Australia: Proximity to Asia World Cup plus point
Reuters - Wednesday 21 October 2009, 08:03
SYDNEY - A World Cup held in Australia
would generate more money and attract more worldwide television
viewers than a tournament in Europe or the United States,
Australian football boss Frank Lowy said on Wednesday.
Lowy, who is leading Australia's bid to stage the
tournament in either 2018 or 2022, is challenging the notion
that nations outside of Europe and North America cannot match
the financial clout of countries in the sport's traditional
markets.
He argues that Australia's close proximity to Asia makes it
an even better bet than other nations bidding for the
tournament.
"We are able to show that bringing the game to Australia
and having the Asian continent with us at the same timezone
will benefit not only Australia, not only Asia, but the whole
football world," Lowy told a luncheon in Melbourne.
"Because the income that's been projected for the
television rights and other income will be larger than if they
go anywhere else... nobody can offer what we can offer.
"We are the backyard or frontyard for Asia, we know how to
stage big events and the audience that is going to watch us, I
think it's two thirds of the world audience, that of course can
be translated into dollars and cents."
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Lowy also argued that a World Cup in Australia would bring
millions of new Asian fans to the game because the economic and
sporting market is developing faster than in Europe and the
U.S.
Australia's national team used to play in the Oceania zone
but switched confederations to Asia after qualifying for the
2006 World Cup. The Socceroos were one of the first teams to
qualify for next year's World Cup in South Africa.
"Asian development in sport is such that if the World Cup
comes to this part of the world then I think they will be able
to cash in and sort of monopolise with football,
because the other sports haven't taken off yet," he said.
"If you look at America, it's a great country, a great
sporting nation, but football can get nowhere, everything is
occupied already, television rights, and it's the same story in
many other parts of the world."
Australia have never hosted the World Cup but are vying
with the U.S., England, Spain, Russia, a joint
Netherlands/Belgium bid, Qatar, Indonesia, Japan and South
Korea for the right to host either the 2018 or 2022 tournament.
The hosts for both tournaments will be chosen in December
2010.