Australian football facing a number of challenges five years on from Germany 2006

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Germany is a nation that will forever be inextricably linked to Australian football.

To most Germans of course, Australia is probably a nation of little significance given the illustrious history of their own clubs and national team.

Yet Germany has played a central role in two of Australia’s landmark football achievements: the first being their maiden World Cup campaign in West Germany in 1974, and the second being their reappearance at the tournament in 2006, ending a 32-year absence from football’s showpiece event.

While the Socceroos of 1974 were pioneers, giving a respectable account of themselves at the tournament itself, the 2006 generation arguably had a more tangible impact on the game in Australia.

Frank Lowy | Much has changed during the reign of the FFA supremo

The likes of Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer and Lucas Neill re-introduced their country to the football world, for whom Germany and not West Germany is their first point of reference for Australian football.

In Australia, a football-skeptical public and media similarly were stunned by the achievements of Guus Hiddink’s side and the game received a huge public relations boost as a result of qualification for and the performance at the tournament. Suddenly the Socceroos had become a brand worth millions.

The game’s governing body too had undergone a facelift, with Frank Lowy – a billionaire with ties to the NSL and a period of the game’s history branded ‘old soccer’ - taking over and Football Federation Australia established in the lead-up to that famous qualifying tie with Uruguay.

It appeared at the time as though Australian football could do no wrong, reaping the benefits of administrative reform and the perfectly timed success of the Socceroos.

Just under five years have past and now the national team returns to Germany to face off against die Mannschaft in a friendly in Monchengladbach, with much change having occurred in Australian football since then.

Socceroos

The spine of the 2006 squad hasn’t quite been broken but certainly re-aligned in the wake of the retirements of Mark Viduka, Craig Moore and Scott Chipperfield. Marco Bresciano and Vince Grella too are no longer regulars.

Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer, Harry Kewell and Lucas Neill are the players from that campaign who have since formed the core of the side.

The Socceroos embarrassed themselves in their first Asian Cup in 2007, knocked out at the quarter-final stage after the team exuded a conspicuous arrogance in the lead-up to the competition.

Under Pim Verbeek they then cruised through the Asian qualifying zone to reach the 2010 World Cup, though were humbled by none other than Germany 4-0 in their opening group game, setting the tone for an ultimately disappointing campaign in which they failed to get out of their group.

The 2011 Asian Cup saw the team’s reputation restored somewhat within Asia, the tone of the players diplomatic and the performance of the side superb as they reached the final, where they fell to Japan.

Australia’s next generation of internationals are only just beginning to emerge for both club and country, with the facilitation of their development ahead of Brazil 2014 the biggest challenge.

Football Federation Australia

The FFA has undergone considerable change since the departure of CEO John O’Neill in 2006, a man who was instrumental in raising the profile of football.

Ben Buckley (pictured) was the man chosen to succeed O’Neill and is not a universally popular figure, having notably failed in the bid to bring the 2022 World Cup to these shores.

Buckley remains in power, though there have been a number of personnel changes within key positions at FFA offices during his tenure.

From being an organisation that turned whatever it touched into gold before and immediately after the 2006 World Cup, failures such as the 2022 bid and the struggles of the fledgling A-League has seen the governing body come under increasing scrutiny from fans, media and even politicians.

A-League

The sixth season of Australia’s premier competition has now ended, with average attendances having steadily fallen since peaking during 2007-2008.

Financially clubs have struggled to break even - and two have been dissolved - often living beyond their means despite the existence of a salary cap that has largely prevented the league from being able to attract big-name overseas stars, aside from isolated instances.

The FFA has had to assume ownership of certain A-League clubs, largely due to a lack of interest in investing in institutions that are a sure way to lose rather than make money.

Germany 2006 unfortunately did little for the competition, perhaps due to the fact that the general public acknowledge the Socceroos and the A-League are separate entities: fans of the Socceroos aren’t necessarily followers of the A-League.

Struggling on a number of fronts, the national competition is the foundation upon which the future of Australian football simply must be built and is the greatest cause for concern for administrators of the game.