Up There Cazaly
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"Up There Cazaly" is an Australian sporting catchphrase inspired by former St Kilda and South Melbourne great Roy Cazaly ("Up there Cazaly" was "a phrase that would be shouted by team mate Fred "Skeeter" Fleiter when he wanted Cazaly to go for a mark"[1]). The expression later became the basis of a song recorded and composed by The Two Man Band (Mike Brady & Peter Sullivan.)
The song was recorded in 1979, intended as a promotion for Channel Seven's Australian Rules Football (VFL) coverage, and the following year, it was used in the film version of David Williamson's The Club. The single, released on the independent Fable Records label, sold over 250,000 copies and became the largest-selling Australian single ever released up to that time.
Since then it has entered Australian folklore as a song synonymous with the sport of Australian Rules Football, and has been a feature as part of the pre/post-match entertainment of many VFL/AFL Grand Finals.
Cazaly was a champion footballer of the early 20th Century noted for his high-flying marks in a time when Australia was involved in war.
"Up There Cazaly" was also a cry used by Australian troops during World War II.
[edit] Controversy
In 2006, Cliff Portwood, a former English soccer player with a band consisting of members of the 1966 World Cup team plagiarized and began selling a song called "Up There (Old) England", which had a similar tune to Up There Cazaly with lyrics for the English Soccer Team. This was reported on BBC Radio and in the Herald Sun. It was falsely claimed by many that the song was released in 1966 for the team's World Cup campaign, however in Australia, Mike Brady appeared on 3AW radio with this news, with legal action being considered and to retrieve any royalties associated with the sale of the song. However, the song was not a commercial success in England and quickly vanished from the public consciousness.This tune is used by Derby County fans for their anthem "Steve Bloomer's Watching".
