Bart Vriends had to unfortunately miss the Australian Grand Prix, but he did get to discuss both motorsport and football in Melbourne. The defender has been successfully leading the defence of Adelaide United in the Australian A-League for some time now. Off the field, he is thoroughly enjoying the adventure and the Australian sports culture. “The main dilemma is deciding which beach to go to after training,” he recently said.
Bart, how are you finding it Down Under?
“Yes, it’s really good. Starting with football: until a month ago, we were fully involved in the title race. However, we’ve lost a lot of points in the past month because we had to give up players to Australia’s under-20 team and due to some injuries. As a result, our squad suddenly became very thin and the level dropped drastically. But there’s still a small chance, mind you. Life itself is great. If you’re not careful, this is a country where you stay longer than initially intended. We live near the beach and it’s actually getting more and more enjoyable, especially since my girlfriend now has a job here and we’ve built up a social network. It’s starting to feel more and more like home.”
Have you immersed yourself in the Australian sports culture yet?
“I’m just going with the flow. I’ve attended a few matches of Australian Football by now. I wanted to get to know this sport because it’s very much part of the country. We also attended the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne and the LIV golf tournament in Adelaide. The latter was more of a festival, under the motto ‘Golf but Louder’. There were DJs playing and people dancing everywhere. It was actually a party where a bit of golf was also played.”
You unfortunately missed the Formula 1 in Melbourne?
“Yes, unfortunately, it didn’t work out. I would have loved to go and watch. But to be very honest, the sport has never really gripped me. I did go to the GP in Zandvoort once and was impressed by the event. And of course, I follow Max Verstappen. So if he’s still in the running for the title at the end of the season, I’ll definitely watch a few races on TV. I have to, because people do talk about it here. And among footballers, Formula 1 is very popular.”
Is there a lot of attention in the Australian media for the Aussies on the grid, Oscar Piastri and debutant Jack Doohan?
“Haha, are you asking me? It is hyped up and made important, which says a lot about the status of the sport. But I must confess that my focus is more on the football pages in the newspapers.”
In general, does the Australian sports culture differ a lot from the way we approach sports in the Netherlands?
“They find sports very important here, but the experience is different. They see it as a very nice form of entertainment. It’s a bit less passionate than in Europe. Attending a match here is more of a family outing. There’s often a Food Court. We played recently in Auckland and there I also saw a Ferris wheel and a slide for the kids.”
In F1, drivers often complain about each other via the radio. And in football, there’s a lot of talk about ‘diving’ and getting yellow cards. How is that in Australia?
“Well, here I’ve also played against a few ‘time-wasters’ and troublemakers. I suspect it has blown over from Europe. One of the reasons that football is not at the top of the pecking order here is because people don’t like drama and pretense. They’re more into Australian Football and rugby where men really go in hard and don’t complain about anything. I was recently at an Australian Football match where a player was knocked out. When he was carried off the field on a stretcher a little later, he was almost booed. That says a lot about what the supporters expect in terms of masculinity from the people on the field.”
Finally, how do you see your own future?
“My contract runs until the end of next season and then we’ll see. But this adventure, the traveling and playing in a different culture, is more than fine.”
