澳大利亞足球

澳大利亞歷史

Associationfootball,alsoknownasfootballorsoccer,isapopularrecreationalandprofessionalsportinAustralia.ThesporthasahighlevelofparticipationinAustralia.ThefullyprofessionalA-Leaguedomesticcompetitionhasbeenoperatingsince2022andthenationalteamcompetesintheAsianFootballConfederation.ThenationalgoverningbodyisFootballFederationAustralia.

History

ThefirstrecordedclubwasWanderers,foundedbyaschoolteachernamedJohnWalterFletcheratParramattainNewSouthWalesin1880.[2]ThefirstgameknowntohaveoccurredinAustraliaunderFArulestookplacethesameyear,whenWanderersplayedtheKingsSchoolrugbyfootballteamatParramattaCommonon14August.[2]However,theoldestexistingclubisBalgownieRangers,foundedin1883,whichstillcompetesintheIllawarraregionalleague.[3]

Earlygoverningbodies

TheearlygoverningbodiesofthesportinAustraliahadtodistinguishthemselvesfromAustralianrulesfootballandrugbyfootball,rivalcodeswhichhadbecomeverypopularinthevariousAustraliancoloniesduringthe1860sand1870s.Thefirstinter-colonialgamewasplayedbetweenNewSouthWalesandtheneighbouringColonyofVictoriain1883.

Thefirstfootball(soccer)associationwasfoundedinNewSouthWalesbyJohnWalterFletcherin1882,astheSouthBritishFootballAssociation(somesourcesrefertoitastheNewSouthWalesEnglishFootballAssociation.In1898itbecametheNSWBritishFootballAssociation.)

In1884bothQueenslandandVictoriaformedtheirownassociations,respectivelytheAngloQueenslandFootballAssociation(latertobecometheBritishFootballAssociationin1889)andtheAnglo-AustralianFootballAssociation.TheWesternAustralianSoccerFootballAssociationwasformedin1896;theSouthAustralianBritishFootballAssociationin1902;andaTasmanianassociationabout1900.

ThefirstAustralia-widebodywastheCommonwealthFootballAssociation,formedin1912,althoughthisfoldedtwoyearslater.

Effectsofimmigration

Whilenative-bornAustraliansoverwhelminglyplayedandwatchedAustralianrulesfootballoreithercodeofrugbyfootball,associationfootballwashighlypopularwiththevariousBritishandSouthernEuropeanimmigrantcommunities,allofwhichexpandedrapidlyduringthe1950sand1960s:Croatian,Greek,ItalianandSerbiancommunitiesgaverisetomostofthelargestclubs.Atthetime,thegameservedasabondingforcewithinthoseethnicminoritycommunities,andasapointofidentityamongstthemandthewiderAustraliancommunity.AsimilarlyincreasingnumberofBritishmigrantsalsoretainedaninterestinthesport.

JohnnyWarren,whowasamemberofthenationalteamattheirfirstWorldCupappearance,in1974,entitledhismemoirSheilas,Wogs,andPoofters,givinganindicationofhowWarrenconsideredthatthewiderAustraliancommunityviewed"wogball"inthe1970s.[4]

Leaguesystem

TheleaguesysteminAustraliasince1977hasinvolvedaonedivisionalleaguecontrolledbythenationalbodyandmanyleaguesrunwithineachstatebelowthatwithnopromotionorrelegationbetweenthetwo.

Nationalleagues

TheNationalSoccerLeague(NSL)wasestablishedin1977andwasthefirstnationalfootballcompetitioninAustralia,withteamsinfivestatesorterritories.Thisleague,andSoccerAustralia,weredisbandedin2022andreplacedbytheA-LeagueandFootballFederationAustraliarespectively.

ThefirstseasonofthenewleaguebeganinAugust2022.Theaverageattendance(includingfinals)fortheinauguralseasonof11,627wassignificantlyhigherthantheaverageof4,119fortheNSL'sfinalseason.[5].

ThenationalwomensleaguetheW-Leaguehadit'sinauguralseasonin2022replacingthelongdormantWomensNationalSoccerLeagueasthenationalwomen'sleague.

Thenationalyouthleaguewaslaunchedin2022-2022toprovideareserve/youthleagueforcompetitorsintheA-League.

