Arnold calls for federations to better align to protect soccer's future in Australia

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold called for national, state, and local football federations to become better aligned. Picture by Madeline Begley

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold thinks there is a problem with soccer in Australia.

It's not with the game or it's players, but with the overall management of the sport, and he thinks it's getting in the way of the national teams success.

Attending the A Night of Football as a special guest on Thursday night, Arnold spoke to The Daily Advertiser about the importance of future proofing his sport.

Wishing there was less focus on professionalising young athletes and more focus on fun, Arnold called also for better communication among associations.

He said the success of both the Matildas and his own Socceroos comes despite the system, not because of it.

"I think that people need to realise that we're creating miracles at the moment with the success of the Matildas and the Socceroos" Arnold said.

"There's a lot of hard work and connection that needs to be done with Football Australia and all the state federations, they need to get on one page.

"They're not on one page, they're on different pages, they run things their own way and it doesn't benefit the kids or the sport."

Though the biggest sport in the world, and indeed one of the highest participant sports in Australia, at the domestic level, it struggles to find air-time among AFL and NRL.

Arnold said with so many codes for players to choose from, local players are falling behind in the current system.

"We play a worldwide sport, where it's improving all the time and I just wish that we could have something where everyone had to be on the same page and there's a criteria put in place so that it's not about politics, it's about what's good for the game, it's what it's about what's good for the kids and the sport and everyone works together to make that happen," he said.

Arnold said in the cake of Australian soccer, the national teams are the icing on a cake that's been made with poor ingredients.

"What the Matildas did, what we did with the Socceroos, we are the icing on the cake, I don't do the development pathways or anything like that, but the ingredients of the cake need to be made and fixed because otherwise, the icing will taste like shit," he said.

"If we don't fix that, the sport won't change it."

Part of the change Arnold would like to see is the reduction of pre-professional and pathway training for young athletes.

He also has eyes on a world where country athletes aren't forced to move to the city for access programs at such young ages.

"Country towns have great talents, but right now it's about getting those kids out of country towns and into those different types of pathways that can help those kids have that opportunity," he said.

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold called for national, state, and local football federations to become better aligned. Picture by Madeline Begley

Speaking separately to The Daily Advertiser, Matildas alumnus and Leeton junior Joey Peters also expressed desire for change.

In an ideal world, she'd like there to be no pressure on country kids, or their parents, to move to metropolitan areas to pursue sport.

"I've done a lot of research into development and kids growing up in the country, there's a lot of talent out there, I think," Peters said.

"I know that some initiatives have been shown with the members of Federations to recognise that, but also there can be mixed messages that kids need to go to the city to get more opportunities and better coaching."

Reminiscing on a young athlete she met travelling from Albury to Sydney multiple times a week, sleeping in their car to get there, Peters said country athletes need better support.

"It shouldn't be that hard," she said.

"I had a great childhood here in the Riverina and I wish that I could have stayed longer and I want to be able to promote that to say, actually stay in the country towns because there's something special about the community there.

"There is a lot of opportunities, I was able to play so many sports not just soccer and I was supported wherever I went, whatever age group, whether you want to play with the boys or the girls, there was so much more flexibility.

"People were there for the people rather than for let's get the technique and the tactics and the coaches, they kept it fun.

"We're all struggling I think with sport now, how much it's been professionalised but it's still a hope in me that hopefully we can get back to some of those roots and I think the country holds a lot of those gems of how to actually nurture talent and nurture kids in a great environment."

Originally published in The Daily Advertiser. Thumbnail image by Madeline Begley for The Daily Advertiser.