In what promises to be a big football celebration, with many Greek-Australians in action, a three-hour online program, Australian Football Legacy, will be presented on Friday, to honour the wonderful game’s history in Australia.
Television and Broadcast Creative Director Harry Michaels, himself a past powerful football figure, has paired with Football Australia (FA) to deliver a three-hour special which will be streamed digitally via Facebook and the FA’s website on Friday, 4 February from 3pm-6 pm.
This is the second event of its kind after the same production team held a special tribute show on the 1974 Socceroos World Cup team in July 2020.
Well-known media personalities Andy Paschalidis and George Donikian will lead the event as co-hosts.
“This gives us a chance to have discussion points to look at what we’ve achieved and what we need to do to go to the next step as a game. This is a good opportunity to educate the new generation of football fans about what has come and how football has evolved,” Mr Paschalidis told Neos Kosmos.
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“I don’t think there is enough discussion about our history and when you’ve got someone like Rale Rasic to lead us out at the start of the show, we’re talking about the first person to lead us to a World Cup in 1974, it’s a good way to reflect and honour the past.”
Mr Paschalidis also mentioned plans for a more lasting tribute to the sport’s legacy.
“One other thing we want to discuss is the push to get a football museum up and away because we’re one sport that has such history and yet we don’t have a platform to promote that history which, to me, is strange.”
In addition to the so-called “Godfather” of Aussie football, Rale Rasic, other names set to appear include current Socceroos manager and former player for the Green and Gold, Graham Arnold, the Football Federation of Australia chairman, Chris Nikou and possibly another Socceroo and Sydney Olympic great Peter Raskopoulos.
The coverage aims to entertain football lovers of all ages, featuring live panel interviews with Aussie greats of the sport including past Socceroos and Matildas players as well as many surprises and heartfelt moments through archival footage.
There will be plenty of reminiscing of the past as they relive a number of historic moments with fresh and authentic insights provided from the players.
The event will also pay tribute to the legacy of legends who have passed away such as Johnny Warren, Les Murray, Frank Arok, Mike Cockerill, Jim Mackay and so on.
♦ You can you view Australian Football Legacy on Football Australia’s Youtube channel or on Football Australia’s Facebook page on Friday, 4 February from 3pm.
