Canberra - Most popular for 2010
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There's no question things at FIFA are less than kosher it's the dietary law equivalent of
McDonald's dipped in Burger King. However, even those loosely involved are likely on the gray-ish
side of things, including those up in arms over the World Cup 2018 & 2022 bids.
Take Australia, which reportedly spent $8m-per-vote on their bid for World Cup 2022.
Well, not here on this very computer screen, that would be just silly. But it will start,
officially, in Canberra this week with the first Matildas camp in 2010. While Tom Sermanni had
close to 40 players in some camps last year, he's about to start whittling down to find his A-team
that he hopes will qualify for the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany.
The latest news on the squad that is set to start the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup opener for
Australia is this, Lydia Williams in goal, Melissa Barbieri on the bench. Defender Thea Slatyer
will wear the captain's armband. And two wonderful stories in that Aivi Luik will play, completing
the journey she set out to when she came back to Australia from America at the end of last year,
with a goal to get into the Matildas, and so will Sally Shipard, who is back on the international
stage after a two-year-break and a W-League season where she signed for Canberra United but
couldn't play at all due to an international transfer hold-up.
So there wasn't any World Cups, or even any World Cup qualifiers, but there was still plenty of
women's football action in Australia, or involving Australia, last year. Here is a short-wrap of
the year that was 2009 in Australian women's top-level football.
JANUARY - The first Westfield W-League finals series was played out between
Brisbane Roar, Newcastle Jets, Canberra United and Sydney FC.
Kofi Danning Sydney FC and Young Socceroo started football in Australia in Canberra with Majura
FC.
This interview appears as part of a series of podcasts on the Majura FC junior club website, or
will do in coming days.
This is Kofi's story......to date!
Download here
The A-League draw is out and guess what....Central Coast Mariners are not coming to play home games
in Canberra.
Good! They were poorly promoted by themselves.
We don't want them, we want our own team. And after the way the FFA treated Canberra last year it
was all a disaster in terms of PR, A-League 12th team announcements and then "oh btw you can still
go to an A-League game tomorrow," between two teams few care about.
Of course it would be a Canberran that wins the trip of a lifetime to the Nike Academy in
England.
Well Tom Rogic, ANU, we wish him well.
Remember it was ANU that assisted Luke Pilkington to become the latest Fox Football Superstar who
now has a contract at Melbourne Victory.
Why has this soon to be deceased local Canberra Premier League club produced two such players?
And so it looks as if the final chapter is about to be written in the farcical Sydney Rovers
saga.
The very first thing that the FFA should do is go hat in hand to the representatives of the
Canberra bid, with a genuine assurance that future expansion bids will be assessed on their merits.
Canberra ABC Sports journo and friend Tim Gavel has taken the easy option, like many older Aussie
sports journos, once more.
Now Tim is not a noted friend of the round ball game and rarely gives any coverage to the game on
his one hour Saturday morning ABC Radio show.
So when the phone-in section is devoted to football for the first time this year, or so it seems in
living memory, something must be up.
Come on Australia, hold your breath.
FFA has but the feelers out with the Aussie media re;changes to the A-League and it's not good. In
fact early signs are it's a shocker, although maybe the media are designed to suffer we the other
media up!
1. Change the season: Start in October - finish in Feb with finals in March.
Canberra United turned in one of their best performances of the season yesterday as they downed
Canberra United reserves, otherwise known as Newcastle Jets, 1-0.
Great to see such loyalty in the women's game with players changing clubs every season in some
cases. Talk about fan loyalty! Kara Mowbray, Sasha McDonnell and Thea Slatyer were just three
Canberra turned Jets who I used to swear undying loyalty towards.
Less than 12 months since we played Kuwaitin Canberra and look at the team. Expect to see 7
A-League players on the field tonight.
But how many started in Canberra.....meaning the National Coach stuffed up big-time, in my view,
with his teams selections.
More so that many of his starting A-League players that Canberra night aren't EVEN in the squad
this time!
The nation's capital is full of Governments determined to keep their kids fat, maybe make them
fatter!
Kids want to play sport, seems thousands want to play football, but the local sports ground
planners say, "football is a winter code," and therefore you can only get a ground broadly speaking
from April/May to September and make that the first week in September.
Sydney Morning Herald are giving away free Socceroos flags today at your local newsgents. So as a
buyer of the SMH, in Canberra, I dutifully asked for mine.
"Can I have my flag?!
"How many do you want?"
Never one to miss a trick, "How many you got?"
