:shock: THE Victorian state soccer team is about to come out of mothballs to play the likes of David Beckham and Michael Owen.
Ambitious new Victorian Soccer Federation chief executive Damien Bown has declared he wants to revive the pride in the state jumper by pitting Victoria against teams such as Real Madrid and Liverpool by August next year.
"Real Madrid went to Asia for their pre-season and played in Thailand and China and Japan. We're only another step on and it's not unreasonable to be included on tours by the big teams to this part of the world," Bown said yesterday.
The Asian tour became the talk of the world as Beckham was paraded as a Real Madrid player.
"Liverpool were in Malaysia complete with Michael Owen and their stars and it's not beyond us to organise a pre-season tournament involving more than one overseas side to play our state side.
"The Victorian state team should be the natural stepping stone up into the Socceroos and if we can organise games of that calibre, we'd have players clamouring to wear the state jumper.
"Providing we put the games on at the right time, I'm sure the likes of Patrick Kisnorbo would come from Scotland to play for Victoria.
"And the same goes for Archie Thompson from Belgium or Frank Juric in Germany and Danny Allsopp in England - players who are dying to show the national coach they deserve promotion into the senior Socceroos."
Victoria, under past chairmen Michael Weinstein and Jack Reilly, regularly organised tours by big international sides ranging from Santos with Pele to New York Cosmos with Franz Beckenbauer, and Everton after it won the league in England with Neville Southall.
On occasions, Weinstein used the Socceroos to play the touring sides in Melbourne but more often than not, it was Victoria that provided the opposition and the state's team became so strong that at one stage there were eight Victorians in the Socceroos.
All that has disappeared in the past decade and the only time Victoria has fielded a state side has been for matches against interstate sides fielding only players from the Victorian Premier League.
Ambitious new Victorian Soccer Federation chief executive Damien Bown has declared he wants to revive the pride in the state jumper by pitting Victoria against teams such as Real Madrid and Liverpool by August next year.
"Real Madrid went to Asia for their pre-season and played in Thailand and China and Japan. We're only another step on and it's not unreasonable to be included on tours by the big teams to this part of the world," Bown said yesterday.
The Asian tour became the talk of the world as Beckham was paraded as a Real Madrid player.
"Liverpool were in Malaysia complete with Michael Owen and their stars and it's not beyond us to organise a pre-season tournament involving more than one overseas side to play our state side.
"The Victorian state team should be the natural stepping stone up into the Socceroos and if we can organise games of that calibre, we'd have players clamouring to wear the state jumper.
"Providing we put the games on at the right time, I'm sure the likes of Patrick Kisnorbo would come from Scotland to play for Victoria.
"And the same goes for Archie Thompson from Belgium or Frank Juric in Germany and Danny Allsopp in England - players who are dying to show the national coach they deserve promotion into the senior Socceroos."
Victoria, under past chairmen Michael Weinstein and Jack Reilly, regularly organised tours by big international sides ranging from Santos with Pele to New York Cosmos with Franz Beckenbauer, and Everton after it won the league in England with Neville Southall.
On occasions, Weinstein used the Socceroos to play the touring sides in Melbourne but more often than not, it was Victoria that provided the opposition and the state's team became so strong that at one stage there were eight Victorians in the Socceroos.
All that has disappeared in the past decade and the only time Victoria has fielded a state side has been for matches against interstate sides fielding only players from the Victorian Premier League.
