Football Federation Victoria is once again leading the way for innovation and engagement within the football community. Following the success of the Mirabella Cup, the FFV along with Pelada have combined to form a statewide knockout-style tournament for the women’s game.
The subsequent cup competition will commence in 2012 and will be known as the Pelada Cup.
The Pelada Cup will follow in the footsteps of the Mirabella Cup and will be run in a similar vein, with an obvious knockout format, whilst clubs from around Victoria will be seeded according to their respective league ranking.
In contrast to the male’s version, the Pelada Cup will accordingly be more precise with fewer teams in the female game. Therefore, each game will have an exuberance of importance, with fewer rounds to reach the pinnacle stages of the competition.
To be eligible for participation, clubs must enroll a women’s senior team. The dates and format of the cup have not been officially revealed thus far, however the FFV have stated that the cup will be of a ‘similar format’ in correspondence to the Mirabella Cup.
The Pelada Cup will be the inaugural cup competition for women’s football within Victoria.
In an exciting twist, clubs will be dealt with the task of participating in two competitions simultaneously, league and cup respectively, a duty more widespread in men’s football.
The women’s game has grown in leaps and bounds over the last few years, as witnessed with growing participation rates and evidently a new division for the women’s seniors, amid upward trends in team registrations.
With the Pelada Cup coming into the Victorian football landscape from 2012, it gives further evidence into how the FFV hold the desire to grow, nurture and develop women’s football throughout the state.
The potential publicised by the women’s game was recently illustrated at the women’s World Cup in Germany. For the second consecutive World Cup the Matildas exemplified their worthy talent by making the quarter finals, this following their triumph at the 2010 Asian Cup.
The Pelada Cup will undoubtedly assist in the promotion of the women’s game and additionally help expand the code into different regions throughout the state.
FFV CEO Mark Rendell is an avid supporter of women’s football and believes the progression of the female version has gone from strength to strength over the last few years, with a wealth of prospective talent waiting at our doorstep.
“With the keen interest shown in the Mirabella Cup, it was a natural progression to extend it to our thriving women’s competition,” Rendell told the FFV website.
“The addition of the Pelada Cup to the women’s schedule reinforces FFV’s stance on the continued development and promotion of women’s football in Victoria.”
With all due respect, female sport has often played second fiddle to their male counter-part in many avenues.
However, the FFV has demonstrated their ability to promote women’s football and not let it cast in the shadows of their male equivalents.
The Pelada Cup is a wonderful initiative for women’s football and will further enhance the growing reputation of community football within Victoria.
An exciting chapter for women’s football is upon us, with an exuberance of optimism surrounding the women’s game.
Let’s hope the Pelada Cup can mirror the growing sensation of the Mirabella Cup and reinforce its threshold within the community.
Follow Robert on Twitter @RobertDiFabio. Courtesy of Goal Weekly.
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