Johnny Warren scholarship to fund research in football governance
Johnny Warren represents Australia in our first World Cup appearance in 1974.
The late football great Johnny Warren once famously said he was sick of people asking when Australia was going to qualify for the World Cup. Instead, he said, we should be asking, 鈥淲hen are we going to win the World Cup?鈥�
As the Socceroos prepare to compete in the FIFA World Cup in Russia this month, the foundation set up in Warren鈥檚 memory is donating $140,000 to the to establish a PhD scholarship for research into the governance of football in Australia.
Warren鈥檚 nephew Jamie Warren, executive chair of the Johnny Warren Football Foundation, said the gift was in keeping with the organisation鈥檚 goal to achieve his uncle鈥檚 dream of an Australian World Cup victory.
鈥淥ur focus is on Uncle John鈥檚 legacy and what football can do for this country,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want to support high-quality research that will inspire discussion and debate, and influence policy. We want to improve the way we do things in football in Australia 鈥� look at what the problems are and how to fix them.鈥�
The governance of football in Australia has long been a complex and controversial issue. In 2003 鈥� the year before Warren鈥檚 death from lung cancer 鈥� he was a major contributor to the Crawford Report, which criticised the corruption and poor organisation that had plagued the Australian game for decades. Despite changes that Warren helped implement, tensions persist. Recently, the representative group for A-League clubs, the Australian Professional Football Clubs Association, has been highly critical of Football Federation Australia鈥檚 approach to management, calling for FIFA鈥檚 assistance with a large-scale overhaul of the game鈥檚 administration in Australia.
Johnny Warren never came across as a superstar. He was a humble man with no ego.
After retiring as a player, Warren went on to work as a coach, administrator and commentator.
The topics that could be investigated by the scholarship recipient are wide-ranging, said of the Business School. The school will soon begin the search for a candidate to start work in March next year.
鈥淭here is a broad spectrum of governance and management issues that could be addressed,鈥� said Professor Greaves. 鈥淎ustralia has challenges right from the grassroots in trying to promote the game against other codes, but also in competing with the rest of the world, in that so many of our best players go overseas.鈥�
Other subjects that could be explored include youth development, gender equity, Indigenous participation and football鈥檚 role in Australia鈥檚 relationships with other nations. 鈥淲e are only limited by our imagination,鈥� said Jamie Warren.
As a child, Jamie and his famous uncle would spend hours kicking a ball around in the backyard. Decades later, when Jamie was an adult and his uncle had moved to the south coast of NSW to be close to his family in his final illness, they鈥檇 take daily walks together around Kiama and the Blowhole.
鈥淔rom a young age, I knew what a star he was, but I didn鈥檛 really realise the impact he had on people through his personality,鈥� said Jamie. 鈥淗e had this ability to meet someone, then within five minutes, he鈥檇 made them feel that they鈥檇 known him all their life. He never came across as a superstar. He was a humble man with no ego.鈥�
Johnny Warren鈥檚 career as a footballer included 42 international matches, including Australia鈥檚 first World Cup appearance in 1974. After retiring as a player, he went on to a successful career as a soccer coach, administrator, commentator and writer. His best-selling book of 2002, Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters: An Incomplete Biography of Johnny Warren and Soccer in Australia, traced the growth of the game鈥檚 popularity, its title referencing the sexist, racist and homophobic attitudes towards football held by many Australians in the past.
鈥淯ncle John believed in the game and its power to improve things for this country,鈥� said Jamie. 鈥淲e鈥檇 like to build on that legacy.鈥�
