The Australian Football Revolution Is Officially Underway

By Eric Beard

The idea of community, however tangible or intangible, real or imagined, flourishes at the very core of football. Without fans, football doesn’t exist. Similarly, without readers, AFR would have died a long, long time ago. Conversation is the greatest source of sustenence in the beautiful game. Through one another, we grow. We learn. We come up with new ideas and even create friendships that transcend the game.

Though I’ve lived in Italy and Spain, and I’ve played football with someone of every nationality imaginable, I remain loyal to where I was raised. Boston, U.S.A. Though I love Spanish futbol, Italian calcio, and English football, the prospect of American soccer thriving in the States is something I hope to see sooner rather than later. Over the past few years, a US Soccer community has grown tremendously, and now I am proud to say that I have been a somewhat influential voice helping the beautiful game along. The game, Stateside, is here to stay thanks to the passion of dedicated individuals.

But stepping aside from nationalism for a moment, it is clear to see the game’s situation in the States is not unique. 10,000 miles away, Australian football fans are fighting a very similar battle. Last Spring, I walked the streets of Barcelona with my good friend Andrew Weber. Andrew, an Australian living in Berlin, was visiting BCN for the week. We took a trip up to Gaudi’s Parc Guell one afternoon, discussing art, philosophy, Spanish culture, and of course football. We also kicked around in the Parc briefly, before being yelled at by an old Catalan abuelo.

We talked about Guus Hiddink’s strengths as a manager, MLS, the A-League, as well as the upcoming Barcelona-Arsenal fixture in the Champions League. Ultimately, we agreed that the potential for the beautiful game to succeed in both our homelands was rampant. The pathway to this success would have to be allowing domestic football culture to express itself creatively, both on and off the pitch. The ability to imagine Australia or the United States one day winning the World Cup is the first step forward.

While both the A-League and MLS have made massive strides forward, the American soccer community has moved ahead fervently in terms of harnessing the power of the internet, whereas the Australian football community has remained fairly stagnant. Until now, that is…

The brainchild of Andrew Weber, Eleven10s.com, is going to be a game changer. Eleven10s is a new site created with the purpose of capturing, and enhancing, the creativity, imagination, and style that surrounds Australian football. Eleven10s will finally give a living, breathing online voice to Australians and anyone else interested in watching the game rise to new heights down under.

Joining Andrew (now living in Brisbane) in this project are the Australia-based…

Neil Sherwin (BackPageFootball and In Bed With Maradona), Ted Todsitis (Totally Football Podcast), Dan Gribbon (3Nil - Football Apparel For Football Fans), Craig Foster (SBS Television, Sun Herald), Daniel Cappellaro 

So that’s it. The football revolution has begun in Australia, and I cannot wait to see what is to come.