Since kicking off in February, the Australia Cup has seen over 759 teams across the country whittled down for the final rounds.
After two weeks of the Australia Cup Finals fewer than 32 teams remain, and once again the competition has delivered dramatic football, elevated local communities and inspired hope in football romantics across the nation.
The big talking points so far
Victoria’s Oakleigh Cannons have made the biggest headlines of the competition so far after defeating the current trophy holders Sydney FC a massive upset. Although Sydney sent a weakened squad which was still in the early stages of pre-season, the Sky Blues failed to find any sympathy from the in-form Cannons who convincingly defeated the Sydneysiders 3-1.
Perth Glory and Melbourne City also contested a hugely entertaining fixture at the Sam Kerr Football Centre with the Glory coming from behind to defeat the Citizens 5-4. Over 2,000 Glory fans came to see David Zdrilic’s first competitive match as manager and would have been impressed with the Glory’s attacking versatility and strong character to stay in the game despite trailing 4-2 late in the match.
The Cup also continued to elevate smaller communities who threw massive support behind their teams. Over 3,000 people supported O’Connor Knights in near freezing conditions in their narrow loss to Macarthur FC. Meanwhile up north, over 1,400 fans watched Darwin Hearts come up short against Victorian Cup specialists, Hume City.
Coming up in the Round of 32
Over the next two days seven matches will wrap up the Round of 32 including massive fixtures against A-League giants. Melbourne Victory travel north to face Lambton Jaffas and Central Coast will travel south to take on Heidelberg United. But all eyes will be on Lakeside on Tuesday when South Melbourne host Wellington Phoenix in what is sure to be a huge contest.
Just three days before they are due to face the A-League side, South Melbourne defeated Oakleigh on penalties to secure their 9th Dockerty Cup. The club’s fans may be still celebrating the win however the first team in undoubtedly focused on recovering quickly to face a Wellington Phoenix who return to competitive football after an impressive A-League season.
What has we learnt after 10 editions of the Australia Cup
In what is now the 10th edition of the Australia Cup the competition has experienced tweaks and changes to keep it relevant and vibrant. The once summer competition has now settled into winter, its Champion now receives a spot in continental competition, and its final game now officially represents the last game of the Australian football season.
In practical terms of course this isn’t exactly the case. For many A-League sides the competition represents somewhat of a preseason tournament and to the dismay of fans some A-League clubs fail to invest appropriately in pursuit of winning the competition. This issue is exacerbated by the massive gap between first round games and the A-League kick off (18th of October), which means A-League teams knocked out in the first round can find themselves without meaningful football for up to two months.
As all global club cup competitions though, the Australia Cup has proven to be extremely resilient and great diversifier in the story telling of Australian football. Due to the competition’s large participation base and club registration fees, the competition is financially sound. This allows the competition to build brand equity by forsaking a major naming partner and instead championing the ‘Australia Cup’ brand itself in all marketing. Brand name corporate support however continues to be attracted to the competition with partners including Qantas, Network 10, Mitre and Subway.
Although league football is the bread and butter of media and fans’ diets, cup football is a decedent excess that sweetens the football ecosystem. The Cup has proven to reach and elevate grassroots and local communities that are often ignored by the mainstream press. Small cities like Darwin and Hobart often get to see Cup stories on their local TV News and in their local newspapers, while lower level grassroots clubs (such as 4th tier Melbourne Srbija) enjoy exposure on national platforms including broadcasting by major networks and through FA level social media accounts.
Similar to the rhythms of the FA Cup in England, mainstream national media attention continues to be reserved for the later rounds. Similarly fans lose interest once their clubs are eliminated. However, the meritocracy of the competition means there is a constant diverse and focused media presence constantly engaged with the competition. Clubs in the running are energized and their fans are engaged, not just with their own team but with far away and sometimes surprising opponents from across the county.
Here’s to another great 10 years!
As the competition continues to grow and cement itself in the national landscape one must wonder what the future editions will look like and what the continued legacy of the competition will be.
The competition has already helped to inspire the National Second Tier lobbying movement, as well as helped to increase and standardize second tier facilities across the country. It has no doubt contributed to Football West, Football Victoria and Football South Australia undertaking State Football Centers projects which include the capabilities of hosting matches to a national broadcast standard.
In future years, we may also see the promised and highly anticipated Women’s edition of the competition, and perhaps may even see an expanded competition which seeks to better integrate a possible new National Second Division.
Whatever happens to the Australia Cup though one thing is for sure, the competition has the ability to generate special moments and should be protected and celebrated as a unique beautiful treasure of Australian Football.
Long live the Cup!
The Beautiful Game 