There is a book, Swimming Studies, by a Canadian author Leanne Shapton, which documents her notes on swimming and the shapes of pools she swims in. The book also contains photographs of the swim-suits she has collected over time as a swimmer – both serious and recreational. She writes of the smells of pools and…
Melbourne promotes itself as not only the world’s most liveable city, but also one of the world’s premier sporting cities. The 2006 Commonwealth Games, however, was a moment in which the city’s Indigenous ownership and history was asserted through the Camp Sovereignty protests in King’s Domain.
Elsewhere: I had been in Indonesia during most of 2005, and then, I came back to Melbourne in February 2006. Not long afterwards, my father invited me to watch some of the table tennis as part of the Commonwealth Games. I was ambivalent about the ‘Commonwealth Games’ and its heritage as a colonial hangover, but,…
Team Portraits Charles Edward Boyles (1888-1971) established the practice of having team photographs in front of the grandstand of their home ground. Many of the Boyles photos are available online through the State Library of Victoria. They can be downloaded and are out of copy-right. Ken Mansell, has written an excellent article about Boyles photographs,…
Rennie Ellis was active as a photographer throughout the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s. His photographs, mainly taken in Melbourne and Sydney, are of everyday life: streetscapes, the public enjoying their leisure and of course, watching and doing sport. Ellis is perhaps best known for his photographs of pub, bar and party scenes. He enjoyed…
After Totaalvoetbal explores the place and role of football in the Netherlands. This volume is made up of essays written while watching and travelling to stadia and suburban grounds in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Haarlem and Leiden. The essays are based on interviews and discussions with fans, professional players and recreational players. Football in the Netherlands is not…
The choice of Bert van Marwijk as coach of the Socceroos was a selection based on pragmatism and short-term goals. This does not necessarily make it a bad one; but rather merely being the most viable option based on circumstances in the wake of Ange Postecoglou’s departure. The tension around his appointment, and the position…
The changes in the Australian football (soccer) landscape over the past 10-15 years have been well-commented upon and the continual source of much contention and fierce debate. Indeed, perhaps there is no sport in Australia that is so thoroughly contested as that of football. While Australian Rules and Rugby League dominate the media throughout the…
I went to the baseball. In Altona. The last time I crossed the Bridge for a sports game was in late August with @4boat and he was a little over a month away from making his already iconic – at least amongst Richmond fans – ‘Tigers Together’ design. We had visited the Whitten Oval and…