Let the Cup Runneth

[Interloper]

It better be an actual cup comp (within reason) and not the Japanese method of only having one team per state qualify to play the big guys and claiming you have some giant cup as a result.

[sevengoals]

Football Federation Australia (FFA) announced a national FFA Cup knock out competition will commence in 2014, subject to finalisation of commercial arrangements.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/australi ... -a-reality

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has announced a national FFA Cup knock out competition will commence in 2014, bringing an English FA Cup style program into the Australian football calendar.

http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/FFA-Cup-a-reality-in-2014

No details yet.

[Stuckey]

I'm happy to begin with it being the top couple of clubs from each region take on their HAL club and the winner progresses thru. To begin with costs will probably need to stay down. Especially if the NPL takes off and local clubs are already being expected to play interstate.

[blahblah]

It better be an actual cup comp (within reason) and not the Japanese method of only having one team per state qualify to play the big guys and claiming you have some giant cup as a result.

To be fair they do have around 48 prefectures.

[Interloper]

The FFA cup isn't worth having if its just a tool to make the old big clubs quit whining. A) They won't. B) It means the competition will just head to all the areas within spitting distance of A-League teams.

It better be an actual cup comp (within reason) and not the Japanese method of only having one team per state qualify to play the big guys and claiming you have some giant cup as a result.

To be fair they do have around 48 prefectures.

Yes, but they claim 4927 entries for the 2012 Emperors cup. 4829 (Including all but one team from the entire JFL 3rd division in Japan,) don't even play anybody outside teams with which they regularly compete. If the same thing happens in Australia the competition is wasted.

The great thing about the FA cup is the *realistic* chance that small country towns end up hosting zillion-dollar premier league clubs.

[Stuckey]

True it's a massive earner for those club. Gate takings and tv money cover a lot of costs!

[Stuckey]

Football Federation Australia's attempts to launch the FFA Cup are being hampered by delays from the state federations in confirming their own qualification paths.

The governing body was hoping to launch the tournament last month but has been forced to wait as the states and territories determine the dates and pre-tournaments they will use as a qualification base for the event proper.

Fairfax Media understands each state and territory needs to supply their qualifying teams by the end of June, with a start to the 32-team tournament proposed for July, at some point after the World Cup final.

The expected format comprises nine Australian A-League teams (leaving out Wellington Phoenix), eight NSW teams, four Victorian teams, four Queensland teams, two Western Australian teams, two northern NSW teams, one South Australian team, a Tasmanian team and a team from the ACT.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/dela ... z2qQea7nZW
at the FFSA and the SAASL if they had worked out their differences long ago we definitely would have got more spots. Its really impossible to argue when it is on participation numbers really.

[EdDog]

Which SA team?

[Stuckey]

It will be the winner of the federation cup which is held this season.

[Interloper]

More importantly the bigger states slots are allocated via their knockout comps, which means that its less likely to be used as a tool to shut up the bigger clubs with attention/cash.

[Stuckey]

I don't follow sorry

[Interloper]

I don't follow sorry

I was afraid they'd let states choose their own qualification methods. Or just pick the league leaders.

[Stuckey]

Gotcha

[Agostinho]

Based on what's been posted - about qualification methods etc - I've lost all interest in this cup!

[Stuckey]

Based on what's been posted - about qualification methods etc - I've lost all interest in this cup!

I feel we need to give this comp a season or two to develop. FFA have plans to expand it far beyond what is currently outlined.