Big boys the prey as minnows hunt FFA Cup scalps
It began with 600 clubs from across Australia vying to get a piece of the big boys – and that time has arrived with Friday’s draw for the last 32 of the inaugural FFA Cup marking the entry of the 10 A-League heavyweights.
By
David Lewis
26 Jun 2014 - 10:22 AM UPDATED 9 HOURS AGO
National Soccer League champions Sydney Olympic, Sydney United 58, Melbourne Knights and Adelaide City, will be out to roll back the years - with the draw structured to ensure at least one club from outside the top tier makes it all the way to the semi-finals.
Melbourne Knights became the last team to qualify with a 2-0 win over old foe South Melbourne on Wednesday night in a duel between two teams with five NSL crowns between them.
A-League chief Damien De Bohun knows how much it means to the former NSL clubs as they bid to bridge the gap between the semi-professional and professional games by conjuring the sort of shocks the English FA Cup – the inspiration for this tournament – is famous for.
"A lot of the traditional clubs see this as a big opportunity to show where they are at and put themselves back on the national stage," he declared.
"The National Premier League has been a step in the right direction and the FFA Cup is clearly the competition which connects all the tiers of football."
In addition to the former NSL contingent there is a gaggle of grassroots clubs among the 22 from outside the A-League that have made it this far with the likes of Western Australia’s Bayswater City and Stirling Lions in the mix with Victoria’s South Springvale and St Albans Saints, Newcastle's South Cardiff Gunners, Gold Coast's Palm Beach and Tasmania's South Hobart.
The prospect of a minnow drawing a big gun on Friday will have football romantics salivating.
How the FFA Cup draw works
"There were some big games to even get this far with West Adelaide and Adelaide City playing off for the right be in the draw and even in torrential rain they had a crowd of around 5000 when 12000 were expected," De Bohun said.
"That sort of thing has been duplicated elsewhere and we’ve been delighted by how this tournament has been embraced."
The final is scheduled for Tuesday 13 December.
Teams will be pulled from three pots and the structure of the draw ensures that last year's top four - Brisbane Roar, Western Sydney Wanderers, Melbourne Victory and Central Coast – will all travel to face grassroots opposition when the competition begins in a series of split rounds late next month.
"The way it’s structured the six A-league clubs that didn’t make the top four will play against each other – and those that finished in the top four will play against National Premier League or state-based clubs," De Bohun explained.
“What it all boils down to is that there will be a semi-final spot up for grabs for one non-A-League club.
"Assuming the A-League clubs all win then the other three spots will go to them in the semis, but as with all cup competitions, anything is possible. That's the beauty of it. It's the stuff of dreams for the grassroots clubs.
"This competition been a long time in coming and it’s a huge step in unifying football across Australia. We are probably the one football code that can genuinely and authentically compete between professionals and amateurs.
"You are talking about bakers and bankers and candlestick makers playing against professional players – and this is the one place it can happen."
Round of 32 matches will be played on 29 July and 5, 12 and 19 August.
The teams in Friday’s round of 32 FFA Cup draw are:
Adelaide United
Brisbane Roar
Central Coast Mariners
Melbourne City
Melbourne Victory
Newcastle Jets
Perth Glory
Sydney FC
Wellington Phoenix
Western Sydney Wanderers
Tuggeranong United (ACT)
Blacktown City (NSW)
Hakoah Sydney City East (NSW)
Manly United (NSW)
Parramatta FC (NSW)
South Coast Wolves (NSW)
Sydney Olympic (NSW)
Sydney United 58 (NSW)
South Cardiff (Northern NSW)
Broadmeadow Magic (Northern NSW)
Brisbane Strikers (Qld)
Far North Queensland (Qld)
Olympic FC (Qld)
Palm Beach (Qld)
Adelaide City (SA)
South Hobart (Tas)
Bentleigh Greens (Vic)
Melbourne Knights (Vic)
South Springvale (Vic)
St Albans Saints (Vic)
Bayswater City (WA)
Stirling Lions (WA)
http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2014/06/26/big-boys-prey-minnows-hunt-ffa-cup-scalps