Australia's best footballers fly to the moon and back
Seventy five of Australia's best footballers have travelled a collective distance that is equivalent to a return trip to the Moon
That's the distance covered by four National Teams in pursuit of two FIFA World Cups, one World Championship and a pathway to the London 2012 Olympic Games on three continents across a multitude of times zones.
Here's a snapshot of the football travel diary this week:
• The Westfield Matildas are in Germany preparing for the FIFA Women-s World Cup • The Qantas Joeys are in Mexico for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico 2011 • The Pararoos are in the Netherlands for the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) Football 7-A-Side World Championships • The Qantas Olyroos are in Gosford, NSW, preparing for their London 2012 Olympic Games Asian qualifiers against Yemen starting this Sunday • The Qantas Young Socceroos will join their globe-trotting compatriots next month when they head to Colombia for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
All these National Teams were delivered safe and sound to their overseas destinations by Qantas.
"They represent a youthful, skilful and cosmopolitan face of Australia and the game they play transcends any language or cultural barrier they may confront. FFA is truly proud to make these opportunities available to our best footballers and in turn they do the nation proud in the way they represent Australia abroad."
The action begins in earnest for the Pararoos in the Netherlands tomorrow when they face Spain, followed by Brazil on 20 June and finally the Netherlands on 22 June. The CPISRA Football 7-a-Side World Championships serve as the qualifiers for the 2012 London Paralympic Games with the top seven teams progressing to the final tournament next year. The Pararoos are also supported by the Australian Paralympic Committee.
The Qantas Joeys begin their FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico 2011 campaign against the Côte d'Ivoire on Monday 20 June (Tuesday 21 June AEST) after defeating Canada and Uruguay in friendly matches this week.