The World Game
Encyclopedia
The World Game is a Monday night television show on SBS
in Australia
dedicated to association football. It is currently hosted by David Basheer
, former Socceroo Craig Foster, and Les Murray
, the show analytically reviews and previews soccer and soccer issues from around the globe, albeit with an Australian focus. The World Game is the sport's only weekly program on free-to-air television in Australia.
Tony Palumbo, a seasoned journalist with the Italian migrant press in Australia, assists in providing some insights on major European leagues, primarily the English Premier League and Italian Serie A
. Some footage is provided from Spain's La Liga
, France's Ligue 1
, Scotland's Scottish Premier League
, South America's Copa Libertadores and Germany's Bundesliga
. UEFA Champions League
, UEFA Cup
, other cup games and internationals (European Championship
) also get game footage; mainly the Champions League. Former Sydney FC
coach Branko Culina
is a regular contributor on discussion relating to Australian soccer. SBS has no broadcast rights to the A-League
, the premier Australian soccer league, or the Australian national team.
SBS avoids using the term "soccer" and often refers to it as "the beautiful game", "the world game" or simply as "football". The decision followed the majority of countries which call the game "football".
From 2 August 2010, the show was moved to Monday on SBS Two at 9.30pm AEST, and repeated on SBS One at 11.30pm AEST. The show is shortened to one-hour episodes.
s, European Championship
and the UEFA Champions League
.
On every matchday of the Champions League one Wednesday and one Thursday match are broadcast live. Match callers are generally David Basheer
and Gary Bloom, as well as Martin Tyler
, who due to his reputation is selected for the major occasions, such as finals.
Simon Hill
, who since moved to Fox, was an anchor. Telephone Reports from South America came often from Tim Vickery
.
Liz Deep-Jones, Mieke Buchan
and Stephanie Brantz
had roles as general sports-news news announcer within the show. This type of position is no longer available in the current format.
Former host Andrew Orsatti
has since moved to ESPN
.
It was first established in July 2002.
in the 'Most Popular Sports Program' award catergory. It lost out to The AFL Footy Show
.
Special 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...
in 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...
dedicated to association football. It is currently hosted by David Basheer
David Basheer
David Basheer is an Australian sports commentator and presenter on television network SBS. He is a presenter on The World Game football show on SBS.-Early life and education:...
, former Socceroo Craig Foster, and Les Murray
Les Murray (broadcaster)
Les James Murray AM is an Australian sports journalist, football broadcaster and analyst...
, the show analytically reviews and previews soccer and soccer issues from around the globe, albeit with an Australian focus. The World Game is the sport's only weekly program on free-to-air television in Australia.
Tony Palumbo, a seasoned journalist with the Italian migrant press in Australia, assists in providing some insights on major European leagues, primarily the English Premier League and Italian Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. Some footage is provided from Spain's La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, France's Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
, Scotland's Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
, South America's Copa Libertadores and Germany's Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
. UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, other cup games and internationals (European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
) also get game footage; mainly the Champions League. Former Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
coach Branko Culina
Branko Culina
Branko Čulina is a football coach and former player. He is currently without a club after being sacked by Newcastle Jets.-Club career:...
is a regular contributor on discussion relating to Australian soccer. SBS has no broadcast rights to the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
, the premier Australian soccer league, or the Australian national team.
SBS avoids using the term "soccer" and often refers to it as "the beautiful game", "the world game" or simply as "football". The decision followed the majority of countries which call the game "football".
Broadcast History
The show, which first aired in 2001, started out as a 6-hour show to a 3-hour show, airing on Sunday afternoons. Regular segments featured on the show include: Kids FC, The Wrap (with Mariana Rudan), Aussies Abroad, The Local Game, Football Focus, The Global Game, The International Game, Asian Champions League, Les Murray's Football Feature, Football Asia and UEFA Champions League Magazine.From 2 August 2010, the show was moved to Monday on SBS Two at 9.30pm AEST, and repeated on SBS One at 11.30pm AEST. The show is shortened to one-hour episodes.
Regular Segments
- Football Focus
- The Local Game
- The Global Game
- The International Game
- Kids FC
- Aussies Abroad
- Les Murray's Football Feature
- The Wrap (with Mariana Rudan)
World Cup and European Champions League Broadcasts
The SBS sports team responsible for this show also organise broadcasts from FIFA World CupFIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s, European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
and the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
.
