The Australian Socceroos qualifying for the 2010 World Cup is the cumulation of a long-held dream. Soccer in Australia is not as popular as rugby. This may be changing due to efforts to revamp the sport and the impressive game record of the Australian Socceroos. The Socceroos are Australia's national team that plays in the international tournaments. In 2006, they shocked and drew fans by qualifying to play in the World Cup tournament.
The Socceroos were founded in 1922 and had a disqual tournament season. Due to Australia's location and lack of experienced soccer players and the high cost of travel, Australia did not play regularly on the international scene. Sometimes the cost of travel lowered enough to allow the team to play more games that are international but their record remained unmentionable.
In 2006, the FFA, Football Federation Australia, decided to revamp the team and promote it as contenders for the coveted World Cup. New managers, new players, new strategies and the use of new technologies whipped the team into World Cup quality shape. Suddenly the Socceroos became household names and Australia's passion for soccer has burned steadily ever since.
The 2010 World Cup will be played in South Africa and it is estimated that around 6,000 Australian fans will attend the tournament. They will be playing Germany, Ghana and Serbia all of what are previous champions and Germany has won the Cup three times so far. This promises for exciting, nail-biting, adrenaline pumping competition.
The Socceroo team colors are a gold jersey and socks with green shorts. Socceroo fans will fill the stadium with gold flags adorned with green kangaroos and stars. The young and old wishing to show their support for their beloved Socceroos eats up wristbands, trading cards and other team memorabilia.
Various fan groups for the tournament plan entertainment, sightseeing and celebrations. The Fanatics are renting a stadium and will host a concert by Powderfinger. The Green and Gold Army are planning a group trip for 500 fans. There promises to be plenty of activities to occupy non-game time.
Australia is jumping to host the 2018 Soccer World Cup. They are already making plans to remodel Sydney's Olympic Stadium to accommodate more fans. They will also install a fully movable glass dome. Australia is having their winter season when other countries are in their summer season. So the dome will protect against inclement weather. Australia is planning to out do themselves as hosts of the World Cup 2018. This will be a challenge after their spectacular Olympic hosting. It all hinges on how well the Australian Socceroos do in next year's World Cup though!
