We all like to see politicians struggle. I mean, few of us could contain our glee at Tony Abbott's recent near transformation into road kill. Now we have a chance to see them struggle all over again, albeit sans near misses with heavy vehicles.
This Thursday Canberrans - yes, Canberrans, who sadly can't yet boast themselves an A-League team but who will hopefully one day - will get an opportunity to see politicians out of their natural suit-and-tie comfort zone and in shorts-and-football-boots unfamiliarity because Australia's oft-forgotten capital is getting a round-robin play off between pollies and street soccer players.
The reason? The 'Berra's Street Soccer programme's anniversary. That's celebrating one full year of successfully providing sport and support to homeless and marginalised people in the very city where decisions about tackling homelessness Australia-wide are made.
Can you think of anything better than bringing the policy makers who have the power to change people's lives into direct (and potentially sweaty) contact with the people whose lives their policies affect? Does it not want to make you get them to play football with you and your mates who too are affected by their decisions about, oh, say environmental issues?
Sadly, Abbott won't be making an appearance (for which we should probably be grateful given that when he's not in a suit in a car almost being flattened by semi trailers, the sports-mad pollie has a penchant for gadding about in-shudder-lycra and budgie smugglers), but plenty of others will, including Tanya Plibersek, Stephen Conroy (yep, he of the internet filter), and Iguanagate's Belinda Neal. Matching up against them will be representatives from the Sydney and Canberra Street Soccer programs and freshly signed Melbourne Heart recruit Kamal Ibrahim, an AIS midfielder who, at just 17, is an exciting future prospect for Australian football.
If you're Canberra-dwelling, would like to see some pollies be out-shone soccer-wise, or if you're keen to see if some of our politicians' ball skills are as smooth as their political ones (and, let's face it, there will be at least one with some representative footballing skills in their past who will make us sit up and rethink our pollie perceptions), kick off is 6.45am on Thursday 25 February at Federation Mall (Northern Lawn), Parliament House. It's also worth heading down to check out the giant inflatable pitches they have-tennis court-sized and like hollowed out jumping castles, you'll be itching to get on there and have a kick around and a rebound.
