Growing sport
The Socceroos' success in the last World Cup, where Guus Hiddink's side
made the last 16 before falling to the tournament's ultimate champion,
Italy, has put Australia on the international map. It's not a soccer power
yet, but the World Cup would certainly ensure that resources, finance,
government support and the corporate dollar would flow into the game in
spectacular fashion. FIFA would love to see the new A-League thrive, and
the focus on soccer would certainly help that.
Asia
Money talks, and while Europe will remain the game's epicentre and its
engine of economic growth, the commercial clout of Asia's booming economies
give this region an increasingly loud voice. FIFA gets only one chance
every four years to make real money, and TV revenues are crucial.
During the 2002 World Cup in Japan-Korea, Australian TV ratings went through
the roof, even though the Socceroos were not competing. Just as South
Africa, which is hosting the 2010 tournament, is ideally placed for Europe,
Australia is perfect for the key east Asian countries and with any games
played here beaming live into those markets in prime time, huge ratings
could be expected.
Few other Asian countries have the infrastructure and soccer pedigree
to mount credible bids. Two of them, Japan and South Korea, are unlikely
to be considered because they've recently had their turn, staging the
2002 tournament.
That Japan-Korea tournament proved that a World Cup staged in an emerging
soccer powerbase far from the European and South American heartland of
the game can still be a success.
Stadiums
South Africa is in a race against time to build its stadiums for a tournament
only two years away. South American nations with rich soccer histories
have seen bids crumble because they didn't have the right facilities.
Australia, already blessed with a number of world-class venues, doesn't
have that problem to quite the same extent.
For the last World Cup in Germany, FIFA required stadiums hold a minimum
capacity of 40,000 spectators, with the opening match, semi-finals and
final played before a minimum of 60,000. Each venue needed substantial
media facilities including 30 camera platforms, and had to be cleared
of all advertising to make way for FIFA's sponsors.
Australia has a range of excellent venues - Melbourne and Sydney could
comfortably offer four suitable stadiums between them. As well as the
MCG and Telstra Dome, Melbourne's new "Bubbledome" rectangular
stadium is due for completion in late 2009. For it to be considered viable
its capacity would, however, need to be boosted from the 31,500 slated
in current construction plans.
Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium is already big enough. Perth is planning a
60,000-seater multi-sport stadium, and last week plans were revealed for
a new 45,000-capacity venue in Adelaide. There's talk of a long overdue
increase in the capacity of Newcastle's EnergyAustralia Stadium, while
a case could be made for upgrading the Canberra Stadium, which hosts top-class
rugby and National Rugby League teams.
With 32 nations competing, divided into eight groups, Germany spread its
World Cup across 12 stadiums. South Africa's 2010 tournament will use
10 venues. If our stadium options are not compelling on their own, a joint
bid with New Zealand could be considered as a last resort, basing one
or two groups across the Tasman in, say, Wellington and Auckland.
Infrastructure
FIFA criteria include guarantees in terms of security and transport facilities
for spectators to venues.
The World Cup could bring the biggest influx of tourists the nation has
ever seen. The trouble-free 2000 Sydney Olympics will encourage authorities
that our infrastructure is world-class, although it would need significant
upgrades in the 10 years between now and 2018 to meet what would almost
certainly be larger demand than that required for the Olympics.
THE CASE AGAINST
Time zone
Europe is the headquarters of world soccer, where the power and the money
reside. While South America is not strong financially, soccer is like
a religion there, and Africa is developing quickly. An Australian World
Cup would test the resolve of viewers on those three continents, not to
mention the growing fan-base in the lucrative North American market, forcing
fans to get up in the middle of the night or stay home from work to watch
games.
Distance
Thanks to the tyranny of distance, it's expensive for fans in almost every
country except New Zealand to travel here, and once they're here, it's
expensive to travel between cities.
Size
With a population of 21 million, Australia is small beer, commercially-speaking.
No major soccer sponsors are based here, and while we are mad about sports,
filling 40,000-plus stadiums for 64 games over one month could be a challenge.
With the Beijing Olympics, China is going to prove later this year it
can stage one of the world's major sporting events, which includes the
Olympic soccer tournament. If FIFA does want to give the World Cup to
Asia, it will find it difficult to ignore a market of a billion people,
even if its World Cup record is dismal, having only qualified for one
finals tournament - in 2002, when it lost its three games and failed to
score a goal.
While no single Middle Eastern country has the stadiums and infrastructure
to mount a credible bid, a joint bid involving a group of the oil-rich
states certainly would have substantial money behind it and also eventually
could be an Asian contender.
