Will Australia ever see the FFA Cup again?

A total of 765 football clubs had registered to compete in the 2020 FFA Cup, yet a recent decision to cancel the competition may well have put its future in doubt.

Football Federation Australia arrived at the necessary yet unfortunate decision last week whilst also announcing the cancelation of the NPL Finals series due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of the NPL Finals Series, the financial ramifications of the last six months will no doubt have played a major role in informing the move. Interstate travel appears an impossibility considering the losses in gate takings and sponsorship that each and every club across the country will have no doubt experienced in 2020.

A return to NPL play may well see the clubs delve even further into the red as running costs continue to remain higher than the meagre amounts being accumulated in sponsorship revenue and match day takings.

As for the FFA Cup, financial considerations will also have played a role in the decision, yet the sheer logistics of the competition and the time now available to complete it must surely have proven the final nail in the coffin when it came to FFA’s announcement.

The preliminary rounds slated for early 2020 were obliterated by the pandemic and many teams would normally have been eliminated by this stage of the calendar year. With a frantic month of A-League action now upon us in an effort to complete a season that has stretched for near ten months and NPL play ramping up as we speak, the chances of cramming cup, NPL and A-League into the most chaotic of schedules and crowning champions in all three by Christmas, appears something of an impossible task.

Sadly, the 7th edition of Australia’s much loved and long awaited cup competition has been necessarily torpedoed by the governing body. More concerning are real fears that it may be the last we have seen of it.

The FFA Cup brought something unique to the domestic game and provided Australian fans with a basic tenant of football so longed for and domestically absent. All over the world, league competitions pause frequently, as both minnows and heavy hitters take their chances in knockout play in an attempt to raise their respective nation’s cup trophy.

Such a moment says nothing about consistency, staying the course or a clubs’ dominance in home and away play. Cup competition is all about the moment and the ability to seize one, particularly when teams from lower divisions force their way into the later stages and seek to scare the heck out of their top tier rivals.

Thus the phrase, ‘cupset’.

Despite Australia’s cup having never left the hands of the A-League clubs, the competition is structured in such a way that a lower tiered team always features in the final four. In much the same way that EPL teams are kept away from each other in England’s FA Cup, Australia’s elite clubs do not meet until the late rounds, with NPL clubs in full training and competition given the chance to knock off their fancied rivals who are still to build into top form during their pre-season.

Most years, the ‘cupset’ plays out.

With suburban grounds hosting matches in mid-winter conditions, the atmosphere of the FFA Cup is both unique and inspiring. Traditional clubs draw considerable support from their communities and the subsequent lift in performance of the semi-professional teams has been evident on many occasions during the competitions’ short but impressive history.

Without stern determination to ensure its survival and return, the FFA Cup may well be another in a long line of victims that the coronavirus takes in 2020.

The cold reality for NPL clubs in a post pandemic world will be financial struggle. The sponsorship and investment challenges mentioned above will remain evident for some time, with many clubs having been openly keen to cancel the 2020 NPL season for fears of only worsening their precarious financial position.

Similar headaches lie ahead for FFA, with a newly signed Fox Sports broadcast deal destined only to cover A and W League play, Socceroo World Cup qualifiers and friendlies, as well as friendly matches involving the Matildas.

As such, those cold winter nights with televised FFA Cup play and live reports from the other fixtures taking place around the country appear gone. Fox obviously saw little return on their investment and have dropped the cup competition as they lessen their overall financial commitment to football.

Whilst many will cite the FFA’s need to take over the production costs of the domestic game and potentially on-sell content to Foxtel, Kayo Sport and potentially other providers, such an endeavour is challenging, long term and involves considerable financial investment.

Doing so in an effort to spark the A and W League may be a fair objective, however, the logistics and expense in attempting to produce the FFA Cup in-house, may well be a bridge too far, especially considering the remote locations that often play host to important matches.

In its official press release FFA expressed a clear desire to bring back #themagicofthecup in 2021, yet despite its best intentions, the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may well make such a return near impossible.

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Melbourne Victory’s brand-new infrastructure strategy

Melbourne Victory & SEDA

A-League giant Melbourne Victory has revealed a brand-new extensive infrastructure strategy to foster and support tomorrow’s footballing stars.

The strategic infrastructure plan set out by Victory will aim to develop youth and women’s football programs by providing improved access to world class footballing facilities and player pathways across Victoria.

To achieve this, Melbourne Victory has opted for a campus model to enable players access to connected and consistent facilities across the North, East, South and West of Melbourne, all within an hour’s journey of Victory’s club administrative centre and the A-League Men’s training facilities at Gosch’s Paddock.

The club also intends to build another campus within the Melbourne city centre, with the first campus location to be announced by the club soon, as it continues to review and assess possible sites across the city.

