GEELONG’S football community was privileged to be a part of a special presentation at the Corio Soccer Club’s Hume Reserve complex earlier today, when the prestigious FIFA Puskás Award was on show for the first time outside of Europe.

The FIFA Puskás Award is given each year to the player judged to have scored the best goal in world football and was featured as part of a whistle-stop tour of Victorian regional (football) centres including Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the La Trobe Valley, in conjunction with Football Federation Victoria (FFV).

The regional Roadshow kicked off in Bell Park, long regarded as the traditional epicentre of the city’s footballing community, at the home ground of Corio SC which has its origins in Geelong’s Hungarian community.

MC’ed by FFV’s General Manager of Commercial and Media Anthony Grima, the historic presentation featured special guest speakers, ex-Socceroo captain and official spokesman for the Geelong Hyundai A-League club bid Steve Horvat and Member in the Victorian Parliament for the Legislative Assembly electorate of Geelong District, the Honourable Christine Couzens.

Ms Couzens explained it was indeed a privilege for Corio Soccer Club to be hosting this event, adding that “this is a significant event not just for Geelong, but for Victoria as well.”

Mr Horvat, meanwhile, recalled his own personal experiences of crossing paths with the late Ferenc Puskas during his playing days, both with the Socceroos and with the Melbourne Knights in the 1990s at a time when Puskas coached cross town rivals South Melbourne in the now defunct NSL.

“It is a great honour to have such an association with such a legend and very honoured to be here today,” added Mr Horvat.

Other notable invitees included renowned local football historian Roy Hay, local NPL club North Geelong Warriors president Vlado Dzajkic and secretary Neven Kolakusic, as well as local WNPL club Galaxy United secretary Tatianna Atkinson.

Following the Geelong event, the Puskas Award Roadshow continued on to Ballarat and Bendigo and will culminate in Melbourne on Thursday with the official unveiling of a special Ferenc Puskas statue at AAMI Park within Melbourne’s world famous sporting precinct, where the late Ferenc Puskás made his mark on Melbourne’s rich sporting landscape by leading South Melbourne FC to championship success in 1991.

His unrivalled record as a player and manager stamps ‘The Galloping Major’ as an eternal giant of the world game.

The memorial statue will be presented to the people of Victoria by Mr Zsolt Németh, Chairman Foreign Affairs Committee, Hungarian National Assembly and Mr Robert Belteky, Puskás Foundation Board of Trustees.

PHOTO: FFV's Anthony Grima and ex-Socceroo and local legend Steve Horvat alongside the coveted Puskas Award trophy