Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In April this year the federal government made two significant announcements which will bring lasting benefits to young people who play football in Western Sydney. First, we announced a special $5 million program to help lift grassroots participation in the game. As patron of the Mt Druitt Town Rangers Football Club and in an electorate where it is estimated there are nearly 10,000 people who play football, I was delighted that the government had committed so generously, boosting participation in what is already one of the most popular of all codes in Sydney.

In 2010 there were approximately 90,000 registered footballers in Western Sydney playing in junior and senior competitions, accounting for over 20 per cent of participants nationally. There are more registered football participants in Western Sydney than in Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT combined, with approximately 374 state, league or grassroots clubs operating in the region. Over 50 per cent of the 400-plus Socceroos have hailed from Western Sydney, including Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer, Bossa Bosnich, Mark Bosnich, Harry Kewell, Brett Emerton, Paul Haakon and more.

The other major announcement made by Football Federation of Australia CEO, Ben Buckley, in April was the inclusion of a Western Sydney team in the Hyundai A-League. News of a Western Sydney franchise was welcomed by the entire community but most notably by the football fraternity. While many will lay claim to the origins of football in Australia, Western Sydney has a compelling place in the game's history. The first recorded match played in New South Wales under association football rules took place when the Wanderers played the King's School rugby team at the Parramatta Common on 14 August 1880.

In the A-league's predecessor competition, the National Soccer League, there were four and sometimes five Western Sydney teams represented. These were: four-time premiers Marconi Stallions, the Melita Eagles, two-time premiers Sydney Olympic, and three-time runners-up Sydney United, formerly Sydney Croatia. In the 1980s a Blacktown City team also played in the comp.

Given the region's strong links to the game of football, it was fitting today that the new Western Sydney franchise was unveiled as the Western Sydney Wanderers, the same name as that first team. And when they make their debut in October against the Central Coast Mariners, they will be wearing a striking home strip designed by their apparel sponsor, Nike, which will consist of a red-and-black hooped jersey with white shorts and black socks. The colours and the name reflect the wishes of Western Sydney fans who flock to the FFA's fan nights held all over Western Sydney.

The club has a great deal of building to do in the months ahead, but they have a CEO in Lyle Gorman and they have signed a coach and three players all with links to the region. Head coach, Tony Popovic, has returned where it all began for him. Tony grew up in Fairfield in Western Sydney. He began his career with Sydney United before moving to the J-league in Japan and eventually signing with Crystal Palace in the UK. His career, an impressive career, included 58 appearances for the Socceroos over 11 years, scoring eight goals.

Like many others who grew up in Western Sydney, I am delighted the game's heartland is being represented in its premier competition for the first time since 2004. This is terrific news and I cannot wait to see them play. While few of the game's founders will still be around, I am sure that many of their children and grandchildren are still active and involved in the game in Western Sydney and they will rejoice when a local team proudly takes to the field in the A-league. Our funding the game where it is played most will pay dividends in the years to come both in terms of the social fabric but also our sporting prowess.

Finally, on the day when we welcome our own A-league side, I want to recognise that today is Matilda's star and Quakers Hill resident Kyah Simon's 21st birthday. I hope she has had a great day. Best wishes to a terrific ambassador of the game and a magnificent ambassador for our region.