Yep you have to call it soccer or no one will know what your talking about!!!!!!!!!
They have just bought a rule out that it is called football but no one calls it that only the associations.
even if you are just talking to some australians you work with and say my kids play football they wont know that your talking about soccer get my meaning
Its really frustrating at times lol but you will get used to it. another thing is you will hear and read heaps about football and a tiny bit about soccer in the media.
My kids both played rep soccer and played against melbourne teams they were very good there is a lot of greeks and italians in melbourne and they love their soccer and are very passionate about it. My daughter plays and always had opportunities and was never held back because she was a girl, she played in a boys team until under 14,s then had to go to girls team. she also played reps and played against sally shippard (matilda player) at wagga when she was between 12 and 16.
Its getting more popular not more so since the A league took off.
Soccer is the most practiced and played junior sport in austrialia but players usually switch to footy when they get older, I think they get paid for that where ammature soccer they dont.