http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/73545,ffas-up-for-the-cup.aspx
FFA's Up For The Cup
EXCLUSIVE: Australia's answer to the FA Cup is being mapped out by FFA bosses as they seek to deliver a knockout boost to the game.
Speaking exclusively to au.fourfourtwo.com, FFA chief executive officer Ben Buckley has said a cup competition is one of the governing bodys priorities to help spark further interest.
Australia is one of the few professional leagues which does not boast a cup format during the regular season and it is something Buckley and his FFA colleagues are keen to see change.
It is not yet clear how quickly the A-Leagues very own FA Cup will be introduced or how many other clubs will compete in it but the willingness is there to ensure it does materialise sooner rather than later.
Buckley said: It is something were looking at, an FA Cup-style competition.
We are doing some work on the different formats that that might take. We think that will breed some additional interest in the game from all levels and all sectors of the football community."
He added: "We are somewhat disadvantaged relative to other countries, European nations in particular, in that you cant just hop on a bus and be at your opponents doorstep in an hour or two hours.
You have to get on a plane to make the journey and that can take a day or so. But those things can be overcome.
We may have to create a unique format for Australia rather than just adopt what happens in other countries.
That could mean a more regionalised format and state league sides will be hoping that they have the chance to rub shoulders with the big boys, as is the case with the FA Cup in England.
As it stands, the only knockout action for A-League players and supporters to enjoy is the Pre-Season Cup, albeit the initial stages of that are in a group format and there is no showpiece final for supporters to enjoy.
Have YOUR say - What do you think about "FFA's Up For The Cup"? Tell us NOW in the comment section below.
I say they should scrap the finals series and bring in a Cup. IMO It should start as a local knockout and then progress to a regional knockout, then state, then nationwide with silverware presented along the way to the winners of the different stages. Like European cups, teams such as those from the lower state leagues, state premier leagues and the A league would only be introduced late into the competition with the fixtures only becoming two legged in the last 16 knockout. It should probably run from the start of the winter seasons to coincide with the lower leagues to about the following April or May with the A League introduced after the end of the regular season. Except for the seeding of the rounds, it should be totally independant of the leagues. Selection of final venue would be the major outstanding issue then.
therefore if we market it like a finals series from the last 4 onwards no one except for those that follow the game religiously would even realise that the format has changed and those that do follow it religiously would see that it is more in line with european national cups. As for the PSC, i see it more like a league cup.
FFA's Up For The Cup
EXCLUSIVE: Australia's answer to the FA Cup is being mapped out by FFA bosses as they seek to deliver a knockout boost to the game.
Speaking exclusively to au.fourfourtwo.com, FFA chief executive officer Ben Buckley has said a cup competition is one of the governing bodys priorities to help spark further interest.
Australia is one of the few professional leagues which does not boast a cup format during the regular season and it is something Buckley and his FFA colleagues are keen to see change.
It is not yet clear how quickly the A-Leagues very own FA Cup will be introduced or how many other clubs will compete in it but the willingness is there to ensure it does materialise sooner rather than later.
Buckley said: It is something were looking at, an FA Cup-style competition.
We are doing some work on the different formats that that might take. We think that will breed some additional interest in the game from all levels and all sectors of the football community."
He added: "We are somewhat disadvantaged relative to other countries, European nations in particular, in that you cant just hop on a bus and be at your opponents doorstep in an hour or two hours.
You have to get on a plane to make the journey and that can take a day or so. But those things can be overcome.
We may have to create a unique format for Australia rather than just adopt what happens in other countries.
That could mean a more regionalised format and state league sides will be hoping that they have the chance to rub shoulders with the big boys, as is the case with the FA Cup in England.
As it stands, the only knockout action for A-League players and supporters to enjoy is the Pre-Season Cup, albeit the initial stages of that are in a group format and there is no showpiece final for supporters to enjoy.
Have YOUR say - What do you think about "FFA's Up For The Cup"? Tell us NOW in the comment section below.
I say they should scrap the finals series and bring in a Cup. IMO It should start as a local knockout and then progress to a regional knockout, then state, then nationwide with silverware presented along the way to the winners of the different stages. Like European cups, teams such as those from the lower state leagues, state premier leagues and the A league would only be introduced late into the competition with the fixtures only becoming two legged in the last 16 knockout. It should probably run from the start of the winter seasons to coincide with the lower leagues to about the following April or May with the A League introduced after the end of the regular season. Except for the seeding of the rounds, it should be totally independant of the leagues. Selection of final venue would be the major outstanding issue then.
therefore if we market it like a finals series from the last 4 onwards no one except for those that follow the game religiously would even realise that the format has changed and those that do follow it religiously would see that it is more in line with european national cups. As for the PSC, i see it more like a league cup.
