Judging by the dominant languages flowing through the polished halls of Heathrow?s Terminal Five, Europe?s biggest airport is set to come to crashing to halt next year, should England?s footballers line up against any of Poland, Pakistan, Turkey or India.

In fact, London as a whole faces a couple of days of economic meltdown (matchday, ensuing hangover); should the 18 percent of the South African population living in the city opt to head home for the World Cup, London?s in for quite a shock come June 2010.

An England-Poland game would probably floor the whole of England; certainly the building industry would be down for the relevant week. But whoever England draw for next year, the country will be football berserk, particularly if they nudge through the opening rounds and into the knockout stages. An army of beer-swilling fans will be on the ground in South Africa, providing the largest contingent of travelling fans ? to no-one?s surprise, given football?s religious status in England. What might be a little more unexpected, however, is just how much interest in the tournament there is in Australia.

I had a couple of beers yesterday with Ralph Barba, better known in Australia as one of the Four Diegos, the country?s unofficial high priests of football, who host assorted shows on the sport across the Australian media. Traditionally, soccer has lived in the substantial shadow of cricket, Australian Rules and the two rugby codes, but participation in the game across Australia is considerable, understandable given the assorted European immigrant populations in the large cities.

The gap between media coverage and participation appears to be closing, however, and that?s due to two principle factors that provide ? loathe as I am to take inspiration from Australian sport ? a guide to the South African game. And the foremost of those is the administration. Sport in South Africa still champions administrators rising slowly through the ranks: club secretary, regional treasurer, national board member, promotion a reward for loyalty, long service, a love of the game. Which is all very romantic, but practically an obsolete approach in the professional era.

That?s exactly what Australian soccer realised, and so, five years ago, in came John O?Neill from the world of rugby union, and turned the professional game around. O?Neill might not be a lovable character, but he?s worked wonders in Australian soccer, redesigning a professional league that?s run efficiently and plays out to large crowds, and clearing away the murky maladministration that bedevils so much of South African soccer.

And that platform contributes to the second major point in Australia?s favour: the Socceroos. The Australians have already qualified for the World Cup, and are playing an exciting brand of football that has caught the eye of a country not always embracing of the beautiful game: despite the last World Cup being held in the small hours of the Australian morning, record numbers of viewers tuned in, and those numbers are set to grow even further for 2010.

Ralph and his three fellow Diegos will be in South Africa next year, leading a group of over a hundred Socceroo fans in support of their team; first call is to discuss the Ashes and Tri-Nations as extensively as possible, but once that?s done and your domestic animals are safely locked up, getting a run down on the success of Australian soccer would highlight an example for all South African sport, not just local soccer. When our national sides succeed, it?s often despite the administration of that particular sport, rather than because of it. Just how strong could we be if the two worked in tandem?

  • Contact Dan at dan@metropolis.co.za