"450!"
Now Canberrans can read but even I knew 450 people weren't going to walk into the shop and ask for
a Socceroos flag.
Now this show is on after the Nearpost Radio shows so okay you can turn on the TV...after Nearpost
Local is finised, immediately.
But just a thought.
People, some are always complaining that the NSW Premier League and VPL clubs have nowhere to go,
we want our own FFA Cup etc etc; this has seen South Melbourne head off to play in Singapore a
great initiative, but why don't the best two in NSW play off in a final series against the best in
VPL and why hasn't this been going on for years.
So FFA and Australia love Small Sided Games with the ball rolled out from the back.
Well what about Futsal. In Canberra 98% of Futsal teams throw or welly the ball down the field from
age 6-16. Ever see a keeper roll the ball out, every time, in Futsal in Canberra?
But now there is hope.
CANBERRA, Jun 29, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Two European lobbyists hired to help bring the 2022
World Cup to Australia stand to receive 11.37 million Australian dollars (9.7 million U.S. dollars)
in fees and bonuses if ...
Technical Development, kids playing more football, need to grow the game at all levels.
Well the FFA have been talking "bullshit," for many years now when it comes to Canberra and the
wider region.
In Canberra no boy can play outside of Canberra in a Canberra team, in a NSW Youth League, NSW
Premier League, in an A-League Youth team or A-League team.
Technical Development, kids playing more football, need to grow the game at all levels.
Well the FFA have been talking "bullshit," for many years now when it comes to Canberra and the
wider region.
In Canberra no boy can play outside of Canberra in a Canberra team, in a NSW Youth League, NSW
Premier League, in an A-League Youth team or A-League team.
FFA Come out come out where ever you are.
I received this from A-League4Canberra today. Note whilst I am no longer able to be involved I'm a
fully paid up Foundation Member.
Dear Eamonn,
The Committee for the establishment of an A-League 4 Canberra football has announced that their
plans for a future team in the A League are still alive and kicking.
So apologies again for the sporadic posting that has become a trademark at GirlsWithGame. But here
is my compromise, in the lead-up to the W-League, a monthly wrap of all the happenings and then
from November a more consistent focus on the W-League. Heading into next year's FIFA Women's World
Cup, it's going to be a cracker of a season.
So Western Sydney A-League team has no money; not when it got the nod in 2009 and worse still not
today.....and Frank Lowy says if they don't have any money soon they ain't coming in in
2011/12.
Flashback:
March 6th, 2009. FFA presented with the Canberra bid. Over $5 million dollars on the table back
then, with another two and a half years to get some further dosh.
www.profootballtrials.co.uk are on the march.
Despite all the regulations coming from FIFA and the FFA organisations such as the one above are
coming to a town near you, in this case, Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne and are offering "5 free
trips to selected players," to Europe.
Really?
Don't miss the ACT Grand Final weekends' live commentary on the GPL and WPL finals.
Coverage of GPL starts at 5.20 (Saturday) and WPL at 2.50 (Sunday) both live and exclusive to
2xx!
Streamed at ww.2xfm.org.au or in Canberra on 98.3fm.
This is the first time the Grand Finals have been called in living memory and with all W-League
games being called live for Canberra United, the Nearpost and Farpost (Sunday 3-5pm) finally
Canberra has a station willing to give some coverage to the game of football.
Ben Buckley said last night on Fox Sports that no matter how bad a Western Sydney bid they will
always be the next team.
And there will never be a team from Wollongong, Canberra or Tasmania.
So why the hell do Canberrans pay their FFA fees when they play football.
If the highest level of football the boys and men can aspire to in Canberra is our own local
Premier League, god help us; we can't even get into the NSW Premier League never mind the A-League.
FFA and many Australians talk about the Grassroots saving the game, the A-League.
Well wake up Australia, and wake up Australia; they won't save anything, not yet anyway.
Have the FFA ever been to a grassroots club? Have they spent a few nights at training at your
average grassroots club, or attended on matchday and listened to the conversations?
Now the FFA have been talking about the "Community Model" to save the A-League and it seems
something of that ilk has been conjured up in Newcastle and rich man Con Constantine gets the boot,
and probably becomes richer.
Also Robbie Slater thinks the FFA's idea of a Community Model is to get Jennifer Hawkins to promote
the League.
Great news to hear the Jets are saved for this year and local identity Nathan Tinkler has taken
over.
So Con Constantine has gone after spending millions on the club.
