I have to admit that seeing Australia go down to Japan this week in the dying minutes of the final of the Asian Cup was gut wrenching. As a romantic, a fiercely patriotic Aussie and a football fan – I’m the best athlete never to play the game – I was convinced we would pull off the win, and I wanted it badly for the players who’ve done so much for our game but who will undoubtedly retire soon. I wanted the win for Lucas Neill, for Tim Cahill, for Mark Schwarzer and of course, for Harry (our national wizard).

However it was not to be. What was therefore the most heart-warming thing to come out of the match were… the surnames. In my recollection, most of the top footballers who’ve played for Australia had parents who came from the UK and the Eastern Bloc. At this competition, the names on the back of the soccer jerseys were as diverse in racial or national origin as I can ever remember and underscore something I believe in and see working regularly. Diversity works and when that diverse group of people (with names like Valeri, McKay, Ognenovski, Jedinak and Wilkshire) come together with a shared purpose, great leadership, a robust strategy, some serious discipline and some self belief, they can achieve almost anything.

The current era of players have served us well. We qualified for two consecutive World Cups which for our little nation was impressive. The future augers well if the performance of Matt McKay is anything to go by, but more than the sport and the national pride is the national reminder of the power of inclusion and diversity in driving performance and furthering acceptance.