Jack Tame: Football's popularity is rising - Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

The hosts on Fox Sport Australia were bamboozled by a question earlier this week. 

What’s the biggest winter sport in Australia? 

Is it Rugby League and the excellent entertainment of the NRL? Is it Aussie Rules? Or could it now, be football? 

Sadly, it goes without saying that it isn’t rugby, and I’d suggest that even when the Rugby World Cup kicks off, only so many Australians will even realise it’s on. 

At a time when all sorts of different things are vying for our attention, the Matildas’ semi-final in the FIFA World Cup obliterated TV ratings records. In Australia, it was the most-watched TV event in more than two decades. 

The key with football is the low barrier to entry. Grassroots participation isn’t totally dominated by one gender. You don’t need money to have a kick around with your friends. And you can explain the key rules in just a few sentences: Your team has to get the ball in the goal and stop the other team from getting it in yours. Only the goalies can use their hands. You can challenge the ball, but you can’t tackle people. 

That’s it. Sure, there’s an offside rule and passback restrictions but the basic rules are stunningly, beautifully simple. And even the way they’re enforced allows the game to flow. No one agonises over taking a throw-in from the exact mark. 

I don’t want to pick on rugby, but the contrasts are stark. I’ve watched, played, and loved rugby all of my life. But there are still infringements at the breakdown that leave me totally confused. Sometimes even the commentators don’t understand what’s happened. 

Football’s making a play at the moment into markets where historically it’s been a bit of a second-tier sport. At the same time as its recording record ratings in Australia, arguably the greatest footballer of all time has chosen to eschew the Saudi clubs to play in the United States. The average ticket to Lionel Messi’s first game for Inter Miami was selling only for $NZ 1200. The crowd included Serena Williams, LeBron James, the Beckham family, and Kim Kardashian. It was more than a football match – it was a cultural event. 

It’s fair enough to expect that when the World Cup hype has died down a bit, the buzz around football in Australia will die back a bit, too. 

Personally, I think it’s only a matter of time. It won’t happen overnight. Rugby, rugby league, and netball, will all still hold a special place in New Zealand. Basketball will continue to go from strength to strength. 

But fast-forward a few decades from now. I reckon football will be the most-played sport, the most-followed sport, the most popular sport in New Zealand, too. 

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