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Football Federation Australia is looking into the possibility of staging a Cup Competition for the 2011/2012 A-League season, which would start and finish later.
The competition would be run mid-week during the A-League season, similar to that of the FA Cup in England.
“We are looking to establish that (cup competition) next year,” Football Federation Australia (FFA) chairman Frank Lowy said on Wednesday.
The details of the proposed competition are still being sorted out, but it seems the cup competition will start before the proper A-League season and run to about mid-season.
The competition will, of course, not feature only the eleven A-League clubs as that would be too small, but also State League clubs from around the country.
Similar to the FA Cup, the State League clubs would have to play-off against eachother to win spots into the cup, in which then the A-League clubs come in.
The winner of the competition may even be granted a spot in the following year’s Asian Champions League.
Also the FFA are hoping to resolve issues with the Sydney Rovers officials and discuss the potential future of the club.
It’s been a year since the license for a Western Sydney team was granted, but the bid seems to have faltered lately with finances apparently standing in the way.
“We need to make sure the financing of the club is rigorously tested and we don’t end up with the FFA being required to step in,” said FFA chief executive Ben Buckley.
“We must make sure the required capital structure is in place. If we had to defer for a period of time we don’t see that as being the end of the world. We need to get it right. If it doesn’t happen through this process, it will happen. We are committed to a team in western Sydney.
“We were very hopeful of having a club up and running next season but we take a very long term view of west Sydney and the A-League in general.”
A 12th A-League club and a national cup competition are both needed to help the game grow here in Australia. Here’s hoping they become a reality.
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