World Cup stars all set for Sydney Festival of Football

Socceroos star Brett Emerton and New Zealand All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen today reaffirmed their commitment to the Sydney Festival of Football with both set to turn our for EPL glamour club Blackburn Rovers in the Inaugural event at the Sydney Football Stadium between July 25 - 31.

Blackburn Rovers will be joined by Hyundai A-League champions Sydney FC and European heavyweights AEK Athens FC and Glasgow Rangers in a three match round robin Festival of Football at the Sydney Football Stadium.  The tournament kicks off on Sunday July 25, before a mid week double header on Wednesday July 28, with the pre season championship culminating on Saturday July 31. 

Star Socceroo and Blackburn Rovers midfielder Vince Grella believes Holland can continue their
strong form and claim their first world cup title.

Speaking after the Netherland's 3-2 Semi-Final win over Uraguay , Grella declared this Dutch team
had the right balance to go all the way and claim the country's first world cup title. "Holland have
worked well as a unit all tournament and I think they will be very, very tough to beat come next
Monday morning (AEST)" Grella said today. "They are very well drilled, have speed on the flanks
and in form striker in Sneijder that can bang goals in from anywhere. I think they are certainly the
team to beat".

Grella is in Australia preparing for the Sydney Festival of Football, where he will join Socceroo
team mate Brett Emerton in turning out for Blackburn Rovers in the four team round robin set to
commence at the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday, July 25. This will be the 30 year-old's
second season with Rovers and while speculation surrounding his future at the club continues
to swirl, Grella is focused on the season ahead. "I'm really looking forward to playing in Sydney
against some of the biggest clubs in the world." Grella said. "AEK Athens and Rangers have
dominated their respective league's for decades and Sydney FC are obviously the reigning A-
League champions so I think fans will see a really competitive tournament."
"The EPL kicks off two weeks after (the Sydney Festival of Football) and I for one will
be giving it all to make sure I'm a part of the managers plans for the upcoming season".

Apparently SBS have gotten it into their heads that they 'Own' the phrase 'the world game' in relation to football.

 So apparently nobody else can use the phrase 'The World Game' as a reference to football or the suits at SBS will set the lawyers (Dewey, Cheatham and Howe apparently) on them. Both Crikey and Channel 10 have been targeted recently and both have responded with a resounding 'Fuck Off', metaphorically speaking anyway.

 The idea that a business, in this case a heavily government subsidised business, thinks that it can own a vernacular descriptive phrase is a joke.

 If someone were to use those words as a brand, or try to represent themselves as being related to SBS's highly respected 'World Game' brand, I could understand it, but this is just bullshit, overzealous lawyers making a buck and apparently incompetent management making fools of themselves.

 SBS seem determined to burn through as much goodwill as possible before the 2010 World Cup, a vast cash cow that generate enormous viewing audiences and income for them. 

 SBS suits should remember that football is also known as 'The People's Game' and this misguided attempt to lay claim to what is a universal turn of phrase is not going to go down well at all.

I've renamed one of the forum sections on this site 'The World Game', I await my letter with bated breath, I hope its two-ply, and properly absorbent.

 Jubdal