Talking Footy

Del Piero's message for 'soccer blokes'
Tyson Otto
The Daily Telegraph
September 17, 201211:28AM

SUPERSTAR Alessandro Del Piero has called on soccer fans in Australia to wake up and make the sport the most dominant football code in Australia.

Speaking at his first official press conference in Australia, Del Piero wasted no time declaring soccer can become a much greater force on the Australian sporting landscape.

"Everybody I think is a soccer bloke. They're all soccer blokes and we have to wake up to that and make soccer like the other sports, like the other big sports in Australia," Del Piero said.

"I know it is a young league, but I think about the Australian people, there are a lot of Italian immigrated, a lot of English, Greece, Slavic region."

Ahead of his first training session with Sydney FC teammates tomorrow at Allianz Stadium, Del Piero's star only continues to grow after a charismatic first exchange with the Australian media, where he revealed:

However, the greatest declaration the 37-year-old World Cup, European Champions League and Serie A champion made was his confidence in the A-League's ability to become a much more widely supported competition.

"First of all I'm here for Sydney FC and I'm completely focused for Sydney FC, then we will hope about the A-League blowing up day by day," he said.

"This is hard work, but one of the objectives all the people working in soccer, in the sport of the round ball.

"I really am fascinated by sports, I follow everything in the world and every sport. I saw the World Cup in 2011, the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, it's very close to here, I know for the Wallabies it is not great result, but it was a great moment for the sport. I hope it will be the same for the soccer here and for Australia.

"I know there is a lot of expectation and I love that. I play 19 years for Juventus. And in Juventus you have to win every game, every match every year. Fortunately a lot of times this happened. All my life I've played to win and I'm here to win, not for time off with my family."

It came as Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow described Del Piero as the biggest signing in the history of football in Australia.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6475678213

QueenslandISAFL wrote:

they can have the number 2 spot if they want, i'm sure by next year they will get bigger crowds then the nrl

eelofwest wrote:

QueenslandISAFL wrote:

they can have the number 2 spot if they want, i'm sure by next year they will get bigger crowds then the nrl

Childish till the end........

How old are you kid? 10?

Are you willing to back up your outlandish statements with a bet or are you just shooting off at the mouth again like a little child at the supermarket that wants his candy.......

So we bet? NRL vs A league crowds???

QueenslandISAFL wrote:

they can have the number 2 spot if they want, i'm sure by next year they will get bigger crowds then the nrl

Raiderdave wrote:

QueenslandISAFL wrote:

they can have the number 2 spot if they want, i'm sure by next year they will get bigger crowds then the nrl

I know that Parramatta ... Penrith , the Bulldogs & the Wests Tigers are thankful finally they have a football team from another code out their way at last
the Western Sydney Wanderers will finally give Rugby League some competition west of the ANZAC Bridge
too long we've had it to ourselves

nothing out that way to compete with
We accept Soccers challenge ... we respect its long history in Western Sydney & wish the Wanderers well

WHEN the Western Sydney Wanderers play their inaugural A-League match at Parramatta Stadium in October, don't expect to see rugby league legend Ray Price in the stands - and you might not see his famous statue out the front, either.

That's because the Wanderers are considering covering up Price's statue on match days as part of a plan to lessen the feeling that Parramatta Stadium is a rugby league venue and make football fans more ''at home''.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/co ... z27jHjokWl

Beaussie wrote:

Raiderdave wrote:

QueenslandISAFL wrote:

they can have the number 2 spot if they want, i'm sure by next year they will get bigger crowds then the nrl

I know that Parramatta ... Penrith , the Bulldogs & the Wests Tigers are thankful finally they have a football team from another code out their way at last
the Western Sydney Wanderers will finally give Rugby League some competition west of the ANZAC Bridge
too long we've had it to ourselves

nothing out that way to compete with
We accept Soccers challenge ... we respect its long history in Western Sydney & wish the Wanderers well

Only in the NRL do you see a Soccer team telling a RL team they are going to change the name of the grandstands and cover up RL statues.

Rugby League owned by Soccer

RL heartland

WHEN the Western Sydney Wanderers play their inaugural A-League match at Parramatta Stadium in October, don't expect to see rugby league legend Ray Price in the stands - and you might not see his famous statue out the front, either.

That's because the Wanderers are considering covering up Price's statue on match days as part of a plan to lessen the feeling that Parramatta Stadium is a rugby league venue and make football fans more ''at home''.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league/co ... z27jHjokWl