Stategoverningbodiesandleagues

Thefollowingstateandterritoryfederationsareresponsibleforadministeringlocalleaguesystems,whichsitunderneaththeA-League:

FootballNSW

FootballQueensland

NorthernNewSouthWalesFootball

FootballFederationVictoria

FootballFederationTasmania

FootballFederationofSouthAustralia

FootballWest

CapitalFootball(ACT)

FootballFederationNorthernTerritory

CupCompetitions

ThereiscurrentlynonationalFACupstyleknockoutcompetitionhowevereachstate,exceptVictoriaandQueensland(whohaveregionalcups),hasitsowncupcompetitionsrunbythestateandterritoryfederations.Somerestricttheparticipantstoonlythetopflightorsemiproclubswhilstothershavemoreopenentriesviainvitationorqualifyingrounds.

Nationalteams

Australiaentersnationalteamsintowomen'sandmen'scompetitionsincludinginallunderagecompetitions,asrecognisedbyFIFA.

Men'snationalteam

TheAustraliannationalfootballteamisnicknamedtheSocceroos.Inearly2022withthere-launchofthegameinAustraliaas"football",theFFAexpectedthenametofadeaway,andfortheteamtobereferredtoas"Australia"[6].Nevertheless,thenameSoccerooswasstillusedbyotherpartsofthemedia,andbymid-2022thename"Socceroos"wasagainbeingusedontheofficialwebsite,programsandmerchandise.[7]Theyqualifiedin2000afterplayingtheirfirstgame.

On16November2022,theSocceroosdefeatedUruguay4-2inapenaltyshootouttosecureaplaceinthe2022FIFAWorldCup,thefirsttimeAustraliahasbeenintheWorldCupsince1974.ThePrimeMinisteratthetimeJohnHoward,askedemployerstoturnablindeyetoworkersturninguplateforworkthefollowingday,highlightingthewidespreadinterestinthematch.[citationneeded]

On12June2022,AustraliadefeatedJapan.Down1-0inthe84thminute,theSocceroosbandedtogetherforthreegoalsineightminutes,allbysecond-halfsubs;TimCahill(2goals)andJohnAloisi,givingthemnotonlytheirfirstWorldCupgoals,butalsotheirfirstWorldCupwin.

On18June2022,AustraliawasdefeatedbyBrazil.Thefinalscorewas2-0,althoughthehalftimethescorehadremainedat0-0.Thelosswastosomedegreeexpectedbecausethematchwasplayedagainstthereigningworldchampions.Followingthismatch,on22JuneAustraliadrewwithCroatia2-2intheirfinalgroupmatch,andqualifiedfortheknockoutroundof16forthefirsttimeinhistory.

On27June2022,AustraliawasdefeatedbyItaly.Thematchedended1-0infavourofeventualchampionsItaly,andtheresultputanendtoAustralia'sWorldCup2022campaign.

TheJapanandItalygameswerethetopratingtelevisionprogramsintheirrespectiveweeks,andtheCroatiagamewasthesecondhighestinitsweek,despitethematchesbeingbroadcastbetween11pmand5am.However,thegameswerestilloutratedbyothersport-relatedprogamsbroadcastduring2022.[8]ThesecondroundgameagainstItalywastenthonOzTam'ssurveyofthemostwatchedAustralianTVeventsfor2022.[9]

Women'snationalfootballteam

TheAustraliannationalwomen'sfootballteamareknownastheMatildasandregularlyqualifyfortheFIFAWomen'sWorldCupandOlympicGames.TheMatildasarewidelyacknowledgedasoneofthemostimprovedteamscurrentlyinwomen'scompetitionfollowedbytheirquarter-finalshowingatthe2022FIFAWomen'sWorldCup;andarecurrentlyrankedinsidethetop20nationsintheworldat12,with11th-rankedEngland17pointsahead.

VariantsofassociationfootballinAustralia

Futsal

Mainarticle:FutsalinAustralia

FutsalactivitiesinAustralia,includingtheNationalFutsalChampionships,areorganisedbyaNationalFutsalCommissionofFootballFederationAustralia.

ThefollowingFutsalStateFederationsaremembersoftheNationalFutsalCommission:

ACTFutsalInc

SoccerNSWFutsal

QLDFutsalAssociationInc

SouthAustraliaFutsalCommission

Note:Nottobeconfusedwithotherformsofindoorfootballsuchasfive-a-sidefootballorindoorsoccer.

Footballinthemedia

PaytelevisionisthepredominantoutletforbothdomesticandinternationalfootballinAustralia.Somegamescanalsocanbeheardonlocalradiostations.Theanti-siphoninglistwhichcontrolswhatmustbekeptonfreetoairtelevisioninAustraliaincludesonlytheFACupgames[10].TheDomesticA-Leaguewillbeaddedtotheanti-siphoninglist,butnotunt