Abstract
After numerous attempts to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Australia finally became a member in 2006 and was immediately re-designated from 'Oceanic' to 'Asian'. In examining the impact of this move, we contextualize it within Australia's broader economic and socio-cultural shift from its British roots to an increasing economic enmeshment with Asia. Australia's AFC membership coincided with football's corporatization locally, exemplified in the A-League's establishment. This altered the dynamics of identity politics in Australian football shifting the game at the elite level from its multicultural roots to a corporate assimilationist model and generating debate surrounding the very essence of multiculturalism. We show this move was a necessary pre-condition to Australia joining the AFC. We assess whether this complex interplay of politics, national identity and regionalism has facilitated any paradigm shift in Australian attitudes towards Asia; or was the move based on Australian football's opportunistic quest for bigger market?
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 751-767 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Soccer and Society |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |