How Socceroo put prime minister on the spot over funding
SanFrancisco: Socceroo Jason Geria, who came to the top with his victory against Türkiye, was not going to let any opportunity go to waste. Speaking to Anthony Albanese on the phone after Australia’s 2-0 win, the defender told the prime minister it was time to give more money to the sport.
“We tried to nudge him to help football a little more than he was,” Geria said. “We aimed to show what football has done for us, how big it is in the country and the legacy that has been built so far.”
Football Australia (FA) will receive $17.5 million in prize money from FIFA if the Socceroos advance through the group stage and into the round of 32. Add to that $2.15 million from FIFA to the FA to help cover World Cup expenses. However, the FA, whose financial difficulties have become clear before the tournament, expects to survive this tournament after costs at best.
This will get even better if Australia progress to the round of 16; The prize money of around $21.5 million here would dwarf the Socceroos World Cup. At the same time, the FA is using local interest in the team to step up its push for $50 million in federal funding to help establish a “Home of Football” in Australia – permanent high-performance facilities for the Socceroos, Matildas and youth teams.
A field has been allocated at Sydney Olympic Park and phone calls between players and the prime minister will aid the effort, especially when no federal ministers are attending the tournament. Geria said that he welcomed Albanese’s request and said that his request was not only for money for elite facilities but also to provide financing for the grassroots and future generations.
“The amount of funding allocated to football worldwide has increased enormously in the last decade,” he said. “I think we’re not keeping up in that sense. So we’re fighting more in general, and being able to help at the grassroots level as well, wages for these kids.”
“Football is not an elite sport, it is a sport for everyone. I think the more people are allowed to access it, the better it will be and the more talent there will be when there is no obligation to pay several thousand dollars to register.”
“We can find these diamonds in the rough, and I think there are a lot of them.”
Australia’s main rivals in the Asian Football Confederation, Japan, China, South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia, have well-established national facilities. Indonesia is building state-of-the-art operations for its sides in its capital, Nusantara, as part of its heavy investment in football.
Former Footballer Josip Skoko said it was a shame that the FA had to ask for funds for such a facility as it was a necessity and not many other teams in the World Cup would have such a facility.
“Australia has qualified for the World Cup six times in a row, the national team brings everyone together very well and every time the World Cup is over everyone forgets about it,” he said.
“Not enough money is being invested in football at any level in Australia. It’s not even close to some other sports.”
Skoko, who played 51 times for Australia and was part of the Golden Generation that qualified for the 2006 World Cup, said players often remarked on how mediocre the training facilities were when they returned home from clubs in Europe for national duty. He warned this could lead to dual-national players choosing not to play for Australia in the future.
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Nick Ralston is deputy editor and research editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously served as news editor, justice editor and world editor.Connect with: X or email.
