For many it has been a long time coming; now it’s Australia’s turn to embrace the magic of the cup.
David Gallop launched the cup with the #WeAreFootball slogan, emphasising the opportunity for all clubs around the country to one day compete with the ten professional clubs in the A-League.
32 teams will compete in the inaugural FFA Cup, with three pots deciding the draw. Pot A will consist of the four semi finalists, the remaining six A-League teams will make up Pot B. For the first cup 22 teams will make up Pot C and this will represent the highest participation areas of football in Australia. In the future clubs will compete in qualifying rounds for a possible chance to play in the FFA Cup.
The structure of the tournament is still largely unknown but the games will be held on a Tuesday night at 7:30. The final will also be played on a Tuesday night but at a venue still to be determined. Fox Sports will show ten of the games live, including the final which will be held on December 16th. There will be no replayed fixtures with extra time and penalties deciding who advances to the next round.
The competition is set to be a financial windfall for the non A-League clubs with them hosting the bigger A-League clubs. In a move taking grass roots football around the country David Gallops said the FFA would cover travel costs for the duration of the tournament and home clubs will keep gate receipts from the clashes.
The location of the final will be decided at a later date, with the FFA looking to take this showcase around the country, not locking a permanent venue in such as Wembley. In a somewhat surprising move, Wellington Phoenix will get the opportunity to compete with the Australian clubs in the cup. As David Gallop stated “They are a part of the competition, they should have the opportunity to win the tournament” something I fully agree with.
Whilst it wasn’t a full announcement as such, we should all get behind the idea and let the magic of the cup into our football agenda. This is a very positive move by the FFA and one we should all mark on the football calendar.
