I was going to write this last week, being in Dubbo for the state primary school girls' soccer championships, after 'Twin One' qualified for the second year running. A dodgy dial up connection and a 12 year old who thought I'd brought a laptop purely for her to chat on MSN put paid to that.

The result between Australia and Italy is now history and the result's been well worked over by the media. Leaving aside the question of whether the penalty should have been awarded, the big question of what effect the the World Cup is going to have on the game now that the country has has finally taken notice of it. My guess is, in the short term, not a lot.

The 'A League' should continue to do well while it's held in summer, and the teams should find it easier to attract sponsorship, hopefully to the point where they become solvent. However, the problem of the better players moving off shore will remain and prevent the competition from becoming world class.

We'll have to wait and see if the internationals within the Asian group attract the same level of interest, and whether the elite players will want / be able to leave their European clubs to participate.

I don't think the amateur participation levels for the sport will change that much, despite the recent spike in participation. After all, it's already the most popular amateur football code by a country mile, and the 'soccer mums' aren't going to disappear.

Diehard supporters of the sport should be happy if the net effect of Australia's WC adventure boils down to the education the average punter. It won't change his lifetime sporting allegiances, but at least he won't completely ignore the game as he did in the past.