Stadiums
As good as Australian facilities are, many of our stadiums are designed
for cricket and footy and are simply the wrong shape for soccer, with
the crowd remote from the pitch. This highlights the fact that soccer
is not the No. 1 sport here as it is in other bidding countries. As well
as spoiling the spectator experience, it doesn't look good on television
- a consideration for FIFA.
Domestic politics
Since the World Cup is staged in June-July, fitting in with the European
leagues' season, staging the event here would require a deal to be done
with rival codes to make the venues available. While the AFL was prepared
to finish its matches early for the Olympic Games, it might not be so
keen to disrupt a season for the benefit of the round-ball code, a sport
it regards as the biggest threat to its leading position in the sport's
marketplace. The National Rugby League might have similar issues.
International politics
By 2018, it will have been 12 years since Europe hosted a World Cup. Until
now, at least every second tournament has been held in Europe. By 2018,
it will be 52 years since England, the nation that codified soccer, staged
the tournament. With the English Premier League one of the most prestigious
and lucrative in the world, the sentiment in Europe may well be that it's
the Poms' turn. It is hard to see the region that provides most of the
money for the game being happy to wait until 2022 to again host the biggest
show in world sport.
Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium is already big enough. Perth is planning a
60,000-seater multi-sport stadium, and last week plans were revealed for
a new 45,000-capacity venue in Adelaide. There's talk of a long overdue
increase in the capacity of Newcastle's EnergyAustralia Stadium, while
a case could be made for upgrading the Canberra Stadium, which hosts top-class
rugby and National Rugby League teams.
With 32 nations competing, divided into eight groups, Germany spread its
World Cup across 12 stadiums. South Africa's 2010 tournament will use
10 venues. If our stadium options are not compelling on their own, a joint
bid with New Zealand could be considered as a last resort, basing one
or two groups across the Tasman in, say, Wellington and Auckland.
Infrastructure
FIFA criteria include guarantees in terms of security and transport facilities
for spectators to venues.
The World Cup could bring the biggest influx of tourists the nation has
ever seen. The trouble-free 2000 Sydney Olympics will encourage authorities
that our infrastructure is world-class, although it would need significant
upgrades in the 10 years between now and 2018 to meet what would almost
certainly be larger demand than that required for the Olympics.
THE CASE AGAINST
Time zone
Europe is the headquarters of world soccer, where the power and the money
reside. While South America is not strong financially, soccer is like
a religion there, and Africa is developing quickly. An Australian World
Cup would test the resolve of viewers on those three continents, not to
mention the growing fan-base in the lucrative North American market, forcing
fans to get up in the middle of the night or stay home from work to watch
games.
Distance
Thanks to the tyranny of distance, it's expensive for fans in almost every
country except New Zealand to travel here, and once they're here, it's
expensive to travel between cities.
Size
With a population of 21 million, Australia is small beer, commercially-speaking.
No major soccer sponsors are based here, and while we are mad about sports,
filling 40,000-plus stadiums for 64 games over one month could be a challenge.
With the Beijing Olympics, China is going to prove later this year it
can stage one of the world's major sporting events, which includes the
Olympic soccer tournament. If FIFA does want to give the World Cup to
Asia, it will find it difficult to ignore a market of a billion people,
even if its World Cup record is dismal, having only qualified for one
finals tournament - in 2002, when it lost its three games and failed to
score a goal
While no single Middle Eastern country has the stadiums and infrastructure
to mount a credible bid, a joint bid involving a group of the oil-rich
states certainly would have substantial money behind it and also eventually
could be an Asian contender.
Stadiums
As good as Australian facilities are, many of our stadiums are designed
for cricket and footy and are simply the wrong shape for soccer, with
the crowd remote from the pitch. This highlights the fact that soccer
is not the No. 1 sport here as it is in other bidding countries. As well
as spoiling the spectator experience, it doesn't look good on television
- a consideration for FIFA.
Domestic politics
Since the World Cup is staged in June-July, fitting in with the European
leagues' season, staging the event here would require a deal to be done
with rival codes to make the venues available. While the AFL was prepared
to finish its matches early for the Olympic Games, it might not be so
keen to disrupt a season for the benefit of the round-ball code, a sport
it regards as the biggest threat to its leading position in the sport's
marketplace. The National Rugby League might have similar issues.
International politics
By 2018, it will have been 12 years since Europe hosted a World Cup. Until
now, at least every second tournament has been held in Europe. By 2018,
it will be 52 years since England, the nation that codified soccer, staged
the tournament. With the English Premier League one of the most prestigious
and lucrative in the world, the sentiment in Europe may well be that it's
the Poms' turn. It is hard to see the region that provides most of the
money for the game being happy to wait until 2022 to again host the biggest
show in world sport.
,
February 24, 2008
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