Socceroos clinch Team Performance of the Year award

The Australian international football team has taken out the Team Performance of the Year award.

The Socceroos were crowned as the best team in Australian sport at the 2009 Sports Performer Awards held in Sydney, beating off AFL premiers Geelong Cats, NRL champions Melbourne Storm, ANZ netball championship winners Melbourne Vixens and Queensland’s State of Origin team.

The Socceroos were one of the first nations to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and also climbed to their highest FIFA ranking of 14th in the world.

Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek was nominated for the Coach of the Year category which was won by master horse trainer Bart Cummings whilst Newcastle Jets youngster and Young Socceroos star Ben Kantarovski was nominated in the Young Performer of the Year category which went to 18-year old gymnast Lauren Mitchell.