Arnold driven to build on Australia’s World Cup run

SOCCEROOS coach Graham Arnold wants his legacy to include a government-funded national “home of football” as he gets to work on building on Australia’s memorable run at last year’s World Cup.

Football Australia confirmed on Monday that Arnold had signed a new multi-year deal to remain in charge of the Socceroos until the end of the team’s 2026 World Cup campaign.

The contract, worth up to $1.6m, will also involve Arnold providing mentorship to the coaches of Australia’s men’s youth national teams, supporting FA’s chief football officer Ernie Merrick with talent identification and pathways, and working with FA “to ensure football – grassroots to the elite – has access to the best facilities and infrastructure”.

Those desired facilities, which need government-funded assistance, include somewhere for Australian football to call home.

“It‘s not just getting the football right – the government needs to help,” Arnold said.

“We‘ve been underfunded for years … and it’s time that they stepped up.

“We have here in Australia so many fantastic kids that can do something special, and it’s our job to help those kids fulfil their dreams.

“The funding will help the programs but, again, the home of football is crucial. (It’s) something that we‘ve missed out on that every other sport gets.

“We’re a national team. We play worldwide and we’ve got nothing. We’ve got nowhere to go. If we had a perfect facility that they (the government) would help us with … it could be training grounds to run the pathways, it‘d be a great little stadium that we could play in, and we can have a museum to respect all those players like the Harry Kewells, the Timmy Cahills, and the Johnny Warrens that have done so much for Australian football.”

Arnold’s contribution to Australia football should also be hailed, FA chief executive officer James Johnson said.