September 24 – Australia first qualified for the World Cup finals in 1974. It was a momentous achievement for a team of mainly immigrants, playing the game as part timers, who were written off as no-hopers.
Their battle to establish themselves on the international football map turned the accepted football hierarchy on its head.
That story is the subject of a book – They Came From A Land Down Under – to be published this November and written by Duncan Mackay, founding editor of Insideworldfootball.
Mackay’s telling of a remarkable football story of triumph against adversity is a compelling read, mixing football with the real world politics of the time and the social backdrop of an Australia that was still seemingly defining its identity, both socially, culturally and in a sports context.
Mackay tells the story of the team and its often-abused players using archive material and first-hand accounts from some of the players involved as they established themselves in their new country and on the world football map.
Only 16 teams qualified for West Germany 1974 and Australia’s route to the finals included matches in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Tehran, Seoul and Hong Kong. There were also three visits to Vietnam at the height of the Vietnamese war. It was no ordinary qualification.
Mackay also brings a first-hand a personal touch to the Aussie campaign.
His uncle, Jimmy Mackay, was a former professional in Scotland who gave up his career at home to pursue a new life in Australia. The qualification campaign culminated with a playoff against South Korea in Hong Kong in November 1973 which ended with Jimmy scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory.
They Came From A Land Down Under is due to be published on November 13 to coincide with the 51st anniversary of that historic goal.
“I had made a promise to my father before he died that I would tell the story of how his younger brother Jimmy gave up a promising career in Scotland to travel to Australia where he established himself as one of the country’s top players and ended up becoming a national hero,” said Mackay.
This book delivers on that promise admirably, but also tells an important football story that was overdue telling.
They Came From A Land Down Under is now available for pre-order by clicking here.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1732293802labto1732293802ofdlr1732293802owedi1732293802sni@n1732293802osloh1732293802cin.l1732293802uap1732293802