Seeing three of the Hyundai A-League’s finest players unveil the inaugural Foxtel A-League All Stars jersey was a proud moment for the game.
Seeing three of the Hyundai A-League-s finest players unveil the inaugural Foxtel A-League All Stars jersey was a proud moment for the game.
Hearing those players – Brett Emerton, Thomas Broich and Nikolai Topor-Stanley – speak so eloquently about the opportunity ahead was another reason to feel content.
An extraordinary event will become a reality this July. It-s incredible to have Manchester United the world-s most famous football club coming to Australia to play the All Stars.
The team at FFA always wanted to launch the Foxtel A-League All Stars in the biggest way possible and I think we-re on track to achieve that.
You can mark down Saturday 20 July as a “must see” event on the Australian sporting calendar in 2013.
The interest that the game will generate in Australia and the global coverage we-ll receive will put the Hyundai A-League on the world stage.
We-re excited that the Foxtel A-League All Stars will showcase the best of the Hyundai A-League.
Our competition is entertaining, skilful and full of unscripted drama. Our players are great athletes with great personalities.
In the eyes of the coaches and technical experts, last season the Hyundai A-League enjoyed the highest standards of play in the competition-s eight-year history.
The guiding principle that the Foxtel A-League All Stars will be the people-s team has now been delivered.
We gave the fans a big say in the selection process and 30,000 of them responded online by selecting the players and formations which will guide Ange Postecoglou-s All Stars team.
FFA has secured some great partnerships for the All Stars game. It-s great for football that the Seven Network is on board as the host broadcaster of the marquee match.
Today we saw another important milestone in the establishment of the Foxtel A-League All Stars – the unveiling of official All Stars jersey.
I’m delighted that our partner is the world’s leading sports brand – Nike.
This is the third major announcement we have made with Nike over the past year, including the Wanderers tie up and the national teams deal that goes until 2022.
To Nike I say thanks for standing shoulder to shoulder with Australian football and of course on the journey with us to Brazil next year.
We also have Hyundai, a foundation partner of the A-League, right behind the All Stars as the inaugural jersey sponsor. This company is a great friend of football.
I acknowledge the pivotal role played by the NSW Government in making the All Stars – Man Utd game possible.
The man with the job of bringing the All Stars to life is head coach of the Foxtel A-League All Stars, Ange Postecoglou.
Ange has been all class in the way he-s accepted the fans nomination as coach and gone about his business in promoting the concept.
We have seen so many exciting developments in the past year in Australian football.
Marquee players – Del Piero, Heskey and Ono. The Western Sydney Wanderers. Booming crowds and TV ratings. A new broadcast deal that renews our Fox Sports partnership and introduces free-to-air with SBS.
And of course the qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
All magnificent achievements, all building our momentum as a growing mainstream sport.
But the All Stars project takes us into a new dimension.
This is a concept that gives our players a fantastic opportunity against the world’s biggest club
It allows fans to feel a part of the project through the fan voting process.
The Foxtel A-League All Stars match itself will showcase the A-League to a national and global audience, and give us more credibility as one of Asia’s top professional competitions.
And importantly, this event adds to the football economy – another step towards our long term strategic goal to have a stable and sustainable Hyundai A-League. To that end, it’s important to note that the 10 Clubs will share in the dividends from the All Stars project.
The All Stars will make an incredible debut against Man Utd, but this project is about the long-term growth of the game.
Over time, I hope youngsters across the nation will aspire to wear the All Stars jersey, to emulate the heroes they’ll see in action and it’s the chance for the football community to come together to celebrate the best the Hyundai A-League has to offer.
As the CEO of FFA, I’m proud of our competition, I salute our clubs for their unflagging commitment, I pay tribute to our players and coaches who will no doubt put on a great show of top class professional football, and I’m in awe of our amazing fans, who give the Hyundai A-League an unique atmosphere.
Thank you to everyone who’s contributed to the Foxtel A-League All Stars project so far. Like you, I can-t wait until 20 July at ANZ stadium.
