Now that rugby league season is over, it's time for sports fans to focus on the round-ball game.
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In these parts, that means Newcastle Jets. The A-League season kicks off this weekend, but Jets fans have to wait a week as they have the bye in round one. How frustrating!
Their opening match is against Central Coast Mariners in Gosford the following week. Funnily enough, a group of Jets fans made the trek to Gosford last Wednesday night for the Mariners FFA Cup semi-final loss to Adelaide United.
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Mariners fans were perplexed as to why Jets fans would attend the match. Perhaps they were there to support Adelaide?
"Thanks for visiting our semi-final, Newcastle Jets! Not the first time you've made the trip to celebrate our achievements," the Mariners said on Facebook, kicking off the banter ahead of the pending clash between the two rivals in the so-called "F3 derby".
As the winter football season ends and the summer soccer season begins, it's timely to ponder the state of the round-ball game.
Journalist Michael Cain, who's as "Novocastrian as they come", has been doing exactly that while making a documentary about soccer in Australia.
"The game is loved by so many here and around the world, but it's competing with three other football codes in Australia. That makes it tough," said Michael, who played for Adamstown Rosebuds at junior and senior level.
"The fact football [soccer] is still struggling to find a free-to-air network is a real worry - why are the other codes signing big TV deals?"
The 47-year-old worked at NBN Newcastle for five years before moving to Channel 10, where he's been for four years.
The documentary will feature interviews with Newcastle soccer legends Craig Johnston and Joey Peters. Hamilton Azzurri Football Club will also feature in the film.
"Joey Peters will talk about the Matildas and the importance of street football," Michael said.
"Craig Johnston will talk about what Australia needs to do at all levels."
Hamilton Azzurri officials will discuss how they brought the club back from the ashes, along with their experience of a national soccer policy that sought to disallow "ethnic, national, political, racial or religious connotations" in club names, logos and emblems.
Michael said the film was about the "state of Australian football [soccer]", which had "so many problems" from top to bottom.
He's interviewed "heavy hitters", including Craig Foster, Simon Hill, Craig Moore, Luke Wilkshire, Paul Okon, Lucy and Ned Zelic and former NSW premier Morris Iemma.
The film's working title was "When Soccer Died". Michael said this was purely to "make people sit up and take notice". The real title may end up being "Football Crossroads".
Michael created a three-part documentary for Channel 10 last year on billionaires, titled "Passionate Players".
He's in talks with SBS about a deal to broadcast the soccer documentary.
"I still don't think football has found its true potential and it should've by now - why hasn't it?" he said.
"It's like when [John] Aloisi scored that penalty in 2005 to take us to the first World Cup since 1974. We were on the right track - a golden generation followed, as well as four World Cup finals - but football's not where it should be."
He said the costs for juniors was an issue, as was the "widening gap between grassroots and the pro-game".