Melbourne Victory Chairman, John Dovaston, explained why the club had chosen the campus model.

“The announcement of this project, and the direction taken, is aimed at ensuring we are best placed to attract and retain football talent across the State,” he said in a press release.

“Our innovative approach will allow us to have a number of campuses with not only an elite focus, but also, an eye on building our community to ensure that all Victorians have an opportunity to participate and engage in our game.”

Melbourne Victory Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the new infrastructure strategy was so important to the club.

“It is well understood that sport and football can influence social cohesion, and it’s our responsibility as a Club to establish infrastructure and programs that can positively impact members of the community, regardless of gender, background or location, whether that be through training the next generation of football stars, or using football as a vehicle to lead, unite, connect and inspire the community more broadly,” she said via press release.

“By enabling Victory to connect with communities across the North, South, East, and West of AAMI Park, our spiritual home, we can truly grow the Victory family and set new standards for elite facilities in our Pathway and community programs.”

The infrastructure project is an important move for the club, allowing it to grow, improve and future-proof its current suite of footballing programs. Currently, Victory operates nine elite and 23 pathway programs, providing services to over 16,000 participants across Victoria. Through the campus model, the club hopes it will be able to more efficiently develop the new generation of A-League and national team players.

“The priority is to provide not just an entry point for individuals to engage and participate in football, but to keep them engaged and provide a holistic journey to grow the Victory family across the State,” Carnegie continued.

“We are excited about the opportunities that the project can provide and the potential for growth for our Club and for football in the future.”

Melbourne Victory will continue to issue updates as it sets on the 5-year-plus journey to complete the entire project. For more information on the club’s major infrastructure strategy, access the plan HERE.

 

WA Community Use of School Sporting Facilities grants open

Soccer youths

The first round of the WA Community Use of School Sporting Facilities Program grants is now open for applications until March 21.

The program is an initiative from the West Australian government aimed to inspire partnerships between schools and community sporting groups to more effectively use sporting facilities and foster a greater sense of community.

Developed in collaboration with the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC), and the Department of Education (DoE), the program strives to:

  • improve access to sporting facilities for community sporting groups
  • improve school sports facilities
  • assist schools in developing their facilities for outside hours use without damaging student safety
  • encourage partnerships between schools and community sporting groups

Grants Eligibility 

Program funding is only available to WA public primary or secondary schools, which have partnered with at least one community sporting group under a DoE Community Use Agreement.

Schools applying for funding must prove they need monetary support to develop facilities and assist community sporting groups to use facilities. Additionally, they need an Eligibility Declaration from their partnered sporting grouping to confirm it will regularly access the facilities.

The partnered community sporting group must also meet a range of eligibility requirements:

  • It must be incorporated under the Associations Incorporations Act 2015 (WA),
  • Or it must be an Indigenous organisation under the Corporations (Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth)
  • Or it must be a company limited by guarantee under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
  • It must participate in a classified sport under the DLGSC
  • It must be registered under a DLGSC recognised state sport association (SSA)
  • It must enter teams into a local sport program or DLGSC SSA affiliated competition
  • It must have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • It must comply with the Working with Children (Screening) Act 2004
  • It must maintain insurance to cover the DoE CUA

Grants Funding Parameters 

There is up to $50,000 worth of funding available for successful applicants across four different types of one-off investments:

Minor Equipment or Infrastructure

This includes funding for small scale items such goalposts, equipment storage or other minor items or infrastructure.

Minor Playing Surface or Upgrade of Oval or Hardcourts

This includes funding for minor improvements to sports fields and courts, such as:

  1. Resurfacing
  2. Marking
  3. Reticulation
  4. Returfing
  5. Grass oval rejuvenation works

Minor Improvements to Existing Surfaces 

This includes funding for small scale improvements that make sporting facilities safer for outside use, such as locks, cameras, gates, and lights.

Other Relevant Activities That Enhance Facilities Use

This includes funding for activities that would increase the use of sporting facilities, such as for one off payments for staff and equipment.

How to Apply for Grants

Applications for the program can be completed online on the DLGSC website.

Before applying make sure to read the guidelines and have the necessary documentation ready.

Documents you will need are:

  • Signed Community Use Agreement (or letter of intent to enter at CUA)
  • Community Sport Group Eligibility Declaration
  • Quotes, photos, files and documents to use as evidence to support your claim

Applications for the first round of funding must be completed and submitted before March 21 5.00 pm 2025. If you miss out on this round or are unsuccessful, there are two more rounds of grants occurring later in the year.

The second round of applications will open March 24 9.00 pm and close May 16 5.00 pm 2025. While the third round of applications will open May 19 9.00 pm and close July 4 5.00 pm 2025.

 

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