'ere We Go
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday September 29, 2001
Soccer, the world's most popular sport and akin to a religion in some parts, brings out the best and worst in fans on and offline. Keith Austin reports.
FA-Premier.com
www.fa-premier.com
Also known as eplsoccer.com, this site was established in 1995 and is a one-stop shop of everything you could possibly need to know about the English Premier League. Includes video footage of interviews with top managers, news, features and a What The Papers Say section. Some of the stats and archive material are accessible only if you join the EPL Club but this only requires a simple email form to be filled in (and on entry you are automatically entered into a draw to win a trip for two to Japan for the 2002 World Cup). Little photographic content but an intelligent site.
Megasoccer.com
www.megasoccer.com
Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, World Cup 2002 ... oh, my goodness, here's a site you can fall into and never be seen again. Click on Africa and choose from, among others, information about Olympic gold medallists Cameroon, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia. Want to know how Saudi Arabia's going in the World Cup qualifiers? Or perhaps the latest from Norway's Tippeligaen league? This is the place. Lots of links to footy sites, such as Kidz United, where you can play all manner of Shockwave games with a soccer flavour.
KOWOC Homepage
www.2002worldcupkorea.org/eng
The official hub of the Korean organising committee for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan. With just 244 days to go, this is the place to learn about the stadiums and cities that will be hosting the world's biggest single sporting event (according to this site, 42 billion people will watch the tournament on television). Learn about the process which resulted in the striking calligraphy of the official poster, and thrill to the adventures of the three official mascots Ato, Nik and Kaz.
Federation Internationale de Football Association
www.fifa.com
The sport's governing body and repository of all the rules, regulations and knowledge - a spot some soccer parents here in Australia should visit before next season starts. And, no, you cannot be offside from a throw-in. In the aftermath of the World Trade Centre bombing it was good to see this from FIFA president Joseph Blatter: "This ... represents our determination to ensure that football does not capitulate in the face of violence. In tragic circumstances such as these, football must symbolise the ideals of fair play and non-violence, and encourage people to respect the dignity of each and every human being. The world today is no longer the one we knew. But football must
remain a beacon of hope." Did you read that, Robbie Keane?
Soccer Australia
www.socceraustralia.com.au
Aussies abroad, the national team, the national league and all the up to date news about what's happening in the off-season. Includes wallpaper downloads of pictures of Mark Bosnich, Simon Colosimo, Brett Emerton, Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and others. Read the Frank Farina column to keep up with what's happening with the national squad leading up to the world cup qualifying game in November. It's also good to see a link to Australian women's soccer, which has exploded in popularity in recent years.
The World Game - SBS soccer
www.theworldgame.com.au
Les Murray, Kyle Patterson and the team at SBS show the commitment that made their coverage of the 1998 World Cup in France such a joy. They may talk rubbish sometimes (as do all soccer fans) but we got all the games in all their glory. This site has an index as long as your arm (NSL, Premier League, Aussies Abroad, Socceroos, World Cup, FA Cup and so on down to SBS Rankings, SBS TV Guide and a fan forum. Stay out of the fanzone, though, or you'll be playing team tiles and swap it until the cows come home.
Soccernet.com
www.soccernet.com
Fancy yourself as a soccer trivia expert? Well nip down to Soccernet's Pub Quiz and answer multiple choice questions such 'Colin Addison has succeeded who as boss of Swansea?' before the beer in your animated pint glass runs out. Apart from the usual news, information and match reports there is a fantasy league with cash prizes.
Major League Soccer
www.mlsnet.com
Yes, they do play the world game in the US (the women's team is the current World Cup holder), and this Major League Soccer offering is where to get the news on what's happening over there. The US team that did so well at the Olympics needs a victory over Jamaica in an upcoming World Cup qualifier on October 7 to keep their hopes of making the 2002 World Cup alive. Cheer for the Yanks, I say, because the game needs the coverage. Check this site for stuff on teams such as the Miami Fusion, the New England Revolution, Chicago Fire and the Columbus Crew.
Football Hooligan
www.footballhooligan.net
What would soccer be without people like these? Under the slogan "No-one likes us and we don't care!" these idiots offer videos and pictures of hooliganism. Our guess is the world would be a lot better off without them.
Upcomingmovies.com: Shaolin Soccer
www.upcomingmovies.com/shaolinsoccer.html
Soccer films have never achieved greatness but perhaps this one will make the breakthrough.
With a tentative release date of sometime in 2002
(I prophesy, Grasshopper, around the time of the World Cup), Shaolin Soccer is a Hong Kong movie with the following premise: "An underdog soccer team uses their mastery of the kung fu arts of the Shaolin monks to defeat their opponents and achieve great victory." As you do. Frank Farina take note.
Rollersoccer
www.rollersoccer.com
For those boofheads who fail to appreciate the subtlety, finesse, athleticism and skill that goes into a game of soccer ("cos there ain't enough goals") then perhaps this is the way forward. According to its exponents, it is "two great sports in one! More goals than skating. More speed than soccer. All the excitement of both." Yes, it is indeed soccer played on rollerblades - and it is supposedly played all over the world, including Perth and West Gosford in NSW. What next? Croquet on horseback? Oops, sorry, Your Highness.
New South Wales Soccer Federation
- Indoor Soccer
www.soccernsw.com.au/indoorsoccer.html
Indoor soccer, Soccer NSW says, is Australia's best-kept secret. The Federation advises that every young player should play indoor as part of their training and development. The games are 30 minutes' long, with teams of five and unlimited interchange, and they are open to anyone eight or over (with some centres taking kids as young as six).
New South Wales Soccer Federation
www.soccernsw.com.au
Looking to play the game rather than watch it? Then this is your best destination. You might not be up to the top standards but they can at least point you in the right direction.
Leader of the pack
FIFA's world ranking system, which was introduced in 1993, uses match statistics from every international game - including friendly matches - to compare national A-teams. As well as the game result, the system takes into consideration the number of goals scored, whether it was a home or away match, the importance of the match, the strength of the opponent and the regional strength of the teams. Although Australia defeated current World Cup holders and number one side France this year in the Confederations Cup, we
are ranked 55.
Source: www.fifa.com
© 2001 Sydney Morning Herald