Soccerwho?

That was the record MCG crowd at tonight's Socceroo friendly against Greece.

Yes, it was the biggest crowd ever at an Australian soccer match, and the largest crowd to pour into the Melbourne Cricket Ground since its redevelopment.

Despite the fact it was the MCG's first ever chance at cracking the 92,000 (after extra seats were added post-Commonwealth Games), the record turnout is great news for Soccer Australia and more importantly the A-League.

After it's maiden year, and predicted losses, the A-League will boom in its next season, entirely on the back of Australia's success (or failure, it doesn't matter) at next month's World Cup in Germany.

While most will be sound asleep when the Socceroos play on the world stage for the first time since 1964, the sheer fact we made the damn thing will allow the A-League to ride a wave of success into 2007.

But at what cost?

Will the AFL begin to suffer a downturn in attendance? Will hooligans stop causing trouble at the cricket? Highly unlikely. Let's not forget that the AFL attracts (on average) 40,000 fans per match. Considering not many people go to more than one game a weekend, that's a heck of a lot of people.

The story that the AFL executive committee used to pop a bottle of champagne in their boardroom whenever the Socceroos failed to qualify for the World Cup could just be a fairytale, but if Soccer Australia can turn the national side's success into junior development - the AFL might have to put the champagne on ice.

Is there room for another major sport in Australia? With AFL, NRL, A-League, cricket and to some extent tennis, soccer would definately have to force its way up the ladder.

The Socceroos are at odds of $1.50 to exit the World Cup during the group stage, but if, by some chance they happen to progress to the knock-out rounds, the AFL's Auskick program could have children screaming 'off-side' in the not too distant future.

95,103 is a scary figure, Australia is embracing the round-ball sport and this is only the beginning. The World Cup is still three weeks away and the attention will only snowball from now until then.

One thing is for sure, they're no longer the Soccerwhos.

 

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