Golden Soft Sombrero Moment with David Hill

Some Golden Soft Sombrero Moments with David Hill…

Welcome Damon Hill…or is David Hill?

Diegos: "It's great to be speaking to Damon Hill the World Formula One racing champion on the Four Diegos…

Hill: "Sorry I don't race cars. I'm the Chairman of Soccer Australia."                                          

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Exclusive on the Diegos: David Hill announces the new coach or should we say new coaches of the Socceroos…

Diegos: "It's been widely reported that you have a big announcement to make today concerning the Four Diegos application for the Socceroo coaching position?"

Hill: "Yes. The board of Soccer Australia met yesterday and was very impressed with the Four Diegos application to coach the Socceroos.

As a result I'm pleased to announce that the Four Diegos are now the new coaches of the Socceroos effective immediately.

This was unanimously approved so congratulations amigos."

Diegos: "Many former coaches of the Socceroos have complained about the difficulty of bringing the team together for training camps and matches.

In response the Four Diegos have devised a training schedule for our overseas players that we believe will go a long way to solving many of these problems.

We reckon our first camp should be scheduled for Bali. Then we propose moving on to Barbados, then Cannes for the film festival, finishing off a solid campaign in the harsh terrain of the Maldives.

What's your view?"

Hill: "Soccer Australia has always had a policy of supporting the national coaches with all their requests however strange they may be. So I guess the Diegos are no different."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Hill on the difficulties of coaching Australia…

Diegos: "Is the Socceroo coaching job a unique one in world football given the impossibility at times of getting the full squad together for preparation?"

Hill: "Yes by any measure whatever the squad for the World cup finals, every judge would expect that over half of them are playing in Europe. So the process of appraisal, selection and preparation makes your task a lot harder.

I'm glad you guys have got the headaches and not me."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Hill's vision…

Diegos: "Taking over as chairman of Soccer Australia must be both exciting and daunting.

Given that your vision for the game is to broaden its appeal and take it to the people, tell us how you felt when 15,000 people turned up to watch the Collingwood Warriors first game?"

Hill: "In one day that was the most tangible demonstration of what we've been arguing is soccer's potential in Australia.

There has been a lot of resistance and reticence by the national league clubs because they argue that to take the game to mainstream Australia would mean alienating their traditional supporters. But in one day in Melbourne and the same thing is happening in Perth, we've proved that soccer can be appealing to the mainstream in this country.

I think it was the single most significant day in the 20 years of National League soccer in Australia."  

Diegos: "Have you noticed an acceptance of your vision by clubs especially in the light of what happened at Collingwood on the opening day of the season?"

Hill: "If they don't they're doomed because attracting bigger crowds also leads to greater sponsorship revenue and TV rights money and enhances the overall commercial viability of the clubs.

Clubs that don't keep up with this will be falling behind.

To be honest some of the clubs are still captive to traditional members. It's no secret that Melbourne Knights and Sydney United have members who still see their clubs as exclusively ethno-centrically Croatian clubs.

It's pretty hard to sell Croatian nationalism to non-Croatian Australians. They will really have to broaden their base. How long can a team like Melbourne Knights or Sydney United compete when they are only getting 3,000 Croatian- Australians to their games?"

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Hill on World Cup qualification…

Diegos: "Do you think that big corporations will automatically invest in the game if we make the World Cup?

Hill: "I think the progress in the NSL can be independent to the Socceroos and World Cup qualification.

Last season and so far this season it's really rocketed away and the impending 1998 World Cup has not been a factor in that at all.

Bear in mind that we already have Coca Cola as the major sponsor of our national teams and Ericsson is the sponsor of the national league and frankly you couldn't have any more prestigious multi-national sponsors than that.

I think that the World Cup 98 will be interestingly the focus of soccer's attention and the public's attention.

If you go back historically though when Australia made the World cup in 1974 everybody thought that was it, 'soccer's' made it, that's the answer'. If you think about it soccer probably went backwards for the next ten years after that.

Similarly in New Zealand, they made it in 1982 and you can also argue that their soccer has also gone backwards ever since.

So we must not think that all we have to do is qualify for France and soccer's' finally made it. I think the NSL, our week in week out competition, is the principle vehicle on which the fortunes of soccer rests most." 

