- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
On Monday evening, a small selection of Australian football fans received a rather interesting e-mail in their inbox that was signed by Football Federation Australia CEO Ben Buckley.
Buckley was asking fans to “take part in a crucial stage of the planning and development of the proposed FFA Cup competition” by filling out a survey.
While among the silence of the A-League’s longest ever off-season the FFA Cup had almost been forgotten, in College St plans are still very much underway for a national knockout competition.
For those who haven’t heard about the burgeoning tournament, as the e-mail explained, “the FFA Cup will be a competition pitting Hyundai A-League clubs against other clubs currently participating in state-based competitions.”
So, with FFA keen to “ensure that the views of the football community in Australia are considered”, how should the FFA Cup be structured?
The key question for me is scope. Should it reach from the very bottom of senior grassroots football upwards? Or even more importantly can FFA afford to?
While this very question was posed in the survey, I suspect it’s unlikely that any club other than State League teams will be invited to participate in the inaugural tournament.
The reason is simple – College St’s budget is strained to say the least and any national cup competition will be designed to maximise revenue while limiting the financial outlay.
For those who dream of a romantic, English FA Cup-style scenario, where anyone can potentially face the big boys, this will be a disappointment.
However, what’s truly important is that FFA steep their tournament in the game’s history and roots. It is the only way the competition will serve to bridge the gap between the grassroots and the A-League.
Over the weekend, Juventus announced they would open their new stadium, built on the grounds of the much-hated Stadio Delle Alpi, with a friendly against the club they originally took their black and white colours from – Notts County.
It’s a move that has won the club endless goodwill with its fans, as what better way is there to bury the mistakes of the recent past (Delle Alpi) than by celebrating your club’s rich history?
In here, there’s a lesson for football administrators in Australia. Thankfully it seems that this time FFA are taking notes.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.