Football code wars are silly, let the fans speak with their feet

That, for me, defines a true sporting nation and makes Australia one of the best sporting countries in the world.

For those passionate soccer fans, those who are competitive in their views and desire to grow the game, there has to be a better way to promote the sport beyond stating it is the biggest in the world and the only sport capable of uniting Australians.

Soccer has a number of strengths.  

It is safer than other codes. It is one of the reasons why I prefer watching the Matildas to any AFLW match.

It is fun game. I remember my serious weight training days when most of us (around 100kg or heavier) would meet at Reservoir’s Edwards Park on a Sunday afternoon for a soccer game.

As far as I recall, most of us loved AFL too.  

As a sport that occurs in the Spring and Summer at the highest club level, it offers one of the few professional club competitions to attend during these warmer months, although I recognise that it is a Winter sport.

Nevertheless, the same planning tactic is helping US soccer boom, so perhaps more night games are needed to avoid the burning sun during the day in these warmer months.  

Soccer also provides many global opportunities for young Australian players to make a decent living, perhaps much more so than via the AFL and rugby codes.

As we know, money can talk in terms of our talented youth making their dedicated sporting decisions after playing a variety of sports.

And it is the international game played extensively by most countries, a game where physical prowess and sheer numbers alone can never determine a result, thus meaning that skill and teamwork can go a long way in terms of generating success with the right culture.

Poor old China, with all of its vast resources and efforts to dominate global sports, appears to still be light years away from being a soccer superpower.

I think such points should be the selling point for soccer rather than any controversial points being made against other football codes.