All About Becks

My folks arrive in a few hours.

The girls are very excited although Lowri was disgusted to learn that she still had to go to school today as her friend had the day off when her nanna came out to Australia! She had a right stink about it this morning, more than likely due to the fact that this lunchtime, her and her partner in crime, Jed, are on litter duty for larking about yesterday.

It wasn't Lowri's fault, of course. Jed 'dacked' her and they both copped it from a passing teacher. 'Dacks' meaning trousers and 'dacking' being the noble art of pulling someone's strides down when they're least expecting it. One of my old mate Pepsi's favorite stunts. I wonder who he's 'dacking' now that his favourite victim (me) is living in Australia. Whoever, I'm sure that he'd be pleased to know that his greatest skill is being utilised and appreciated on the other side of the world.

Also visiting Australia at the moment is world superstar David Beckham. He's over here with his team the LA Galaxy and last night they played in front of a full house in Sydney against A-League outfit Sydney FC.

Sydney won an entertaining game 5-3, but it was more about the phenomenon Becks than footy. All week he's been all over the media. If you think he's only big in Europe then think again. 80,000+ fans attended the game last night - Sydney FC usually get a fraction of that. This was all about Becks.

He duly scored with a trademark free-kick, an absolute carbon copy of the goal he scored for England at Old Trafford in their crucial World Cup qualifier against Greece a few years back. He also played a full game as well, even though he got some 'rough' treatment in what was quite a spiteful game for a 'friendly'.

The Galaxy are staying in town doing promotional stuff for a few days before leaving for New Zealand on a similar mission. I say Galaxy but the spotlight will solely be on Becks. The media circus surrounding 'his' visit is of the volume normally reserved for a visiting monarch or the head of the Catholic Church.

For the Aussies to pour this much acclaim on a sportsman has really surprised me. A foreign sportsman at that and, above all, a pom. I think it goes some way to show how much football is growing here.

They even call it football now, and it's official. The Aussie governing body recently renamed itself the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) from it's old title of Soccer Australia.

But, for the game to become fully embraced by Australia, one of two things will have to dramatically change.

Either the game changes and players stop acting like they've been shot when an opponent brushes past them. True blue, dinky-di Aussies, to a man, won't put up with the absolute rubbish that takes place on football fields the world over. Although the A-League games can lack a bit of quality at times, they still maintain a degree of honesty, toughness and integrity that has all but vanished from the modern-day game.

If the game doesn't change then the Aussies might. The more their kids see of these underhand antics on the field and on TV then they may begin to view them as acceptable and adopt similar. And it doesn't stop on the field either, I think it manifests itself in life. Australian sports are the epitome of tough, honest and courageous competition and that has had a very positive effect on the culture of this great nation.

So, while I'd like to see football gain credibility and popularity over here, if it comes at a cost of the deterioration of good old Australian morality and values then I'd happily start calling it soccer again and watch other countries play it every four years. For that would be too great a levy to pay.

The ball's in your court Becks. Do the right thing.