The celebrations across the country and particularly at Federation Square in Melbourne prove that even in Australia, there’s nothing quite like football.
The Socceroos sent the country into raptures with their first win at the World Cup in 12 years against Tunisia, and then when they qualified for the round of 16 for the first time since 2006 with a win over Denmark.
But it’s the football fans across the nation who have stolen the limelight and even received international recognition for their passion and dedication.
We’re talking thousands upon thousands of fans rocking up at 2 am in the morning to watch their nation compete in the biggest tournament in the world, and millions more sitting in front of their teles.
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We now have live sites popping up across every major city in Australia to watch the Socceroos take on Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
It honestly doesn’t get any better than that.
In a country for all intents and purposes, doesn’t place football on the same pedestal as say, rugby league, AFL or even cricket, it just goes to show that football deserves the recognition.
The NRL and AFL dominate fan attention on a domestic scale year after year, and fair enough as well.
AFL has long been a sport rooted in our nation’s DNA, and the best of the best in rugby league play in the NRL.
On the other hand, interest in the A-League has unfortunately lessened over the past few years as evidenced by Perth Glory’s stadium attendance dropping by 60 per cent over the past three years, per VenuesWest.
Graham Arnold admitted as much the other day when he said: “If you’re not Australian and you don’t know, football in Australia is probably the fourth or fifth main sport.
“After AFL, rugby league, rugby union, cricket - then it’s football, they call it soccer.”
But if Federation Square is anything to go off of, then the interest in football is well and truly still there. And perhaps its time for fans, media, and official bodies to properly invest in the A-League once again.
What other sport has people up in the middle of the night to cheer on the squad with such animation and intensity?
The Rugby League World Cup just took place over in England, with the final between Australia and Samoa playing out in the early hours of a Sunday morning.
Sure, it was a fantastic achievement to see the Kangaroos take it home, but there were no scenes reminiscent of Federation Square to watch the NRL stars battle it out for the ultimate prize in rugby league.
Ultimately, nothing quite unites the nation like football.
Graham Arnold put it perfectly after his side’s famous win against Denmark.
He said: “I truly believe that the Socceroos are the team that unites the country.
“If the cricket team get to the final of the World Cup you don’t get scenes like tonight. You don’t see the squares like they are tonight, and not with the rugby union or rugby league either. I’m just so proud and happy. This is what World Cups are for.”
We still all remember that John Aloisi penalty in 2005, or Tim Cahill’s goal against Japan in 2006, and even heartbreakingly the loss to Italy in the round of 16.
That 2006 ‘Golden Generation’ well and truly shone a light on football and helped kickstart the A-League and bring eyeballs onto the sport.
And that’s exactly what this generation of Australian footballers are doing.
They’re uniting the nation, they’re making lapsed fans want to be part of something special again, and they’re showing how exciting football can be.
Because even in Australia, there’s nothing quite like football.
Topics: Football, Australia, Football World Cup
Jayden Collins