lagging quite a lot and we didn't really have a good look at the performances at all. But we all had a good time, chatting about all things Singaporean. From national day songs to army weaponry to politicians and television artistes. And of course, there was food. Snacks, chocolate cake and orange juice filled our stomachs. While the distinctively Singaporean camaraderie filled our hearts with warmth.

Took part in NDP last year and I had a wonderful time. This year, I managed to encourage my mum and auntie to take part. It's so gratifying to know that they have thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. I really hope to complete my studies in Sydney successfully by the middle of next year. And be able to return home and get involved in NDP 2006.

But if I get an assignment to cover the World Cup in Germany, that would be another story...

To see a world in a grain of sand And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand And eternity in an hour – William Blake