‘Be My Guest’ is a tribute to the many football superstars who have played club football in Australia, as well as the simple, elegant but often flawed logic that bringing football superstars to Australia will provide a turbo boost to Australia’s domestic football competition – whether that be the NSL or the A-League.
From Australia’s first guest star in Alex ‘Sandy’ Young who went to Tongala from Everton in 1914, through to household names such as Ossie Ardiles, Trevor Francis, Bobby Moore, Nicola Berti and George Best, authors Jason Goldsmith and Lucas Gillard recount the background and steps to get the superstars here, and how the players, fans and competition benefited – or, in some instances, didn’t.
It is a book that will bring fond memories for those who remember the players and the times, as well as a welcome addition to Australian football and social history that serves as a reminder of what, or who, worked as a marketing strategy and who didn’t.
Mengenai Pengarang
Jason Goldsmith grew up in Ferntree Gully in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. A massive sports fan, he was fed a diet of cricket in the summer (Ferntree Gully Cricket Club) and Aussie rules in the winter (Collingwood). His best mate from primary school, Jordan Caridi, was of Italian heritage and slowly introduced him to the world game. Jason’s love for Australian football began with Ned Zelic in the spew shirt taking the Olyroos to the Barcelona Olympics in ’92 and then intensified with Maradona mania, as Diego and Argentina took on the Socceroos in the final playoff for the 1994 World Cup. His best moment as a player was scoring in the Dads v Coaches win at a Thornbury United Junior Football clinic for his son. His best moment as a fan was convincing his wife to honeymoon in South Africa in 2010, taking in all the Socceroos group games. He lives in the inner north of Melbourne with his wife Sophie, children Henry and Ivy.