Young Socceroos’ Asian Cup win a turning point in Australian football

At the risk of getting way ahead of ourselves, by winning the 2024 AFC U20 Asian Cup in the early hours on Sunday morning (AEDT), the Young Socceroos may have created the moment of history that will be remembered as the birth of a new generation of world-challenging Aussie footballers.

Of course, it is ridiculous to suggest that Steven Hall’s strong left hand in the shootout itself will be the difference between any future success for Australia’s senior national teams over the next 20 years.

The Young Socceroos’ triumph was a symptom of progress, not the cause of it. But history loves a trophy. So inevitably, any future success will be traced back to this moment.

The moment where Australian football, the code in a seemingly perpetual state of crisis and self-harm, decided to go and beat all of Asia anyway.

The moment where optimists were vindicated and the pessimists allowed themselves a few hours of relief.

The moment where the storm clouds of the APL’s messy split from Football Australia, the financial state of the A-League and the struggle towards building a proper football pyramid all subsided and gave us a little glimpse of how good it could be if we eventually get it all right.

We can only hope that the memory of the way these boys played their football will also stand the test of time. They were brave, took the game on, were creative, didn’t back down from a fight, played their way through teams with touch and technique, with a good old bit of Aussie grit and determination thrown in as well.

They played the style of football that many have craved of the senior national teams over the past few years.

And it’s not just this team as well. The U17 Joeys have just come off a victory at the Hattrick International Tournament against more Asian heavyweights in Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Oman. Meanwhile the Young Matildas also found themselves victorious in the PacificAus Four Nations tournament including senior Oceanic national teams.

There’s something in the water, and there are plenty of reasons to be positive about Australian football.

TV audiences and crowds in the A-League are up year-on-year. Young Aussies are getting more minutes at A-League level than ever before, leading to stronger youth teams and unprecedented levels of transfer fees and European opportunities.

The widespread support of Football Australia (FA) and Football Queensland’s (FQ) submission to upgrade Perry Park is the greatest example of unification in the sport we have seen in a long time. The Australian Championship represents the first fundamental step towards building a properly connected pyramid.

We’ve already hosted the Men’s Asian Cup and a generational Women’s World Cup on home soil in the past decade. And FA aren’t slowing down, with the Women’s Asian Cup 12 months away, and the 2031 Men’s Asian Cup and the 2029 Men’s Club World Cup potentially on the cards.

And now, a youth team claiming a trophy in Asia, for the first time. Wow.

All this change has taken a mountain of effort from those administrating the game and off their stakeholders. By no means have they always gotten in right, but the progress is there for all to see.

So, whilst all the board meetings, fan forums, and discussion groups are likely to be consigned to oblivion, the Young Socceroos’ Asian Cup triumph of 2025 will be the page in the history book that gets worn out the most.

Well done boys. Next? The U20 World Cup in September.