FFA Cup draw 2015: Balmain Tigers roar approval over meeting with Melbourne Victory

INCREDIBLE. That’s the word Balmain Tigers head coach Joe Di Guilio used repeatedly after watching his club draw Melbourne Victory in the FFA Cup.
It’s the ultimate David versus Goliath battle. A tiny, semi-professional club playing in the third tier of NSW football drawn to host the reigning A-League champions.

Sensing they could be in for a dream match up, Balmain reserved a space at a Sydney pub where the whole team, along with friends and family, were invited to watch the draw live.
No one left disappointed.
“They were so excited,” Di Guilio said.
“When the last four balls were left in the bowl we just jumped up and down — it was incredible. I can’t tell you, we’re so excited.
“It gives a chance to clubs like ours to just match up against these big teams. It’s once in a lifetime for some of these boys — incredible.”

And that’s the magic of the FFA Cup. For the next few weeks there will be an extra spring in the step at training as the inner west club prepares for its biggest game yet.
“The club is a small club, we’ve only got a few people, so we’re going to have to work very hard on all the logistics and setting up, getting organised for the big day,” Di Guilio said.
“And the boys are going to have to train much harder than what they’ve been doing so far. But they’re so excited that I’m sure they’re going to be putting in 150 per cent every day.
“I’m sure (Victory) will be asking who Balmain is, and they’re just going to have a bit of fun and win the game. They’re the favourites, what can we do? We’ve just got to play and see what we can do.”

Another small club, Sorrento FC, are just as excited about their draw. The Western Australian state side, coached by Jamie Harnwell, will host last season’s A-League grand finalists Sydney FC.
“I’m looking forward to that battle (against Graham Arnold), but I’m sure the players are looking even more forward to the battle on the pitch against a very good side,” Harnwell said.
“Expect nothing less than 100 per cent effort, that’s the minimum for this club. We’re a very proud club, we’re going to try beat Sydney FC — if we can do that is a different matter.

“There is certainly going to be a very upbeat buzz around training the next three or four weeks and that just shows the magic of the FFA Cup. We’ve got one of the best teams in the country coming over to play Sorrento FC.”
Defending Cup champions Adelaide United will travel up north to play Darwin Olympic, while the Western Sydney Wanderers host Brisbane Roar three months before the two clubs meet to open the A-League season.
There are two further all A-League clashes between the Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory, while the Central Coast Mariners host Wellington Phoenix.
Originally published as Tiny Tigers get a cup shot at Victory

Nope, which is annoying because technically the camera would still be rolling all the time.

Streams were what made the Cup so magical last season, at least get Fox to throw Corndog a line and get him in for some colour commentary :lol:

-PB

This. I don't have internet at home and was lying in bed after i put my children to sleep watching the games on my phone it was just awesome.

I get that fox will have their 'main game' but surely there should be a way to watch your team in action if thats what you would prefer.

Seen talk of Palm Beach using Perry Park..

Sharks resigned to relocating 'home' Cup clash

The Queensland side, who exited the inaugural competition at the hands of the Central Coast Mariners, may have to shift their game away from the Gold Coast

Palm Beach SC fear they may have to move their FFA Cup home clash away from the Gold Coast due to insufficient lighting at the club's regular base.

The Sharks - shock quarter-finalists in the competition last year - were drawn at home against former National Soccer League powerhouse South Melbourne FC in one of this year's big lower-tier match-ups.

But it seems unlikely they will get to hold the match at their Mallawa Drive headquarters.

With the cost to play the match at Robina’s Cbus Super Stadium also deemed too high, the Sharks may be forced to relocate their home match to Brisbane.

“It is very doubtful we can play the match on the Gold Coast,” club president Peter Williamson told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

“We’ve already paid $3000 to enter the competition and it will cost a minimum of $12,000 to play it at Cbus Super Stadium.

“We’d love to play it there but to do that we’d need a sponsor to tip in some money.”

Williamson said the lights at Mallawa Drive were registered at 130 lux, with FFA Cup match venues requiring somewhere between 200 and 250 lux.

If the club is unable to find a solution to play the match on the Gold Coast, Perry Park in Brisbane looms as the most likely venue.

Seen talk of Palm Beach using Perry Park..

Travesty if true.

-PB

Sharks Future Shining Brighter

Palm Beach Lighting (PBS)
Words & Image: Palm Beach SC

The future of Palm Beach SC is shining brighter with construction underway on additional lighting at the club’s Mallawa Complex home ground.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate and Burleigh MP Michael Hart turned the first sod last week on the $400,000 project.

The new lighting will increase the number of fields available for night games and training from two to four, catering for Sharks’ almost 900 registered players.

Benefitting especially will be the main pitch used for the club’s PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland fixtures which has deteriorated under the weight of heavy traffic.

Palm Beach SC General Manager Rob Morris explained the extra lighting will allow the club to better balance the load, with more time for recovery to result in an improvement in playing conditions for all teams.

“The pitch last year suffered because we had the first team training on it and too many games scheduled on it,” Morris said.

“Meanwhile we had junior teams training in the dark.”

