The Away Game
Encyclopedia
The Away Game is a documentary
based on the book of the same name by Matthew Hall. It follows the lives of a number of Australia
n football
ers who play overseas.
and currently screening on the National Geographic Channel
throughout Australia, The Away Game is a documentary that takes viewers behind the match highlights to show you what life is really like for Australia's soccer superstars: their lives, their loves, their obsessions.
From sharing lunch with John Aloisi
in Spain
, to enjoying a round of PlayStation
with Tim Cahill
and discussing the meaning of life - and the microwave - with Harry Kewell
, the 52-minute show takes you from England
to the Netherlands
, to Switzerland
, Spain and Italy
.
Narrated by Anthony LaPaglia
, a former professional footballer with Adelaide City
, The Away Game explores the realities of life as a Socceroo
in Europe
, as well as the lesser-known athletes who are doing what they love, albeit thousands of kilometres from home.
, Tony Vidmar
, Tony Popovic
, Archie Thompson
, Ljubo Milicevic
, Zeljko Kalac
, Vince Grella
, Mark Bresciano
, John Aloisi
, Josip Skoko
, Lucas Neill
, Mark Schwarzer
, Tim Cahill
, Harry Kewell
, Brett Emerton
, Mile Sterjovski
, Hayden Doyle
, John Filan, Mark Hughes
, Dimitry Piterman, Guus Hiddink
, Christian Gross
, Graham Arnold
, Joe Marston
and Craig Johnston
.
. Director: Scott Ferguson, Produced by Anita Bulan, Matthew Hall, Scott Ferguson, Director of Photography is Lachlan Milne.
The crew consisted of Anita Bulan, Matthew Hall, Scott Ferguson and Lachlan Milne. They drove a Kia Sedona from London's Heathrow Airport through Europe, clocking up 14,000km in their 4-week journey.
The Away Game is based on the book of the same name by Matthew Hall (Hardie Grant, 2006). The show is credited for being the first to publicly state that Mark Bresciano
's name was not Marco.
Meet the Players
A Second Language
A few quick questions
The Adoring fans
Graham Arnold uncut: "What it meant to qualify"
Some advice: "A reality check"
Craig Johnston uncut: "How I got to Liverpool"
media awards, was awarded a "highly commended" for Lachlan Milne's work at the ACT/NSW Cinematographers Society Awards, and won "Best Cinematography" at the 26th Palermo International Sports Film Festival in Italy.
Australian Sports Commission Media Awards
NSW & ACT Awards for Cinematography
The Away Game on myspace.com
The Away Game on Youtube
Sydney Morning Herald review June 2006
SMH.COM.AU review September 2006
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
based on the book of the same name by Matthew Hall. It follows the lives of a number of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
ers who play overseas.
The Away Game
First broadcast on SBSSpecial Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
and currently screening on the National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
throughout Australia, The Away Game is a documentary that takes viewers behind the match highlights to show you what life is really like for Australia's soccer superstars: their lives, their loves, their obsessions.
From sharing lunch with John Aloisi
John Aloisi
John Aloisi is a retired Australian football player who played as a striker, and the current youth team manager at Melbourne Heart....
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, to enjoying a round of PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
with Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...
and discussing the meaning of life - and the microwave - with Harry Kewell
Harry Kewell
Harold "Harry" Kewell is an Australian professional football midfielder who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Internationally he has received 55 caps, and scored 16 goals, while playing for the Australian national team...
, the 52-minute show takes you from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Spain and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Narrated by Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
, a former professional footballer with Adelaide City
Adelaide City
Adelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League...
, The Away Game explores the realities of life as a Socceroo
Australia national football (soccer) team
The Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, as well as the lesser-known athletes who are doing what they love, albeit thousands of kilometres from home.
Featuring
Jason CulinaJason Culina
Jason Culina is an Australian footballer who plays for the Australia national football team.- Club career :Culina started off with Sydney United under his father, Branko, before moving on to Ajax where he struggled in the reserves. Only after moving to FC Twente did Culina begin to shine at the...
, Tony Vidmar
Tony Vidmar
Anthony "Tony" Vidmar is an Australian former professional football player of Slovenian origin. He was a member of the Australian national team, competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona for his native country, and is currently Australia's third highest capped player...
, Tony Popovic
Tony Popovic
Anthony Popovic is a Croatian Australian former football player. He last played for Sydney FC. He is currently the First Team Coach of Crystal Palace. Popovic grew up in Fairfield, New South Wales.-Early career:...
, Archie Thompson
Archie Thompson
Archibald Gerald Thompson is a New Zealand-born Australian professional football player, currently playing for Melbourne Victory in the Hyundai A-League, where he holds the League all time scoring record...
, Ljubo Milicevic
Ljubo Milicevic
Ljubo Miličević is an Australian football player who currently plays for Hajduk Split in the Prva HNL.-Early Career and Overseas:...
, Zeljko Kalac
Željko Kalac
Željko Kalac is a retired Australian football goalkeeper. Standing at 2.02m, Kalac is one of the world's tallest professional goalkeepers....
