Football Belongs: Australia's Football Identity

The Legend of ANZAC sits in the awareness of most Australians. But why is it that football seems to be left behind in the conversation, when the game has such a rich history with the ANZAC spirit?

John Didulica and David Davutovic are joined by Socceroos legend Ray Baartz and Victoria University academic and author Ian Syson to discuss:

• The Socceroos' 3-2 win over South Korea in the final of the 1967 National Day Tournament in Vietnam - Australia's first ever international football trophy
• How the 1915 landing at Gallipoli created a national ritual and identity
• The commercialisation of the ANZAC spirit, and how it has seen football relegated in celebrations

Produced & edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Davutovic and John Didulica are joined by Socceroos legend John Aloisi and Australian public policy academic and author Andrew Wear to continue the conversation on multiculturalism. In this episode, the focus is on one particular game: that epic 2006 FIFA World Cup match between Australia and Croatia.

HEAR:

• The dilemma a large contingent of Croatian-Australians faced
• How one match showed the power a sporting moment can have on an entire country
• A precious family connection for John Didulica and his brother's incredible gesture for their grandfather

and

• John Aloisi's candid recollection about a moment from that day, that very few know about - which counts as one of his great memories of the campaign

Produced & edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Davutovic and John Didulica are joined by renowned football media personalities Andy Harper and Tracey Holmes to set the scene for the series.

The group discuss multiculturalism in Australia, ask why the world game has struggled to gain a foothold across the country, how British colonialism adversely affected its impact, and they touch on seminal moments including:

• The Socceroos' 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign
• AC Milan's infamous tour of Australia in 1993
• The Matildas' 2015 friendly against USA

and

• Australia's abandoned 1960 tour of South-East Asia

Produced & edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arriving 4th December: Optus Sport's new instalment of the Football Belongs title: a podcast series charting the cultural threads of Australian society through the lens of nine football matches.

Produced & edited by Lucas Perry, Optus Sport.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.