INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG FOSTER (19 September 2008)
Craig Foster
Walter Pless: You must be pleased with the way the Socceroos are going?
Craig Foster: The results have been excellent and Verbeek, the coach, I think he’s done an excellent job of managing the way through what is a very tricky qualifying campaign.
Often - I’d say roughly fifty per cent of the time - the football has been excellent, and fifty per cent it hasn’t been brilliant. Of course, as football fans, we’d love to see them play outstanding football every time.
I think some of that is probably down to the fact that he came in very late. He only had a couple of months to get hold of the team. He had very little time to prepare them and to get into the campaign itself, so he’s really managed, his management of the campaign strategy and logistics has been unbelievably good.
The win against Uzbekistan, I would probably rate it at least as one of the top ten World Cup qualifying away performances ever, so it was exceptionally good in almost all regards and they’re set up now beautifully. Seven games to go, and if they win their home matches, basically, they’re through.
WP: Do you think they will qualify?
CF: Well, I’m a typical fan. I go from extremely positive to extremely negative, all in the space of a day, basically. ‘I don’t know’ is the simple answer, because it’s not easy. It’s extremely tough.
Japan are strong, Qatar are improving. Bahrein is the team, really, we should have their measure fairly comfortably.
What I can say is that they couldn’t possibly be in a better position to qualify. They’re extremely strong at home, Australia. I think the China game, only a couple of months ago, was basically the Olyroos and that was the first time we lost a home World Cup qualifier for many, many years, maybe twenty years or something.
So, at home, we have to be extremely confident. We’re very tough to beat. The Aussie players love to play in front of their home crowd. They’ll get fantastic support from Australia now, all walks of life, so, we’ve got to be really confident about getting those home results and that will see them through.
And the other thing is we’ve been quite fortunate, really, because we have the weaker of the two groups. The other group is, I think, a bit stronger than us.
What I’m very confident of is that we will absolutely, or should, absolutely, make the top three, and that keeps us alive. But, at the moment, we’re right in the box seat to make the top two automatic qualification for 2010.
Naomi Hannaford of Tasmanian Sports Camps with Craig Foster
WP: Are you happy with the A-League?
CF: I’m happy in a lot of ways and I’m unhappy in some. That’s just the nature of the beast, the nature of the sport, and it’s the nature of a football lover.
I’m extremely pleased with the traction that the A-League has gained in the sporting landscape in this country, which is an extremely tough one, and in the hearts and minds of Australians.
The crowds have been excellent. This season is a bit of a challenge at the moment, partly because of the Olympics, and the finals in the other codes, but that’ll come good.
The clubs have already, after only three seasons, there’s two clubs already out of eight, making a profit. That’s an extraordinary result in only three years for a fledgling professional league. So, all of the indicators are brilliant.
I’d like to see some of the technical side change, but that’s a matter of evolution, I think, in terms of the coaching, in terms of some of the play, and all those types of things. They’re all points up for discussion for change over the next five years to better support our national teams.
But, you know, we’ve all got to be very pleased with the way the league’s grown.
Craig Foster signs a Socceroo shirt
WP: Is there a place for Tasmania, possibly, eventually?
CF: I’d love to see Tasmania in. I think these areas, such as, for instance, North Queensland, I like, but Canberra, Tasmania, even perhaps in future, Darwin, for instance, they’re very important, because the simple reason is this, that it capitalises on one of the strengths of our code, and that is, we are the strongest nationally, right across the country.
We all know that AFL in the southern States is extremely strong, but they struggle in many of the other ones. We know that the same applies for Rugby League, and the same applies for Rugby Union.
Our code may not be the strongest in all of them, yet it is the strongest across all of them. That’s why it’s important, because we are the only really true national football code, and we have to take advantage of that.
Tasmania has a very strong history in football. It has a strong development system, and it has the right to participate in a national football competition. I’d love to see a team come from here.
WP: SBS was the flagship of Australian football. Do you think it’s been side-lined a little bit by pay TV and, if so, are you disappointed?
CF: Well, I’m not sure it’s been side-lined, but, my view on the issue is simply this, that I’m not a huge fan of sporting rights, of sporting competitions, being pay-per-view.
I just don’t, philosophically, I don’t really agree with that in the sense I’m from Lismore, which is a country area. Many of the people there, and in country and regional areas, cannot afford to pay monthly sums just to watch the sport that they love. So, there are many, many kids missing out.
Now, if the A-League has to be on pay TV because of the revenues, it needs the money, then okay, we can accept that. But I can never accept the Socceroos, the national team, being on pay TV.
I think it’s a disgrace. I think that the government was wrong in not having it on the anti-siphoning list and, to me, to think that Indigenous populations in central Australia, regional and country areas, and this huge population base of Australian kids can’t see the Socceroos play because they can’t pay, I think it’s disgraceful.
In terms of SBS, the game is growing and SBS has to remain relevant. This is the beauty of the growth of the game. Pressure is on everyone to perform, to maintain a role. That’s the nature of growth in the sport. I think it’s fantastic for the sport and there’s no problem whatsoever.
WP: You mentioned the Indigenous factor. Do you think Australian football taps into the Indigenous population enough?
CF: Well, no. We’ve always neglected it and Australian football has neglected many, many things, and it’s all starting to come around now.
I know there are concrete plans at the governing body, at the FFA, to put some programs in place to start to really support Indigenous kids. We’ve had some wonderful success in the last year with Travis Dodd and Jade North both being captains of their respective A-League teams and Jade North, the first Indigenous captain of a football team to win a national league title. It was wonderful stuff. Those two are great ambassadors and the game needs to utilise them more as well.
But, I often say to people, okay, well you tell me which Indigenous area in central Australia has FOX? You tell me which Indigenous community, you know, can pay $80 or $100 a month to watch the A-League?
I mean, you need to also promote your game whilst you need to show the kids, you know, and then give them an opportunity, and, you know, I’d question how much we’re doing that when you’re charging also for people to be watching it. I think, you know, there’s a bit of mismatch there.
