We never doubted it but, in a further demonstration of the capacity of football to capture the hearts and minds of Australians, the Socceroos campaign in the 2006 FIFA World Cup has been voted the top sports story of the 'noughties' (2000-2009).
A survey undertaken by foxsports.com.au has voted Australia's 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign the sports story of the decade.
Australia made the 2006 FIFA World Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout against Uruguay in Sydney in November 2005 when John Aloisi scored the goal that took us to the World Cup - another one of Australlia's greatest sporting moments according to past news reports.
The end-of-2009 foxsports.com.au survey comes at a time when Australian fans are also amongst the top buyers of tickets for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Australia drawn to meet Germany, Ghana and Serbia in the group stage, and Sydney has been selected by FIFA as one of only seven cities around the world to host an International Fan Fest for this year's World Cup.
The foxsports.com.au story notes "that with a successive finals appearance booked for South Africa in 2010, the next chapter of the Socceroos story is firmly in place heading into the next decade".
With the FIFA World Cup in June-July, and the decision on the 2018-2022 FIFA World Cup to be taken in December, 2010 is shaping up to be a massive year for football in Australia.
