Will Australia ever see the FFA Cup again?

Staff Writer

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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Gold Coast United FC reveals Burleigh Brewing as new partner

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Gold Coast United FC / Facebook

The Queensland-based club revealed on Tuesday that the brewing company will join the GCU and Tally Valley Tigers family as a new partner. 

 

Forging new connections 

The news of the collaboration is one which should excite local supporters and club members alike. The Queensland-based club displayed their pride at teaming up with Burleigh Brewing in an announcement via social media. 

“How good is this! For GCU, Tally and Burleigh Brewing, this is the partnership that was meant to be,” Gold Coast United said. 

“Deeply rooted in the local community and obsessed about quality, BB founders Peta and Brennan Fielding share the same depth of passion for beer, as we do for football.” 

Two essential aspects of this partnership are evident in Gold Coast United’s announcement: community and quality. Essentially, by joining forces with a local business equally as committed to achieving excellence in their field, it is no wonder why the club is looking forward to tackling the upcoming season with the backing of Burleigh Brewing. 

 

Pursuing a shared vision 

In any successful commercial partnership, both parties need to not only share a common vision, but pursue it with conviction.

For Gold Coast United and the Tally Valley Tigers, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of unique development across all levels at the club. Following the announcement of a merger in October 2025, the two clubs are eager to encourage and sustain widespread participation in community football. 

Furthermore, by offering opportunities to young talents in the region from 5 to 18 years old, Gold Coast United and the Tally Valley Tigers can provide a setting for sporting prowess and local participation. And by joining forces with Burleigh Brewing – who proudly stand as a community-oriented and family-run organisation – the foundations for a healthy partnership are already there.

“It is with huge thanks to Peta, Brennan, Holli, Sam and the crew at Burleigh Brewing for seeing the same vision that we do for the pursuit of quality, achievement and the bringing together of community,” Gold Coast United added. 

Team spirit after the final whistle 

As a popular brewery and taphouse since 2006, Burleigh Brewing have a 20-year history of providing high-quality products. For them, high standards are a non-negotiable.

Yet beyond offering expertly crafted beer, Burleigh Brewing also understands the importance of its customers. Additionally, with the capacity to host groups and functions up to 600 people, the Gold Coast United fanbase can expect Burleigh Brewing to become the go-to location for socialising and connecting even after the final whistle.

 

Why A-League Women players believe the next phase of the game must start now

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The Players’ Vision for the A-League Women – Image Credit: One Nil

As Australian football enters a new phase of growth and reflection, A-League Women players are seeking to ensure the future of their competition is shaped with them, not around them. A new player-led vision announced last week at Ultra Football in Abbotsford, sets out what those inside the game believe is required for the league to move beyond survival and toward sustainable professionalism.

A shared vision

Ready For Takeoff is a player-driven vision for the future of the A-League Women, developed through consultation with player delegates from every club across the competition. Led by Professional Footballers Australia, the initiative brings together the shared priorities of those currently navigating the league’s semi-professional reality. It outlines what players believe is required to move the competition toward long-term sustainability.

Rather than offering broad aspirations, the document focuses on practical and achievable reforms, spanning professionalism, governance and resourcing. Its emphasis is on creating conditions that allow players to train, recover and compete at a level consistent with a fully professional league. While also building structures capable of supporting future growth.

A-League Women player Dylan Holmes believes the process revealed how closely aligned players’ experiences were across the league. “When we came together, it was clear we all faced very similar challenges but wanted the same things,” Holmes said. “This work is the culmination of those discussions and outlines realistic, tangible steps to take the game to the next level.”

PFA Chief Executive Beau Busch – Image Credit: One Nil

The cost of the current system

Behind the league’s growing visibility, many A-League Women players continue to operate within a system defined by short-term contracts and a largely semi-professional structure. Club commitments are made increasingly more difficult as players must balance additional employment or study, limited training and recovery time, and questions over long-term security. The result is not only personal and financial strain, but broader consequences for the competition’s ability to retain talent and support player wellbeing.

These conditions also shape the league’s development pathways, with young players often forced to make difficult choices about whether a professional career in football is viable in Australia. PFA chief executive Beau Busch said players had been clear about the sacrifices required simply to remain in the game. “We’ve heard from players about the struggle and sacrifices they continue to make to play the game they love, but we can do so much more than this.”

“A fully professional game is crucial to creating the next generation of Matildas and achieving our potential.”

Turning Matilda’s momentum into domestic opportunity

Throughout the launch, speakers repeatedly pointed to the Matildas as both a benchmark and a blueprint for what sustained investment in the women’s game can deliver. PFA chief executive Beau Busch referenced the national team’s commercial success to highlight the opportunity facing the A-League Women, arguing that professionalism at domestic level is essential to converting broader public interest into a viable league product.

The comparison was framed less as imitation than as evidence of latent value. The Matildas’ ability to attract audiences, sponsors and broadcast attention was presented as proof of concept for what is possible when the women’s game is properly resourced. A-League Women player Dylan Holmes echoed that sentiment, saying “when you invest in women, really amazing things will come.” For the A-League Women, speakers argued, the task is to build structures that allow the domestic competition to capture that momentum and present a compelling, sustainable proposition to commercial stakeholders.

The Players’ Vision for the A-League Women – Image Credit: One Nil

A moment for new thinking in governance

Central to the players’ vision is a call for governance structures that are fit for purpose. This is particularly important at a time when leadership across Australian football is in transition. The Ready For Takeoff document argues that the A-League Women’s development has been constrained by a club-majority APL board. It says that this practice does not adequately recognise the specific needs of the women’s game.

Instead, the players advocate for an independent commission model, similar to those governing the AFL and NRL, with transparent rules, appropriate gender representation and mandated expertise in women’s football. The aim, the document argues, is not simply reform for reform’s sake, but the creation of a structure capable of stewarding the A-League Women’s growth. Achieving this in its own right, rather than as an adjunct to the men’s competition.

That argument lands at a moment of change. The recent appointment of Steve Rosich as chief executive of the APL and Martin Kugeler as the new CEO of Football Australia, has opened a window for fresh thinking about how the domestic game is governed. For players, the timing presents a rare opportunity: to ensure that new strategies are shaped not only by commercial imperatives, but by the lived realities of those sustaining the league on the pitch.

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