WITH all the recent talk about player confirmations, franchise applications, expanding federations, potential relegations and regional confederations, I thought it might be a good time to remember that football is, at the end of the day, just a game.

And nobody knows that better than the millions of ordinary kids whose energy and passion for this beautiful game drive the global enterprise. As a proud parent, I can assure you that watching Saturday morning junior football games is every bit as exciting as watching the Socceroos progress at the World Cup.

Last season my two boys played in the Under 12 Division 4 competition for the mighty Southport Warriors (team pic here). They ensured promotion to Div 3 with a strong second placing on the table, the highlight of their season being a 5-0 thumping of the team who came first.

Samuel smacked in more than a dozen sizzling goals, including several late match-winners, and set up many more with fancy footwork that drove defenders to distraction. Parents on the sidelines got used to constant screams of "Pass it, Sam! PASS IT!!!" but an artist like Sam is not to be rushed.

On one memorable occasion, he drew half the opposing team around himself as he toyed with the ball at the top of the goal box. Then he deftly passed back to Louis, the coach's son, who lobbed it over the whole mob and into the net.

Edward, who jumped up a grade from the Under 10s, beat two defenders and chipped the keeper to score in his first Under 12s game - at half time, he happily admitted that he was actually trying to slot the ball into the bottom right corner!

He quickly developed into a rugged and wily defender, who held his own against kids twice his size. While Sam likes to trot along, analyzing the game and anticipating moves, Edward races around the field like a jackrabbit on a caffeine hit, chasing down everything that comes his way. Both approaches have their merits!

Aisha, meanwhile, has a lovely left foot for a 4-year-old, and a good eye for the passing game. Once she gets the idea that rules are important, and goals are something worth scoring, there will be no stopping her. Except perhaps her Barbie Soccer Doll.

I see the Gold Coast team's arrival as a big opportunity for kids like mine to experience first-hand all the joy and excitement that top-level football can bring. Aside from the obvious excitement of matches at Skilled Park, a local A-League team presents a clear career path to any youngsters who prove themselves good enough.

Then there's the added bonus of Clive Palmer's commitment to helping regional clubs develop their youth programs. As a junior team manager, I can tell you that we need all the help we can get.

The Gold Coast region has a proud tradition of producing quality footballers, and yet local clubs have long struggled to survive on little more than the sometimes fickle support of volunteer mums and dads. The arrival of a local A-League team with a committed financial backer is pure manna from heaven.

Of course, it's early days yet - the Gold Coast club is still putting together a senior team, and real community involvement won't start until after the big pre-season media blitz. But I just got the first email of the season from the Southport Warriors club, soliciting early registrations - and this year we can do it online! Johnny Warren's dream continues building momentum.

Thanks to football, my kids have already learned a lot about playing by the rules, channelling their aggression, listening to their coach, and supporting their team mates.

They are also developing into healthy, strong young men who enjoy an active lifestyle. It's great to think that they will soon be running out onto the pitch, packing the stands at Skilled Park, and grabbing autographs from their new heroes.

I am confident that the arrival of Gold Coast United will help ensure that my kids - and many, many others in this part of the world - will remain dedicated football fans for the rest of their lives.

* * *

I asked the boys if they wanted to contribute to my blog this week. Samuel, being nearly a teenager with a lot of big things on his mind, politely demured. But Edward eagerly set pen to paper:

"Gold Coast is going to start off quiet and eventually going to get bigger and bigger. The more wins they get, they're going to get greedy and buy expensive players and people are not going to like them. When they get to the finals, Skilled Park is going to be too small to fit 20,000 fans in the seats (*). People might have to stand in the walkways and get restless in the stands. They might have to build another stadium bigger than Skilled Park to play if the crowd gets that big..."

"But what does it mean for YOU?" I asked him.

"No more driving to Brisbane for Queensland Roar!" he shouted.

* Actually the capacity at Skilled Park is 27,000. It might make a good training facility once we build the REAL stadium! ;-)