Gold Coast City Council provided half of the funding for the upgrades while the Queensland Government and Palm Beach SC contributed $100,000 each.

“We are extremely thankful and grateful to both the State and local governments,” Morris said.

“This has been a project that has been needed for a long time.

“We will all benefit from these lights, not just the club and the players but the local community as well.”

In the spirit of Roberts thread I would again like to address 4 issues I have with the FFA Cup.

1 - Teams from lower divisions should get home games until eg. 1/4 finals. Lions FC have should be given a home game against Croydon. NT (as they have no NPL) should be considered div (3).

2 - Will we ever see the lux rules changed/weekend games?

3 - When will the winner ever get an ACL spot

4 - Should the future number of teams be increased or should prize money be increased? (with the idea of increased future sponsorship)

One final issue that I forgot is that the FFA should take over ALL draws. To stop Newcastle fuckery.

Also whether the final qualifying games for each region should be the same week/weekend? or whether its better to have the games spread out for more media exposure. I do like the idea of everybody qualifying the week/weekend before the draw.

One final issue that I forgot is that the FFA should take over ALL draws. To stop Newcastle fuckery.

Also whether the final qualifying games for each region should be the same week/weekend? or whether its better to have the games spread out for more media exposure. I do like the idea of everybody qualifying the week/weekend before the draw.

If you're going to increase number of teams be increased and/or have prize money be increased
I would increase the number of teams to 64
you keep the current allocation of spots for Qualification
for the other spots you charge a direct entry fee of 10-20k (which goes into the prize pool) to the clubs who don't want to go though the qualification process

Bring it on! Cup minnows relishing Victory challenge

2/2
The fixtures for the Westfield FFA Cup round of 32 have been confirmed.
Thursday, 2 July 2015 -
Damien Bellemore
Comments
The Westfield FFA cup round of 32 draw has thrown up some intriguing encounters and none more so than the clash between Melbourne Victory and Balmain Tigers.
In the ultimate ‘David versus Goliath’ battle, Tigers - from NSW’s third-tier - will host reigning Hyundai A-League Champions Victory for a spot in the last 16.
Westfield FFA Cup round of 32 draw revealed
Balmain are the lowest ranked side in the round of 32, currently sitting seventh in NSW’s State League 1 competition.
But despite drawing the toughest possible match-up, Tigers captain Tom Hyde admitted his side was thrilled with the opportunity to tackle Hyundai A-League opposition.
“The boys are obviously delighted,” Hyde told theffacup.com.au.

“Once we watched the draw progress obviously as the numbers dissipated we realised we were in with a chance (of drawing A-League opposition).
“There was a bit of a delay, the last member association team was drawn out and there was a bit of a pause and we realised we were one of the four balls left in and that was when the place just went bananas and erupted.”
Ironically, it was former Socceroo Michael Beauchamp – whose Bankstown City outfit succumbed to the Tigers in qualifying - who drew the dream match-up.
“We got drawn at home and then Michael Beauchamp pulled out Melbourne Victory so we definitely owe him a few thanks when we see him,” Hyde said.
The exact date and venue for the match will be announced on Friday but Hyde is hopeful the club will be able to take the clash to their spiritual home, Leichardt Oval.
“We’ve made some enquiries and it looks like Leichardt Oval will be first choice, the alternative is probably Lambert Park where we use to play at home a couple of seasons ago,” he said.
“Hopefully it’s either one of those as it will be really nice to get back there and hopefully get some old Balmain Tigers fans down.”
image: http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/FFA_Cup/38/80/balmain-tigers-fc-players-celebrate-their-progression-to-the-round-of-32_x8qyfo69qobb1i3gafa6x4dja.jpg?t=1250395237

The Tigers beat Glenmore Park, North Epping Rangers and Bankstown City Lions before sealing their spot in the Round of 32 with a 3-0 win over Western NSW Mariners.
Hyde said the club - which won the State League Division 1 title in 2013 – would look to use the clash as a springboard to future success.
“The guys are so excited at being able to test themselves against potentially the best team and the best players in the country,” he said.
“But I think on a bigger scale it’s going to be amazing for the club, to give us a platform and the exposure to really push Balmain Tigers forward.
“We’re a really small club run by a couple of really dedicated individuals. To be able to get some exposure on the national stage – already our new Twitter account is going crazy – it's amazing to see.”

The defender is under no illusion of the monumental challenge facing his side but insists the club will make it as difficult as possible for the A-League giants.
“We’re not kidding ourselves, on paper they’re going to be very strong. Man for man they have better players than us but if we can keep the game tight then they might start to get a little bit nervous as the game goes on,” he said.
“It was almost poetic that the best team was drawn against the lowest ranked and that’s the beauty of this Cup competition. We’re delighted to be able to test ourselves against an A-League club.
“Do we have a chance? Absolutely! It’s eleven versus eleven, it’s a Cup. The odds are absolutely against our favour but that’s also the magic of the Cup.”

Read more at http://www.theffacup.com.au/article/balmain-tigers-relishing-ffa-cup-match-up-with-melbourne-victory/19s6wppr2usrh1tzqcbkn7k8f6#xRwluirlGW6Ay8FR.99