, Vince Grella
Vince Grella
Vincenzo "Vince" Grella is an Australian football player, who plays as a midfielder for Blackburn Rovers in the English Premier League...
, Mark Bresciano
Mark Bresciano
Mark "Marco" Bresciano is an Australian football player who is currently playing for UAE Pro-League side Al Nasr SC as a midfielder. He represented Australia at all youth levels, including appearances at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship and 2000 Olympic Games...
, John Aloisi
John Aloisi
John Aloisi is a retired Australian football player who played as a striker, and the current youth team manager at Melbourne Heart....
, Josip Skoko
Josip Skoko
Josip Skoko is a former Australian football player who last played as a Central Midfielder for A-League club Melbourne Heart.-Early career:...
, Lucas Neill
Lucas Neill
Lucas Edward Neill is an Australian Soccer player who currently plays for UAE Pro-League club Al Jazira. He is a full back. Neill had spent almost 15 years of his career playing in England. He represented Australia at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the 2010 World Cup in South...
, Mark Schwarzer
Mark Schwarzer
Mark Schwarzer OAM is an Australian association football player who plays as a goalkeeper. He currently plays for Premier League club Fulham. He rose to prominence during his time at North-East England football club Middlesbrough...
, Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...
, Harry Kewell
Harry Kewell
Harold "Harry" Kewell is an Australian professional football midfielder who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Internationally he has received 55 caps, and scored 16 goals, while playing for the Australian national team...
, Brett Emerton
Brett Emerton
Brett Michael Emerton is an Australian football player who plays for Sydney FC and the Australia national team...
, Mile Sterjovski
Mile Sterjovski
Mile Sterjovski is an Australian football player, who currently plays for Perth Glory and played for the Australian national team from 2000 to 2010, before he retired from international football after his non-selection for the 2010 FIFA World Cup...
, Hayden Doyle
Hayden Doyle
Hayden James Doyle is an Australian footballer who currently plays for Oakleigh Cannons in the Victorian Premier League.-Career:...
, John Filan, Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
, Dimitry Piterman, Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
, Christian Gross
Christian Gross
Christian Gross is a professional football coach and former player who currently manages Young Boys Bern. Before that he managed VfB Stuttgart until his dismissal in October 2010. He was manager of FC Basel from 1 July 1999 to 27 May 2009.-Playing career:Gross began his playing career at...
, Graham Arnold
Graham Arnold
Graham James Arnold is a former coach of the Australian national football team. He was appointed to work as an assistant to Frank Farina in 2000. The two replaced Raul Blanco, who was the interim coach in charge after Terry Venables decided not to renew his contract with Soccer Australia after...
, Joe Marston
Joe Marston
Joe Marston MBE was the first Australian to appear in a FA Cup Final when he turned out for Preston North End in their 1954 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.-Preston North End:...
and Craig Johnston
Craig Johnston
Craig Johnston is a former football player who was one of the first Australians to make a major impact in the English game. He is remembered for his time spent with Liverpool throughout the 1980s...
.
Production Details
The show is produced by Soda Presents and Last Straw Productions, Executive Produced and narrated by Anthony LaPagliaAnthony LaPaglia
Anthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
. Director: Scott Ferguson, Produced by Anita Bulan, Matthew Hall, Scott Ferguson, Director of Photography is Lachlan Milne.
The crew consisted of Anita Bulan, Matthew Hall, Scott Ferguson and Lachlan Milne. They drove a Kia Sedona from London's Heathrow Airport through Europe, clocking up 14,000km in their 4-week journey.
The Away Game is based on the book of the same name by Matthew Hall (Hardie Grant, 2006). The show is credited for being the first to publicly state that Mark Bresciano
Mark Bresciano
Mark "Marco" Bresciano is an Australian football player who is currently playing for UAE Pro-League side Al Nasr SC as a midfielder. He represented Australia at all youth levels, including appearances at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship and 2000 Olympic Games...
's name was not Marco.
The DVD
The DVD, distributed by Visual Entertainment Group, includes extras such as:Meet the Players
A Second Language
A few quick questions
The Adoring fans
Graham Arnold uncut: "What it meant to qualify"
Some advice: "A reality check"
Craig Johnston uncut: "How I got to Liverpool"
Broadcasts
The Away Game was first broadcast during the 2006 FIFA World Cup on SBS Television in Australia. It has since been broadcast by the National Geographic Channel and featured as inflight entertainment on Qantas Airways and Cathay Pacific since June 2006.Awards
The documentary recently was nominated for Best Profiling of a Team, Sport or Athlete at the Australian Sports CommissionAustralian Sports Commission
The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...
media awards, was awarded a "highly commended" for Lachlan Milne's work at the ACT/NSW Cinematographers Society Awards, and won "Best Cinematography" at the 26th Palermo International Sports Film Festival in Italy.
External links
Australian Sports Commission Media Awards
NSW & ACT Awards for Cinematography
The Away Game on myspace.com
The Away Game on Youtube
Sydney Morning Herald review June 2006
SMH.COM.AU review September 2006