On every matchday of the Champions League one Wednesday and one Thursday match are broadcast live. Match callers are generally David Basheer
David Basheer
David Basheer is an Australian sports commentator and presenter on television network SBS. He is a presenter on The World Game football show on SBS.-Early life and education:...
and Gary Bloom, as well as Martin Tyler
Martin Tyler
Martin Tyler is an English football commentator who was voted as the FA Premier League Commentator of The Decade...
, who due to his reputation is selected for the major occasions, such as finals.
Current Contributors
- Ned ZelićNed ZelicNedijeljko "Ned" Zelić is a former Australian football player.-Club career:Zelic started his career in the old Australian National Soccer League,where he played with clubs Sydney Croatia and Sydney Olympic...
- Francis AwaritefeFrancis AwaritefeFrancis Edgar Awaritefe is an Australian former football player, and is currently Director of Football at Melbourne Victory...
- Anthony PeridisAnthony PeridisAnthony Peridis was an Australian television presenter, formerly with the Sydney Weekender program on the Seven Network in New South Wales and formerly with SBS.-Media career:...
- Tony Palumbo
- Mariana Rudan
- Rale RasicRalé RasicZvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM Zvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM Zvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM (born 26 December 1935 in Mostar, Littoral Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a Serbian-Australian former football player, coach and media personality....
- Branko CulinaBranko CulinaBranko Čulina is a football coach and former player. He is currently without a club after being sacked by Newcastle Jets.-Club career:...
- Paul OkonPaul OkonPaul Okon is a former Australian football player who retired after playing with Australian side Newcastle United Jets....
- Željko KalacŽeljko KalacŽeljko Kalac is a retired Australian football goalkeeper. Standing at 2.02m, Kalac is one of the world's tallest professional goalkeepers....
Previous Contributors
Simon Hill
Simon Hill is an Australian-based association football commentator.-British-based work:After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 1990, Hill began his work in the field of journalism, initially writing for newspapers as a freelance author while studying for the NCTJ Pre-Entry Course in...
, who since moved to Fox, was an anchor. Telephone Reports from South America came often from Tim Vickery
Tim Vickery
Tim Vickery is an English football journalist who has lived in Brazil since 1994. He currently serves as the South American football correspondent for the BBC, writing a weekly column for the corporation online...
.
Liz Deep-Jones, Mieke Buchan
Mieke Buchan
thumb|250px|Mieke BuchanMieke Buchan is an Australian television and radio presenter.-Early life:A native of Sydney, Australia, she majored in Film and Television Production in her BA Communications degree at University of Technology, Sydney, and also competed for them in netball in the Australian...
and Stephanie Brantz
Stephanie Brantz
Stephanie Brantz is an Australian sports presenter. She began her television career in 2000 on SBS , and has since worked on the Nine Network and Fox Sports...
had roles as general sports-news news announcer within the show. This type of position is no longer available in the current format.
Former host Andrew Orsatti
Andrew Orsatti
Andrew Orsatti in Sydney, Australia is a sports presenter and football commentator, based in the United States. After nearly 12 years on free-to-air television in Australia, Orsatti left the Special Broadcasting Service , to take up a position at the global headquarters of US sports giant ESPN...
has since moved to ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Website
The World Game website is a popular soccer news website run as an adjunct to the TV program. It used to include a forum called The World Game Forum, which has since ceased activity. Commonly referred to by the abbreviation TWGF, the forum was one of the more popular soccer forums in Australia. It had over 18,000 members, who have contributed to over 800,000 articles.It was first established in July 2002.
Awards
In 2008, the program was nominated for a Logie AwardLogie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
in the 'Most Popular Sports Program' award catergory. It lost out to The AFL Footy Show
The AFL Footy Show
The Footy Show is a Logie Award winning Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates.This show, which is dedicated to the AFL and Australian rules football, made its debut on 24 March 1994 at the same time as the other version which relates to the NRL and rugby...
.
See also
- SBS Television
- SBS TVSBS TVSBS One is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally...
- SBS World News ChannelSBS World News ChannelThe SBS World News Channel was an Australian television channel broadcast by SBS Television that launched on 12 June 2002. The channel, that used to be only available to digital television viewers in Australia, was the first digital-only multi-channel for the Special Broadcasting Service...
- SBS EssentialSBS EssentialSBS Essential was a Special Broadcasting Service television channel available to digital television viewers in Australia. It began broadcasting on 14 October 2002, and was discontinued on 25 January 2007...
- SBS independentSBS independentSBS independent is the primary production unit of SBS "home-baked" primetime programming.All productions are commissioned in association with the independent sector of the Australian film and television industry....
- Fox Sports FC