Leopold Method Quarterly Edition Issue 3

After a decade of the A-League, football in Australia is at a crossroads. Football Federation Australia’s plans for the next 20 years are highly ambitious as it sets on the path of making football ‘the largest and most popular sport in Australia’. Leopold Method takes a look back at the key moments and people that have shaped FFA’s short history. This issue also looks at the challenges that elite female players have had to overcome to play for their country, the rich history of football in Newcastle and how the sport can develop its own historical narrative. Issue 3 contains: - The Lessons of A-League Expansion Vince Rugari - Sporting Spirit: The Culture and Mentality of Women’s Football Pete Smith - Vitezslav Lavicka: The A-League’s Forgotten Revolutionary Kate Cohen - Australian Soccer on the Edge of Legitimacy Ian Syson - How the GFC Cut a Swathe Through the A-League John Stensholt - Newcastle Football Philip Mosely - Getting to Know Lyall Gorman John Davidson The cover illustration is by artist Jamie Osborne. There are stories everywhere in Australian football and the role of Leopold Method is to bring them to life. As the modern game seeks to reconcile with its past, we want to educate the football community about the game’s history. To take it out of the academic and anorak archives and into the public’s hands. Our hope is that Leopold Method can provide a space for voices outside of the mainstream. To analyse key issues such as cost of playing, player participation, the challenges for regional and women’s football, governance, facilities strategy, volunteerism and to bring them to public attention. We want the game to grow, and unless these issues are part of the debate, they will be forgotten, and the game held back.