The British are Coming, Hopefully: Great Expectations and the Two Phases of the Commonwealth Football Association

Association football (soccer) in Australia began as a sport in the 1870s, yet it took four decades for Australians to embrace a national organisation. In 1911 the State associations met in Sydney and consequently the Commonwealth Football Association was formed. The impetus was the desire for a tour by the English. Over the next fifteen years, negotiations would to and fro between Australia, New Zealand and England, eventually leading to the arrival of the English in May 1925. By then the Commonwealth Football Association had become the key organisation in the development of football in Australia and through this, the Association would register as a company. There were several obstacles to the Association's development, including the alienation of both New Zealand and Western Australia. Yet the Association became a success and was the foundation for the future of association football in Australia.