Diegos: "Everyone is waiting for the World Cup 'big bang'.

How damaging would it be for Australia not to make the World Cup?"

Hill: "I think everyone would be absolutely disappointed, even devastated but let's keep this thing in perspective. It's easy to lose a game of soccer.

We'd have to win in Oceania and we'd be red-hot favorites to do that but once every 20 years New Zealand will beat us.

Then we've got to play the fourth placed Asian team and again I think Australia would have to be favorites to win that. But you can easily lose games of soccer as some of the best teams in the world can attest to.

It's not impossible to not make it in 1998 but we should make it and as I have said before if we don't make it, we don’t deserve to."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Hill on managing Aussie soccer and his love of the game…

Diegos: "You've had a very interesting professional career leading into the chairmanship of Soccer Australia.

You started negotiating with the metal workers union on the NSW railway, and then you had to grapple with the D-Generation as the chairman of the ABC and now you're with Soccer Australia.

What skills have you brought to the Soccer Australia job and can you tell the Diegos where your love of soccer stems from?"

Hill: "Most management tasks have great similarities even though the jobs tend to be very different.

Soccer has additional complexities. Firstly the passions for the game are stronger than anything else I've ever done and also the entrenched sense of ownership within soccer is stronger than I've experienced before.

I was born in England and was brought up playing soccer. I've been playing low-grade soccer for the best part of the last 30 years. As a matter of fact I'm about to make another comeback."

Diegos: "George Negus once told the Diegos that he was once offered a pro contract with Newcastle when he was a young tear away.

Any big clubs come in for you over the years?"

Hill: "Oh I can tell 'fibs' to. I knocked back an invitation to play for England…and Manchester United…and AC Milan.

In recent years I've been playing in the middle of midfield and what I like about that is if you get a ball in midfield you've got more options to off-load it in a hurry…"

Diegos: "Off loading difficult problems? It's just like senior management at Soccer Australia isn't it David?"

Hill: "You're right it is but I'm far too slow on the field and off it."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Hill on getting shellacked by FIFA, not counting the abstentions of course…

Diegos: "In soccer we often see teams get thrashed by big score lines.

How did you feel recently when you were on the end a similar shellacking in the FIFA voting when your motion to dismantle the Oceania Confederation was defeated 172 against and 1 for?"

Hill: "No listen that's not fair. That ‘s a typical media beat up. We were only beaten 170 to 1 and I want you Diegos to know that there were six abstentions. If they were present I'm certain they would've voted for us.

Seriously one of the problems we've got with soccer is that here we are trying to prepare for the 1998 World Cup and the rest of the world plays almost monthly against good opposition. We haven't got any good opposition.

This is not good for Australia and I'd argue not good for soccer in the region. But FIFA has made its decision so we have to get on with it. We just wanted to register our thoughts and remember we did get six abstentions."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996

Hill Heart Balmed by the Four Diegos…

Diegos: "Now David its time for the 'Four Diegos Heart Balm' where we ask you to give us your brief inner most private thoughts on the following topics

Firstly…what's your favorite food?"

Hill: "Johan Cryuff"

Diegos: "Must be a Dutch cake…what's your favorite drink?'

Hill: "Granduca Barolo, a beautiful Italian wine."

Diegos: "Does the Marconi Social Club sell any of that stuff?"

Hill: "As a matter of fact Tony Labbozzetta sent me three bottles of a beautiful 'Fontana' red wine and it tasted terrific."

Diegos: "You didn't have to send it down to the forensic laboratory before you drank it?"

Hill: "No I got a friend to taste it first. No seriously it was a very nice gesture."

Diegos: "If you had a dinner party who would be one person you wouldn't invite?"

Farina: "Tony Labbozzetta...only joking. He sends me beautiful wine."

Diegos: "Which one person in the world would you like to be?"

Hill: "Giuseppe Garibaldi an inspiring figure who united Italy."

Diegos: "The Diegos reckon you can use some of his tricks to try and unite Aussie soccer…"

Hill: "Yep you're right but it might take some time. In the meantime you guys just get us to the World Cup 1998.

The whole of Australia is counting on you."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1996