Socceroos legend Tim Cahill jumps headlong into another sport when he buys an off-road auto racing team – and reveals his crucial role in preparing the national team for the 2022 World Cup
- Tim Cahill, 42, new owner of Extreme E racing team, part of XE Sports Group
- The team will be based in Australia, with the international road series starting in 2023
- All electric cars, former Socceroo looking to make a ‘lasting impression’
- Cahill will also help the Socceroos at the World Cup in Qatar from November
Socceroos legend Tim Cahill has revealed his new interest in sport and bought an off-road racing team.
Cahill bought his own Team Cahill to compete in Season 3 of the Extreme E Series next year.
The former Everton midfielder, 42, is excited about the prospect of owning a racing series for the first time, particularly for the “combination of exciting, competitive racing and a lasting, positive impact”.
Cahill’s team, part of the expanding XE Sports Group, will become the first team in Asia Pacific to be based in Australia with the 2023 International Off-Road Series featuring electric cars.
The current Extreme E line-up includes teams led by legendary motorsport names including McLaren, seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton (X44), Nico Rosberg (Rosberg X Racing) and Jenson Button (JBXE).
Socceroos legend Tim Cahill (pictured) has parted ways with world soccer and bought his own racing team, Extreme E
Cahill looks forward to “making a lasting, positive impact” in the international off-road electric car series (image)
As a kid growing up in western Sydney, pictures of Ferraris and a Lamborghini adorned Cahill’s bedroom walls.
As a self-confessed revhead, after buying a Lamborghini Gallardo, he also realized one of his lifelong dreams when he graced the English Premier League with the Blues from 2004 to 2012.
“In the end I didn’t drive much, but it meant a lot to me because it meant I had made a childhood goal come true,” he told News Corp.
“In football you spend all your time training and in the UK I lived 30-40 minutes from the training ground (Finch Farm on Merseyside) so being comfortable for this trip was definitely a luxury.”
When Australia travel to the World Cup in Qatar from November, Cahill will take on the role of a global sports ambassador for the tournament – also helping Graham Arnold’s side with their preparations.
It could prove crucial given that Cahill has been living and working in the Arab nation for the past several years.
He has extensive knowledge of Qatari football, as well as the layout and facilities, so he is well placed to provide expert insight into Arnold’s squad.
Tim Cahill was a legend for the Socceroos, scoring 50 goals in 108 games
Cahill was also a constant presence at the Socceroos camp during World Cup qualifiers, addressing the team days before their penalty shoot-out win over Peru (pictured, coach Graham Arnold).
In 2020, Cahill was hired as the Chief Sports Officer of the state-funded football school – Aspire Academy – in Qatar.
“We didn’t want to count our chickens before they hatch but now we know we’ll be here in November this year, those discussions have already started,” FFA chief James Johnson told the Sydney Morning Herald of the Socceroos’ potential training base the World Cup.
“The good news for us is that we have one of our all-time greats, Timmy Cahill…we’re already in talks with him about where we’re going. He’s local, he takes care of the team.’
Cahill was a constant presence at the Socceroos camp during World Cup qualifiers, addressing the team days before their penalty shoot-out win over Peru.
The Socceroos begin their tournament on November 23 against reigning world champions France in a tricky Group D alongside Denmark and Tunisia.
