I love the FFA Cup and I don’t know an Australian football fan that doesn’t. It may seem cliche, but the magic of the cup is real.
I am a reporter for my local football association – Football South Coast (FSC), covering from Picton and Helensburgh to Kiama on the New South Wales south coast.
The region has two major divisions, Premier League (division 1) and District League (division 2) as well as a number of lower community league divisions.
In last season’s edition of the national wide knockout competition, FSC was represented by seven clubs. This season the number has dropped to five: Wollongong United, Bulli FC, Picton Rangers, Kemblawarra Fury and current Premier League champions, Albion Park White Eagles.
I spoke with the president of Bulli, Paul Connery, to see what the experience gives a club like his. Connery flagged the FFA Cup as an opportunity to gain exposure for the club if they were to be drawn against an NPL1 side or an A-League side, saying “That would be of great benefit, not only from a monetary side of things but it would lift the profile of the club.”
There is little doubt being drawn against A-League opposition would lift the profile of a club with the stature of Bulli. I may never have known about Redlands United before their famous victory over reigning champions Adelaide United, but now I am unlikely to forget their Charlton Athelticesque badge.
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Redlands play at a higher level than FSC clubs, competing in the Queensland NPL, so their pathway to an A-League side is not as hazardous, however some FSC clubs have come close.
Last season, Wollongong United came within a round of the national draw and Bulli were just edged out of the competition by NSW NPL1 side Wollongong Wolves 2-1. If they managed a win there they would have faced NSW NPL4 side Wagga City Wanderers, and the Wolves beat the Wanderers and drew a home match against Sydney FC.
Asked hypothetically where a match between Bulli and Sydney FC would be played, Connery believes the club would have applied for the match to be played at their home ground, Balls Paddock, a quaint ground in the Illawarra northern suburbs, probably capable of holding a thousand spectators (give or take) for a glamour cup tie.
With tickets hypothetically at $10 each that could bring in $10,000 for the club – not chump change at this level.
So why are clubs passing up this opportunity – there are 24 clubs eligible, but only five are taking it up.
There are three key reasons.
First, unlike many other nations, football in Australia is completely out of sync. The top division plays over summer, while every other league runs through winter, when purists say it should be played. This leads to smaller clubs starting their cup campaign months before their league season, and the bigger clubs at a state league level being forced to prolong their season if they make it through to the national draw.
Ultimately, the only way this can be sorted is for the A-League to move to a winter format – which is incredibly unlikely for a number of reasons.
Second, fixture congestion. Wollongong United, who won their third round match 9-0 over the Ponds, are scheduled to play nine matches throughout April, including local league and cup matches. With a squad of 18 or so players, this is a significant ask.
Admittedly, a contributing factor has been the unusually high amount of rain causing numerous fixture postponements, but even without said rain the FFA Cup has the potential to be a huge burden because…
Third, injuries. A regional side is never going to win the FFA Cup, the magic of the cup or not. Therefore clubs need to decide what is more important, a cup run with a small chance of a glamour tie while risking players, or putting out a full strength side in the league – a competition these clubs are capable of winning.
A partial solution to this is fixing up the seeding. Currently, FSC clubs enter the draw in the third round, one before NPL1 sides. There is a vast difference in quality between potential third round and fourth round ties, with some teams competing in the third round being proverbial pub sides.
That is fine, they should be allowed to enter, but there needs to be an earlier entry point for these sides. The five FSC sides won by an aggregate score of 28 goals to 1 in the third round, with Albion Park White Eagles and Wollongong United both winning 9-0.
This is not boasting, this is highlighting the need to amend the format. I note this is harder for the FFA and Football NSW to do compared to the English FA and their FA Cup because there isn’t a fully encompassing promotion-relegation system in place.
Connery’s club defeated Sydney CBD FC 5-0 in their third round clash.
“I believe we come in too early,” he says.
“In my opinion, we should be matched up with the state league two sides at least. You can base that on the results.”
But the competition is only in its fourth iteration and the Bulli president acknowledges it’s probably too early to push Football NSW for later entry into the competition.
Two FSC sides have already played their fourth round ties with Kemblawarra Fury, travelling to Gosford City FC last week and winning 4-2. The Albion Park White Eagles played on Tuesday night away to Lane Cove FC, winning 6-1.
The three other sides all play tonight, Wollongong United away to Doonside Hawks SC, Picton away to Baulkham Hills FC, and Bulli faces NSW NPL2 club Macarthur Rams SC, also away from home. These ties are scheduled to kickoff at 7:30pm.
I will be at the Bulli versus Macarthur match so follow me on Twitter @dylaneloiarvela for live updates.
If you have any ideas on how the FFA Cup could be improved, please leave a comment below or get in touch via Twitter.
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