The announcement last week that the winner of the A-League grand final will no longer be awarded an Asian Champions League spot should draw fresh debate of about the relevance of these finals matches in the Australian footballing landscape.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson has spoken previously about growing the profile of both the National Premier Leagues and the FFA Cup, and there exists an opportunity to align all competitions properly via awarding FFA Cup spots to A-League clubs according to A-League ladder position – that is, by taking the playoff format being implemented for the 2021 FFA Cup to its full and logical conclusion.
A-League season format
The A-League should consist of 16 teams playing a full home-and-away fixture from October to March, with all games during the summer months played at night.
The A-League finals series should be retired, with the A-League champions being crowned via a first past the post system.
Instead of an A-League finals series, the FFA Cup Round of 32 should commence two weeks after the end of the A-League regular season. The top four teams in the A-League progress directly through to the FFA Cup Round of 32. The bottom four teams in the A-League do not qualify at all.
Teams finishing fifth to 12th will play for four additional Round of 32 FFA Cup spots allocated to A-League teams, with home-ground advantage in these games being awarded to the highest-placed teams.
This means that all teams in the A-League would be rewarded or punished regarding FFA Cup participation commensurate to their finishing position in the A-League.
| A-League table | FFA Cup qualification |
|---|---|
| Places 1 to 4 | Automatic qualification |
| Places 5 to 8 | Playoff match (home) |
| Places 9 to 12 | Playoff match (away) |
| Places 13 to 16 | Do not qualify |
It’s not quite promotion and relegation of course, but your team’s finishing position on the league ladder would take on fresh meaning.
A-League playoff matches
Teams that finish in the top four in the A-League would get a week off to rest players after a gruelling season, with four all-A-League playoff matches featuring on the first weekend after the regular season. Therefore eight of the spots in the FFA Cup Round of 32 would be reserved for A-League teams, one for the NPL champion and then a further 23 spots for NPL (or below) teams winning through via preliminary round play.
Administrators could schedule and televise up to 27 knockout finals matches on that first weekend as well as a few midweek before or after consisting of four all-A-League affairs and 23 all-NPL matchups. Double-headers could even be scheduled with a festival of football-type atmosphere created whereby teams from all over the country fight it out for Round of 32 FFA Cup spots.
| Qualification method | FFA Cup spots |
|---|---|
| A-League top four | 4 |
| A-League playoffs | 4 |
| NPL national champion | 1 |
| FFA Cup preliminary rounds | 23 |
| Total | 32 |
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
FFA Cup Round of 32 onwards
As is currently the case, the FFA Cup would commence with the Round of 32, with all teams having qualified by either finishing in the top four on the A-League table, winning an all-A-League playoff match, being crowned NPL national champions or winning four or more knockout matches in the preliminary rounds.
From this point you would have 16 Round of 32 matches, eight Round of 16 matches, four quarter-final matches, four semi-final matches – two legs per tie – and a final for a total of 33 matches over five matchdays.
Add another 27 matches being played during the playoff rounds or Round of 64, and you get a whole bunch more content to show to fans compared to the current three-week, five-game A-League finals series.
| Matchday 1 | Matchday 2 | Matchday 3 | Matchday 4 | Matchday 5 | Matchday 6 | Total matches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Playoff round/Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |
| Matches | 27 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 60 |
| Notes | Four AL vs AL, 23 NPL vs NPL | Open draw | Open draw | Open draw | Played over two legs | Hosted by team highest on A-League table |
All cup ties should be drawn at random, with home-ground advantage being awarded to NPL teams in A-League vs NPL match-ups and based on A-League table position in A-League vs A-League match-ups. Any games featuring an A-League team should be played on the weekend, with any all-NPL match-ups played midweek.
Renaming the FFA Cup
The renaming of this tournament is of course already in the works, but I would like something simple, such as the Australia Cup, to signify its inclusivity and unique format among all Australian sporting competitions.
The winner of the Australia Cup would be awarded an Asian Champions League spot, which means that this competition signifies the bringing together of all levels of the Australian footballing pyramid to determine a team to represent Australia on the international stage. All teams across the country are of course welcome to contend, and from the Round of 32 onwards it is a mere five games to be crowned champions.
Having the Australia Cup function as the de facto finals series means that fresh significance can be given to winning the A-League as first past the post winner but without ditching finals in the calendar altogether. You could also see increased interest in the NPL national championship as this trophy becomes a genuine pathway into Australia Cup and beyond to Asia.
Fans would get a significantly more fleshed-out finals series featuring 33 or even 60 games instead of just five and featuring teams from all over the country.
The Australia Cup would be a truly national winner-takes-all competition.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Well, if they have a "home" game against the Wolves then at least they'll get a good crowd! :stoked:
lesterlike
Roar Rookie
What. It's an Australian cup, that we take the entire risk of operating and features only Australian teams apart from Wellington (until they are eventually thrown out). There is absolutely zero need to consider the constant parasites of Australian Football at all.
