Sorry, still completely nuts at uni. Tonight's training session, however, had a couple of magic moments I simply can't resist blogging about!
I accidentally put my shorts on backwards this evening. A player noticed and thought it was hilarious. Honestly, I couldn't give a s#!t. Anyway, I started to mention Paolo Di Canio - I was going to go on to talk about how he did that once by accident, realised before the match started, decided to keep them that way, had an awesome match, scored a couple, etc....
"Who?"
"Paolo Di Canio...," I repeated. More blank faces. Hmm... perhaps they were too young? I gave them the benefit of the doubt and dropped it.
Later in the session, we were playing a mini-game. I was half-playing with the coloureds as they were one short. I collected a loose ball at one stage, didn't have any options, shielded the ball, needed some space as I stuck my arse out. I could hear whack between me and the player (Steph), followed by laughter from that Steph's mum. Anyway, passed off the ball successfully.
Claire calls out that what I did wasn't allowed. I yelled back that it was - and that was how Viduka makes his living.
"Who?"
"Errrr... Mark Viduka," I respond.
"Who?"
"Oh gee, he's only the current captain of our national team, the Socceroos," I responded is a sarcastic tone.
Blank faces. Again.
Sam quips up, "Oh him. He annoys me." Well, at least one of them MAY have heard of Viduka, or rather, MAY have heard of the Socceroos...
I think we have a football culture problem...
4 comments:
I simply don't have that problem. The 12yo boys seem to know heaps more about footballers, including international footballers, than me. My son constantly embarrasses me with his football knowledge. It has to be cultural because he doesn't watch the World Game, doesn't have Fox, doesn't read 4-4-2 (except an occasional flick through mine for the pictures) and meanwhile follows Rugby League and AFL as well. Soccer is in the schoolyard.
So all is not lost.
I think because football is still (to some people) a game played by people but not necessarily watched by people that you will find kids/adults who play the game but have little idea about players.
As opposed to AFL where people play the game and watch the game. Football is a bit like hockey in that regard. I know heaps of people who play hockey but they probably couldn't name one international hockey player!
Maybe it's also a girl thing (not to be sexist). In my experience guys are more likely to read about sport and know minute details about sport. Girls often play a sport but don't actually connect with it at a higher level. Maybe this is because they don't find the men (who get all the media coverage) to be role-models for them. Maybe you need to teach the girls about the Matildas?
Interesting point though. Maybe have an extra training session on a weekend some point and watch a Socceroos match. Get the girls to do some homework and write about their favourite player (preferably who plays their position and why).
Er, wow
Shows the gap between playing football and following football!
Mat N
also Cecilia leads me to think if there are all these girls playing football
where do they go to get info.
no websites, no mags, cover girls football, wouldn't happen in any other area.
Whatever girls or boys do in numbers, someone somewhere markets to em, but all these girls playing football in Oz get no coverage, have no websites mags or nothing
ask them if they ever talk footy after the game, if they ever search for info,
I hear parents say their daughters just are crazy about football but wonder what that means beyond the game.
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