Highs of 24,000 in Season 3 was quickly followed by attacks on the Newcastle Knights (not smart)
around Grand Final time and then of course the firesale of every player, or so it seemed who won
the thing.
Given the Newcastle Jets have been saved by a Mining Magnate, Nathan Tinkler, who is said to be
worth $355 million at 35 years of age, I've been having a look around a couple of busy Canberra
streets for the City's saviour.
Lots of people with suits and ties, women on bikes with fluro tops, and students heading back and
forth to Uni but haven't spotted the one Mining Magnate from Canberra who can get us a football
team.
Con Constantine, love him or hate him, he's put his money and his passion into football.
Not enough for the FFA it seems.
Nor was the Canberra Bid.
Canberra has more Foundation Members than Gold Coast United have going to their games, we have the
best support for a W-League team in the league, we have our own Capital Punishment supporters
group, their own shirts and banners and we have almost 15,000 pledges of support.
SBS' Crag Foster writes a great article about how the FFA should engage the community and the free
army of football supporters across the country.
I replied and 45 people agree with the statement.
We did most of that in Canberra Fozzie, I'd argue 2,000 paid-up foundation members
$200, 100 junior club ambassadors from all clubs, 15,000 pledges including the Southern Higlands,
South Coast and Snowy mtns and Ben and co not only dismissed us - they've never come back with a
plan for the region.
Sometimes it's nice to disagree - especially when you are right!
From the article on theRoar.com.au
Ray – you have the forum through your paper and the right to talk aboout what you
wish.
Your views on the NSL and Youth development mentioned above show what many of us see when we read
you and a number of other football journos.
Get the best in Aussie football streamed on www.2xxfm.org.au or 98.3fm if you are in Canberra - how
lucky are you.
All the Aussie football news from the weekend, Socceroos, W-League gossip, Young Socceroos, and of
course we talk Ray Gatt, Clive Palmer, Julia Gillard and Sepp Blatter.
Quiz, dedications and predictions of the Melbourne Derby and Australia Paraquay game - Paddy
Bordier, Lucy Zelic and Eamonn Flanagan help you make up your mind on all things football.
Former ANU Head Coach and former Capital Football Technical Director John Mitchell has called for
new direction and leadership for the Canberra A-League Bid.
Speaking on the http://nearpostlocal.blogspot.com/2010/10/john-mitchell-speaks-on-anu-under-20.html
Nearpost Local show last night John who has recently seen Luke Pilkington and Tom Rogic move to a
higher level of football as a direct result of his training/playing programs at ANUFC is clearly
dissatisfied with the lack of leadership and direction for boys/mens football from both Capital
Football and Canberra A-League Bid team.
No Canberra boy can play beyond the Under 15 National Championships at a decent level, once they
leave ACTAS or fail to get into the AIS.
Sure training twice a week with the elite clubs in Canberra Premier League is an achievement for
many but it's no real aim for anyone of our 20,000 players in the Capital region who want to aim
higher post 16 is it?
Here's a plug for me mate Peter Funnell and Nearpost Local blogspot.
It is a Canberra blog but also much much more. Peter provides a wealth of information from a
variety of sources on coaching in the junior game.
As the man himself would say, "this is terrific stuff."
If you are the sort of person who loves reading about how to coach and work with the hundreds of
thousands of kids who "just play," then www.
Next Saturday at the Turner Fete, 30 October at Condamine St Canberra. 10am - 2pm.
The fete with a football stall.
Bring your kids to the 2 v 2 winner stays on comps, keepy-uppy seperate prize winners in all the
girls and boys age groups, and of course the old shoot the ball through the Capital Football hole!
So Western Sydney are to die on Thursday so we're told. No money. Not when they ditched Canberra
for the West and not now.......leaving Canberra football exactly where?
The fair city of Canberra with thousands of players in it's city walls and surrounding lands still
has not one State Youth team, not one State Premier League team, not one National Youth team and of
course no A-League Youth team.
So if ACT Cricket, the sports peak body in Canberra, can start to strategise to get a National Big
Bash Franchise in coming years as they said they were in the weekends paper, why is Capital
Football, our Peak Body so incompetent at getting any football for our young boys beyond the
borders of our city?
Belconnen United, Canberra FC, Woden Valley and Capital Football should sit down and plan how the
Canberra United Mens team starts to move forward...and quick.
Entry into the NSW Premier League or even the State League, a team funded by the four groups above
in equal parts, and run by some amalgamation of the above group, should be a priority with the
focus on building a player base for a future A-League team.
