Hands On Football

World Cup 2010

Australia v Japan

This match was played last week and the Aussies came away with a great point from Yokohama Stadium. We are still top of the group with 4 matches left and 3 of them at home.

Don’t count your Chickens

Although we are not there yet, I am confident we can get enough points in the next 4 matches to be in the top 2 teams, which automatically qualifies us for SA2010.

Tickets On Sale

4 years ago the tickets went on sale at this time of year for Germany. Being a WC novice and not all that confident that we would make it to Germany I decided not to pursue tickets until after November 16 2005 when I could be sure we were going to Germany.

What I did not know then, was the system. Basically Get in early.

You can purchase tickets to matches involving your team even though they are not officially in the tournament. If they do not make it you get your money back. I would have thought they would charge you after the team made it, but hey I don’t make the rules.

The cheapest seats available to Non South Africans will be US$80 each up to US$160 each for the group stage.

February 20 – Mark it in your Diary.

The first phase goes on sale this Friday, February 20th and runs until March 31st. Basically you register your interest in the tickets you want. I assume there will be a “Team Specific Ticket” where you can purchase tickets to ALL Australian matches until the Final, ie 7 Matches. This is what happened for Germany WC 2006.

Then on April 15th, there will be a random draw to see who was lucky enough to score a ticket. Remember there will only be a limited number of tickets available at this phase. There will be other phases over the next 12 months including a FFA phase to allocate their allocation after we qualify.

The Excitement Builds

My advice is to start early to give you the best chance of going. I was a nervous wreck over Christmas 2005 waiting for the FFA to send me the all important e-mail.

Germany 2006 was the best fun I have ever had. Just do it people and get your arse to South Africa in 2010.

Cheers

Tezza

February 17 2009 | World Cup | No Comments »

Victorian Bush Fires

Victorian Bush Fires

For the first 30 years of my life I lived adjacent to the Royal National Park south of Sydney. I do not know how many Bush Fires I witnessed but there were a fair few.

Nothing I witnessed came even close to the horror I have seen on the TV from my Gold Coast home. This is absolutely the worst disaster I have witnessed in my life time and I am sure the survivors of the Victorian Bush Fires will feel the same.

Destruction

Only the 1942 bombing of Darwin netted a greater number of dead and Cyclone Tracey evacuated 43000 people from the town. But the current fires in Victoria are our greatest peace time disaster with nearly 200 people confirmed dead, with that number expected to rise.

What To Do

This question came to me within the first hour of watching the disaster unfold on national TV. What I have done is donate money to the Red Cross Bush Fire Appeal. I urge all the readers here to do the same if you have not already done so.

I send my thoughts, hugs and Love to all those affected by this tragedy.

Tezza

February 15 2009 | General | No Comments »