Jordan
Guest
Only one ACL spot can be allocated to the winner of the domestic cup. So it's either AL GF or FFA Cup final, not both. Being that FA have specifically stated the FFA Cup winner will take an ACL spot, we can safely assume that the AL GF will not compete in the ACL: 9.1. To meet the sporting criteria, a club must have earned one (1) of the following (which shall be applied in descending order to determine the representative clubs of a Member Association): 9.1.1. winner of the domestic top division league; 9.1.2. winner of the domestic cup; 9.1.3. runner-up of the domestic top division league; 9.1.4. third place of the domestic top division league; 9.1.5. fourth place of the domestic top division league (only if there is no domestic cup applicable for Article 9.1.2). 9.2. Where a Member Association has more than one (1) domestic cup, it shall inform the AFC and its clubs of the ‘domestic cup’ for the purposes of Article 9.1. Regarding finals being cultural in Australia, I think this is true. However, cup matches are still played under the same conditions as finals, with extra time and penalties, no draws and a knock out format. So the proposed would still give fans a finals type format each year, it would just be extricated from the league itself. For all of the football fans in Australia that love finals, there are many that prefer first past the post. The proposed is the middle ground between the two.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
the current Rule is all games must be played in Australian not that the Nix must play away meaning that Nix can play "home" games as long as there in Australia they just don't bother because they view the cup as a distraction from pre season and just field a B team hoping to lose
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
There is no Clarification that the Grand Final winners will no longer get a ACL place that is just speculation from SBS, Finals/Playoffs were invented in Australia and are an important part of Sporting Culture plus the make to much money so they will never go away and always be more important the the Cup Competition, Rugby League had a Cup Comp in the NSWRL days and they ended up scrapping it
brookvalesouth
Roar Rookie
There's only one worthy Muscat, and it ain't Kevin.
Jordan
Guest
This change in ACL spot from AL GF to FFA Cup final is likely to have caused some tension as the former is administered by the APL and the latter by FA? So even in a small way the actions of FA have devalued the AL GF and therefore one of the club's main assets to attract fans. Does the decision to remove AL finals sit with FA though rather than APL? Interesting if it does..
Nick Symonds
Guest
No that's not the right one, we need to talk about Kevin.
Micko
Roar Rookie
NZ has one franchise playing in the A League, (achieved through blackmail) and they're not owed anything by the FFA. The cup is an Australian competition they let the Phoenix participate in only on the basis that they're an away side, which is completely reasonable.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Are you sure that's the right Muscat?
Stevo
Roar Rookie
I don’t envy the job that JJ has in front of him. Juggling football’s stakeholders is like juggling knives in a circus. Much can go wrong and with consequences! According to Philip Micallef’s article on the SBS website, the A-league premiers get an ACL spot while the second placed team get half a spot. Fine by me. The choice of giving half a spot to the FFA Cup winners is about bringing in the whole of football into the conversation. Fine by me. The grand final winner losing out - I guess there has to be a loser somewhere. https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/what-s-the-point-of-a-league-finals-if-the-champions-can-t-play-in-asia Thanks for this article. It’s certainly thought provoking.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Some interesting thoughts. I understand that there once was a national football cup called the Australia Cup, so it would be worthwhile reviving that name.
brookvalesouth
Roar Rookie
As great as he was, I am not sure Manny Muscat deserves a trophy to be named after him.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Last winner can keep it. In the future it may be an historical talking point.
Nick Symonds
Guest
"Calling it the Australia Cup pays a disservice to New Zealand" - Should we change the name of the A-League to the ANZ-League as well then?
Jordan
Guest
Another way you could split rd32 spots on the continent of Australia could be 8xA-League teams but also 8x NPL champions (and then 16 through preliminary knock-out progression). This would really amplify winning a state NPL league. This could mean that rather than an A-League finals series that incorporates that competition only, you have a cup finals series that incorporates all competitions below it to crown an overall champion.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
I really don't think NZ should be a consideration.
Jordan
Guest
Traditional domestic cup competitions are played as a tournament separate to the league, but I guess this reimagines the FFA Cup less as a traditional domestic cup competition and more like a continental cup competition where each participation has to earn their way into this competition via one of the four qualification methods. The benefit of doing this would be to respect first past the post as the proper league winner while still making ladder positions count for something beyond 1st place, and maintaining a "finals series" which is part of Australian sporting culture.
Winter A League is Awesome
Guest
You like the finals or you don't like the finals? As usual your hatchet posts are most welcome towards the A League. As you can see in the other thread, even thought it is a new comp, it already has a higher attendance in VIC, SA & WA for the A League than Rugby. Add in NPL figures which is not a new comp and it could well be the most attended game in all states in Australia including Tasmania. Maybe AFL may have more attendance as 50% of the season's games are played in the one stadium basically.
Nick Symonds
Guest
"Renaming the FFA Cup" - Unlikely new names for the FFA Cup https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/12/10/unlikely-new-names-for-the-ffa-cup/ FULL LIST Coupe De Football Australie Copa Australia Kaz Patafta Goblet Clive Palmer Mug David Gallop Schooner Usain Bolt Tankard VAR Stein South Melbourne Snifter Fox Sports Decanter Yuning Zhang Demitasse Southern Expansion Memorial Urn New Zealand Knights Amphora Mário Jardel Beaker David Villa Tumbler Stan Lee Cup Melbourne Cup Cuppy McCupface Kiss and Make Cup Mariners Ball Kid Who Took Cahill’s Corner Flag Cup I Can’t Believe It’s Not The FA Cup Another candidate: The Muscat Monument