Thursday 21 December 2017

The Goal! Weekly Archive

I'm not exactly sure when, but at some point recently the Goal! Weekly website added the vast bulk of their back catalogue to an archive on their website called The Collection. I've now added a link to this collection to the Newspapers page on the History Documents section of the blog. The modern successor to Soccer News and Soccer Action rounds out the history of post-WWII soccer in Victoria.

The archive covers the golden era of the mid-2000's VPL. There were full page match reports and some sensational photos. Full, poster-sized team photos are also of great interest, as well as the full page Football Focus photo and interviews of a player. There is also the foundation of the A-League, and in later years the magazine is a virtual Football Record for the national competition.

From a history perspective, the Blast From The Past page with Roy Hay is unmissable. He along with former Soccer Action journalist Craig MacKenzie were the paper's veterans writers, along with George Stogiannou and with John Punshon, Steve Gray and Anita Milas on the cameras. They were later joined by Walter Pless, Mike Salter and Nat Adamopoulos as the paper went national. A whole crop of young media talent later got in on the act, like Sacha Pisani, Matthew Galea, Donald Sutherland, Matthew Naqvi, Teo Pellizzeri, Con Stamocostas, David Manuca, Matthew McNamara, Daniel Quinn, Brandon Galgano, Katie Lambeski and Shaun Moran.

It's great to have the paper available online. All hail the King, Costa Koutropoulos!