体坛英语新闻：Australia should put more money into football diplomacy: report

CANBERRA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government should put more money into football diplomacy as Australia prepares for the 2015 Asian Cup and use the Asian Cup to strengthen Australia's ties with Asia, an Australian think tank said in a latest report on Friday.

In 2015 Australia will host the Asian Football Confederation's Asian Cup, bringing together the top 16 national teams in Asia. It is expected to attract 45,000 visitors and has a potential television reach of 2.5 billion viewers. The tournament will provide opportunities for government, business and community groups to strengthen their engagement with Asia.

In its report, Football Diplomacy Redux, the Lowy Institute for International Policy outlines key stakeholders should form a Football Asia Council to pool scarce resources and to provide support for networking opportunities.

According to the report, the Council should oversee the creation of a digital hub as a one-stop shop for information about both the Asian Cup and the various football diplomacy networking opportunities around it, along with an associated social media platform.

The report also urged the government and the Football Federation of Australia should provide targeted support to those groups already planning football diplomacy activities around the Asian Cup.

In the report, the institute recommends that the federal government allocates additional resources to Austrade for it to manage business networking events.

"The Asian Cup will present a significant opportunity for Australia to promote its image and national branding, as well as its goods and services, and strengthen networks in the region," the report said.

Football diplomacy was referred to in both a 2007 parliamentary inquiry on Australia's public diplomacy and the federal government 's Australia in the Asian Century White Paper.

It involves the use of common interest in football to create networks. The networks can be used for diplomacy, forming political and business connections, and promoting products and tourism.