Col’s Chat – Locals through my Lens
John Kosmina
There’s a famous quote from legendary 1970s Liverpool FC manager, Bill Shankly. “Football isn’t a matter of life and death. It’s much more important than that.”
That sentiment, for football fans in England, Europe and much of the rest of the world is echoed from the terraces week in, week out. However, Australia has never come close to that sort of hysteria when it comes to the round ball game.
On my return from overseas, I caught up with ex-Socceroo striker, John Kosmina to talk all things football in his role as Technical Director at The Gap Football Club, and the future of football in Australia.
“There is no shortage of people playing football, but my job is to set a philosophy and style that looks at the future of football locally. It’s all about future planning. It’s great to see youngsters kicking a ball around in the park, but if we want to change the notion of football in Australia, we need to develop a culture of progression and promote from within.”
As well as a successful professional player – including a brief stint with Arsenal – John has managed clubs right around Australia, including with our own Brisbane Strikers, but why has football (soccer to some) never managed to reach the heights of much of the rest of the world?
“In places like England, kids have a football at their feet from an early age, as did their parents before them. They align with a club, a clan, a culture. It’s what we are aiming for here. By building a culture of success and ambition with the young, their kids will begin to see football differently.”
We sold out Suncorp grand final after grand final when the Roar were winning the A-League. Where’s that enthusiasm gone? “That was promoted by the success and the fact that the A-League got exclusive TV coverage from the same channel that showed the Premier League.
By association, people showed an interest. Today, you can watch football on your phone from all over the world, and few people are supporting at grassroots level.”
The women’s game seems to be bucking some of these trends though? “Yes, the standard of Women’s football has always been high, especially here in The Gap, and that is a great example of where a culture of progression and a desire to commit to the journey has shone through. This year we’ve had three overseas women players join the club, which is setting the benchmark high.”
There was a time when Australian exports were big news in England: Harry Kewell, Mark Schwarzer and Mark Viduka were household names. Is the lack of global exposure a reason why we don’t seem to be producing these any more.
“That’s not necessarily so, we are producing some remarkable players, but it’s true that people don’t get to see them unless there’s a big event on with the national team.”
We drift off for a while reminiscing about some of those ‘good old days’, but it soon comes back to the message of the culture and commitment needed to succeed.
“Participation doesn’t mean success. Players need to go that extra mile. They need to be the one who gets to training early and leaves late; who practices when there is no training. They need desire, a positive mindset and want to rise to the occasion. Then, there is a path to be the next rags to riches story.”
Let’s get behind our grassroots players, our local clubs and the next generation who might just rake Australian football to another level.
Author & photographer: Colin Bushell / Colin Bushell Photography
