2006

A-League on a knife edge

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

Much as everyone connected with association football in Australia wants the new A-League to succeed the signs at present are not as rosy as the announcement of a large $120 million sponsorship by Foxtel last week suggest. The champion club from the inaugural season,...

Just a suggestion

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

I am not sure SESA should be encouraging others to risk their money, but if you have the entrepreneurial spirit and you want to have a flutter in May, my suggestion is you buy up a number of Socceroo shirts and an equal number of blue Greek soccer tops. Cut them down...

Joey ties the knot

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

Geelong’s star football (soccer) goalkeeper, Joey Didulica, tied the knot with his bride Kate Dzidzic at St Monica’s Catholic Church in Moonee Ponds on Friday. It was a sparkling ceremony attended by a large circle of the bride’s and groom’s family and friends and...

Australia and the World Cup

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

Getting to the World Cup was hard enough, but now Australia faces the current and five times world champion, Brazil, European powerhouse Croatia and Asian champion Japan in one of the toughest groups at Germany 2006. Yet coach Guus Hiddink and his squad will not...

No butts

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

The Materazzi-Zidane incident may turn out to be a storm in a tea cup, but for the moment it is occupying hectares of space in the media around the world.  The electronic version of the Guardian, for example, has a full page article analysing insults around the globe...

Now I have seen it all

Sep 20, 2010 | , ,

I thought I was a fairly seasoned traveller, but a day spent recovering after the Australia versus Brazil match in Munich in the 2006 World Cup in Germany opened my eyes to a number of things which I would never have expected in a lifetime of exploring the nooks and...

Melbourne Victory 4 New Zealand Knights 0

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

A four-nil win for Melbourne Victory over New Zealand Knights marked its return to Olympic Park last night for what may be its last game at the venue. The New Zealand Knights side was a mixture of regular Knights players, New Zealand internationals and a couple of...

Criteria for new V League issued

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

The Football Federation of Victoria has revealed its plans for the proposed new V-League which is due to replace the existing Premier League in February 2008. Tough new criteria will have to be met by clubs seeking to join the new league with expressions of interest...

Stadium push needed

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

Geelong Advertiser, Friday 7 December 2006, p. 52. For a city with a population catchment of over 200,000 Geelong lacks a compact stadium to house the non-AFL codes of football particularly soccer. This is holding back the development of the game, though it is not the...

Geelong faces uphill battle to make V-League

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

Geelong Advertiser, Saturday 2 December 2006, p. 101. The Geelong (soccer) football community learned what the future of the game holds when the Football Federation of Victoria announced the preliminary criteria for its new V-League to be launched in 2008 earlier this...

Victory does it the hard way against Perth

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

Melbourne Victory left it very late but came up with another victory by a goal to nil over Perth Glory in the A-League match at Telstra Dome last night in front of 22,890 fans. Scottish midfielder Grant Brebner did the damage with a thunderous shot in the 88th minute....

Last best hope for Geelong soccer

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

United force needed, Geelong Advertiser, Thursday 23 November 2006, p. 39. Tucked away at the end of the Football Federation of Victoria press release in yesterday’s Geelong Advertiser was the announcement of what could be Geelong’s last and best hope of a future for...

Melbourne Victory down to Newcastle Jets at home

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

A depleted Melbourne Victory lost its second match of the season by a goal to nil against Newcastle Jets in Round 14 of the A-League at Telstra Dome last night. Victory was without skipper Kevin Muscat, and regular defenders Daniel Piorkowski and Simon Storey and...

Going well for Didulica

Sep 20, 2010 | ,

Published in the Geelong Advertiser, Tuesday 24 October 2006, p. 34. under the heading 'Joey's Dutch courage' You wouldn’t want to put the moz on him by drawing attention to it, but Geelong keeper Joey Didulica has made an incredible start to his resumed career in...