When the HMAS DARWIN visited Saigon for the recent match against the Vietnam Swans, there Captain Coach, Catter, floated the idea of a Navy team playing in the 2010 Asian Champs. Vietnam Swans National President, Phil Johns, then forwarded the idea through to the presidents of the Asian footy Clubs for consideration.
Last week, the Vietnam Swans formally submitted our response to teh Asian Presidents. The email from the Swans National President has been reproduced below:
Last night, the Vietnam Swans formally discussed the idea of the Navy having a team at the Champs.
We thought the proposal was worth considering further for the following reasons:
While the navy doesn’t reside in Asia, it certainly spends a fair bit of time floating through Asia.
This year, it has toured for at least three matches in Asia (Vietnam, Singapore and Japan) (and the Army has played in Dili). Given touring is always hardest for teams in Asia, the Navy has done a fair job in this department! So in recent times, the Navy is already, effectively, an active club in Asia.
We weren’t sure how the presence of the Navy would detract from the good work being done in junior development anymore than the presence of other teams with expats (and on a personal note for the AFL, while it would be nice to have a billion Chinese playing footy, it’s probably not going to happen without the help of at least a few expats)
The HMAS DARWIN's Captain Coach, Catter
Countries are keen to host future matches at home against the Navy. Having the Navy play at the Champs would make them feel like an active part of the Asian footy community and therefore, when they do drop into Asian ports, they are probably going to be more likely to actively seek out games with the local team – which seems to be what we all want.
I’m not sure about what happened in Japan but both Singapore and Vietnam beat the navy when they played us recently. So, the navy is beatable. It should be possible to draw up some rules about eligibility which ensures they can’t pick a team from their potential pool of thousands that would smash anything in its path (and operational requirements and physical distances would automatically slash the size of the original pool)
The Navy can generate publicity back in Australia – which increases the potential level of interest of a Sammy Newman coming over which should increase the potential for sponsorship etc etc.
The Navy can generate publicity locally. In Vietnam, our footy match was mentioned in half a dozen local papers which doesn’t happen for other matches that we play (the exception being the Black Saturday match against the Geckos).
As part of the Navy’s charm offensive program, it does actively involve ambassadors and the hierarchy from the local government which gives us exposure to the big guns and it also generates local media attention. The Navy also does activities with underprivileged kids etc etc.
Potentially, the Navy can help out with logistics support to help the hosts of the Champs organise the event.
Now, the Vietnam Swans aren’t trying to do all the bidding on behalf of our poor, defenseless Australian Navy! Our background is that the two visits we have had from them in the last 18 months have been sensational (as it has with every other team that has visited Vietnam). They were a top bunch who spend a bit of time in Asia and just love playing footy. So, provided there is enough oval space for a growing number of teams, we thought that they would be very suitable. We didn’t see any negatives associated with their participation – as long as they weren’t pushing out an Asian based country.
In addition, there is the possibility that they can bring a number of other benefits to the table which we clubs are not able to do or aren’t able to do as well. And, thinking about what the Asian Champs might look like in 5,10, 20 years, the Navy’s support and influence could possibly be very important.
Recommendation
I would propose that China, as hosts of the 2010 Champs, invites the Navy to address the Presidents and then, we have a vote as to whether they should be included in the 2010 Asian Champs. Admitting a team is a big deal so perhaps a 2/3 majority if the proposal is to get up?
Currently, I have just conveyed the content of a conversation with Catter which, in a sense, has effectively made the Vietnam Swans/ me an unofficial spokesperson. This is unfair on Catter, the Navy personnel who would love to play footy, the Vietnam Swans and myself. Giving Catter the opportunity to address us would allow them to detail exactly what it is that they would be offering the Asian Champs.
