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Soccer

The Death and Life of Australian Soccer by Joe Gorman

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December 2017, no. 397

During the past few European summers, several of the world’s biggest soccer clubs have deigned to visit Australian shores for branding exercises more commonly referred to as ‘friendlies’. These dull, meaningless matches are organised almost solely to line the pockets of the visiting clubs, yet they have been immensely popular. Australia’s local soccer ...

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'When sport and politics collide' by Kieran Pender

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December 2017, no. 397

Politicians in ancient Greece were well acquainted with the alluring intersection between sport and politics. Alcibiades, an ambitious aristocrat, entered seven chariots in the 416 BCE Olympics, aware of the potential political benefits. He came first, second, and fourth, later citing this ‘splendid performance’ to the Athenian ...

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The Aboriginal Soccer Tribe: A History of Aboriginal Involvement with the World Game by John Maynard

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June 2012, no. 342
Bernard Whimpress reviews 'The Aboriginal Soccer Tribe: A History of Aboriginal Involvement with the World Game' by John Maynard

Communities, extended family connections, and role models have been keys to Aboriginal participation in Australian sport. Other factors – racist exclusion among them – have limited the appearance of Indigenous athletes in professional running and boxing. The high proportion of Aboriginal footballers now playing in the Australian Football League and both rugby codes inevitably begs the question of absences in other major sports.

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By the Balls: Memoir of a football tragic by Les Murray

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October 2006, no. 285
Jay Daniel Thompson reviews 'By the Balls' by Les Murray

IBy the Balls opens in the 1950s, when young Laszlo Urge and his family were forced to leave Stalinist Hungary and head to Australia. Laszlo was shocked to find his new country to be a ‘dry and colourless’ place where soccer (which he refers to as ‘football’) was unpopular. However, this situation was to change. In the following decades, Laszlo became ‘Les Murray’, a popular television sports commentator who has publicly championed his favourite game.

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