That, ladies and gentlemen, is the motto of the Asian Football Confederation; and I guess by proxy, Football Federation Australia too. Since 2006, when Australia qualified under the Oceania banner only to then take residence in Asia's garden of plenty, we have enjoyed fruits like a real continental league competition, a Confederation tournament that we by rights are not the favourite to win, and of course a bountiful supply of World Cup qualification slots. Not to mention the added benefits of higher quality opposition, lucrative sponsorship opportunities, and a higher frequency of meaningful friendlies.

Yet while we are technically part of the AFC, there's always been a feeling amongst some AFC officials and member countries that we're not really part of Asia. Indeed, some members of the Australian footballing public have expressed views that they don't want to be considered part of it. A while back, before I began my days blogging on FourFourTwo, I wrote a piece on Gloryboys.net called The Yellow Peril, detailing the misplaced superiority some Australians felt towards the AFC - not to mention the continent as a whole. We've always seemed to struggle with the idea of the 'menace at our door', as some wonderful Menzies-era propaganda might detail, thanks to our Anglo-European origins and the political, religious, and economic differences with the countries around us.

Yet as Paul Keating might have put it - and as the AFC currently do - the future, and indeed the present, is Asia. Why then are we not actually part of it? Yes, we are a member of the AFC - but as far as my research can tell me, we're only an invited member. We don't actually belong to one of the several Asian sub-confederations that make up the AFC. Now the obvious choice would be ASEAN Football Federation; the governing body of football for the Association of South East Asian Nations. Our geographical proximity to the other nations, as well as the fact that our youth teams currently participate in ASEAN youth tournaments, makes it an ideal candidate. The question would then be, would they want us?

The AFF isn't the most powerful nor competitive of the Asian blocs. It would generally be accepted that the East Asian Football Federation and West Asian Football Federation supply the majority of the AFC's heavy hitters. In addition, the South and Central zone contains emerging countries like India and Uzbekistan who, should the whim take them, could invest heavily in football's development in the next few years. As such then, the AFF contains a lot of smaller countries who lack some of the economic and footballing power shown elsewhere. Should a relatively strong team like Australia join them, what would it mean? For a start, it is likely that a full-strength Socceroos side would make short work of the AFF Suzuki Cup; won recently by teams like Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. No disrespect to such sides, but a Socceroos first team win at such a tournament would be a very cheap victory. What's more, it would likely stir up resentment in the region - constant Australian victories in a cup once quite winnable for our near neighbours.

But there are ways that such a move could work out for both parties. For a start, Australia has existing political ties in the region, and more than a few commercial interests as well. Additionally, joining ASEAN would be a way for Australia to begin to exert some more influence within the AFC, and gain a better knowledge of the inner politics that run the confederation. Surely if Australia was to ever want to elect an AFC president of their own, we would need someone to have some experience in governance at some level. For ASEAN, having a country the size and strength of Australia join the confederation would also present opportunities for training, accreditation, and coach/player development programs.

Then there's the AFF Suzuki Cup; if sending our top side would unbalance the tournament somewhat, then it presents an ideal opportunity for our A-League players to get some international experience. Ok, so they're hardly playing Brazil here - but matches against Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines provides an opportunity for Holger Osciek to cast an eye over emerging A-League talent and have these players experience playing in a team together. This could be invaluable when it comes to the Asian Cup qualifiers, when we don't always have access to our best side.

Half the reason that 'A-Leagueroos' have struggled against teams like Kuwait and Singapore is that they don't actually know their teammates. How often would Nikolai Topor-Stanley or Bruce Djite actually play with Nick Carle or Archie Thompson for example? Without that familiarity with your teammates, you don't know what they're thinking or what they want you to be doing, and as a result you're always going to struggle. What's more, if Holger uses the same tactics that he plays with the 'A' team, then it means that should one of the A-League players impress impress, he can continue with the same role in what is likely to be a completely different team.

In return, existing AFF countries should be happy in the knowledge that they're going to face a very competitive test from 'down under' at these tournaments - but not an impossible one. It provides them with a chance to take on a very different style of football team to what exists in their own backyard - a team that might lack some of the technical skills of South East Asian countries, but has speed, strength, and (hopefully) enough tactical nous to more than compensate for it. As coach of a Singapore or Thailand, you may not be able to ask your physically smaller team to just man-mark guys like Djite and Matt Simon; so it then comes down to how you and your coaches develop a strategy to deal with it.

Joining the AFF also has big implications for my own home town, Perth. For so long the poor cousin of the eastern states when it comes to hosting international matches, having a confederation based on our doorstep would be a great step forward in securing more home matches and putting greater pressure on the WA government to invest in infrastructure. Hell, Perth could probably even host the AFF Cup one day - with appropriate stadia built, or the use of an upgraded nib stadium. It would be only appropriate, too - of all Australian cities, you could say Perth was the one leading the charge into Asia long before the FFA ever did. For many years now ASEAN nations' teams and clubs have toured Western Australia, taking on the WA State Team, Perth Glory, or Football West Premier League sides. Youth development matches have been organised between Singapore and our own WA National Training Centre team, for example.

Indeed, the precursor to Perth Glory, Perth Kangaroos IFC, played in the Singapore S-League. Heck, they won the S-League in their one and only try, leaving the Darwin Cubs trailing in their wake. So there's already an existing relationship there to build upon. The AFF also provides employment opportunities for Australian coaches and management personnel. It may be fashionable to complete your FFA/AFC badges at the moment after paying largish sums of money to take the necessary courses; but it doesn't mean that you will land a job in the A-League. For those coaches who don't, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia would all be good options. All these countries have decent league systems with an opportunity to experience continental football, via the AFC Cup or the AFC Champions League. In the case of Indonesia, there's twice the employment opportunity thanks to their breakaway league - and since Asia opened its arms to us, isn't it only fair that we give something back to Asia?

All this of course ignores the final, most fanciful option - that Oceania, Australia's old stable, should become part of Asia either as a 'super-confederation' or, more ideally, as a confederation split into two between East and West. Now this is an unlikely move because the AFC may see any split as an eroding of their powerbase inside FIFA - but then again, this is FIFA and you simply don't know if a giant stuffed purple racoon called Bob is going to be elected as their next president. Under this scenario Australia of course goes back to helping the region it used to belong to (and it is ideally situated to do so) but this time stronger teams like Korea, Japan, China, etc are also mixed in with the qualification process. It benefits Oceania nations to play against stronger teams, and it means that we can take a more leading role in the region, but not one that sees us take on American Samoa or PNG at the second-last stage of qualifying.

In spite of whichever path we choose, Australia looks set to be a mainstay in Asia for some time. As such, it would be in the FFA's best interests to get more involved in the governance of their local region. Sure, we don't have a lot of money to spend - at least not as much as someone like a China or Korea - but we do have coaches and bureaucrats who could easily do a job helping out some of the smaller countries. A bit of neighbourly love never goes astray, and makes a lot more sense than the completely legal gifts and aid packages given to the caribbean. Who knows - if FIFA does reform itself, and Bob the pimple raccoon is elected to the head chair on the council, a bit more involvement in our own backyard just might be looked upon very favourably indeed. But if Bob somehow misses out, the experience gained in the everyday political shenanigans that go on inside the AFC will be just as valuable as we attempt to negotiate the murky waters of FIFA's sea of dodginess.

The future is Asia, people - and it's time to make it ours.