The 2014 FFA Cup was the inaugural season of the FFA Cup (now known as the Australia Cup), the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. 631 teams in total from around Australia entered the competition. Only 32 teams competed in the competition proper (round of 32), including the 10 A-League teams and 22 Football Federation Australia (FFA) member federation teams determined through individual state-based preliminary rounds held in early 2014 (and 2013 in the case of the ACT). The FFA Cup competition proper commenced on 29 July 2014 and concluded with the FFA Cup Final on 16 December 2014.
The final was brought forward from Australia Day in order to avoid a clash with the 2015 Asian Cup, which was hosted by Australia.
The winner of the FFA Cup received $50,000 as part of a total prize money pool of $131,450.
Round and dates RoundDraw dateMatch datesNumber of fixturesTeamsNew entries this roundPreliminary roundsVarious6 April 2013 – 25 June 2014616 + 34 byes631 → 32621Round of 3227 June 2014 29 July–20 August 20141632 → 1610Round of 1622 August 201416–23 September 2014816 → 8noneQuarter-finals23 September 2014 14–29 October 201448 → 4noneSemi-finals31 October 2014 11–12 November 201424 → 2noneFinal12 November 201416 December 201412 → 1none
Prize fund Round No. of Clubsreceive fund Prize fund Round of 16 8 $1,800 Quarter-finalists 4 $4,800 Semi-finalists 2 $10,950 Final runners-up 1 $25,950 Final winner 1 $50,000 Total $131,450
Preliminary rounds
621 FFA member federations teams competed in various state-based preliminary rounds to win one of 22 places in the competition proper (round of 32). Eight of the nine FFA member federations took part in the tournament, the exception being Northern Territory, whose participation commenced in 2015. Player registration numbers in each jurisdiction was used to determine the number of qualifying teams for each member federation:
NSW have seven teams qualify. Queensland have four teams qualify. Victoria have four teams qualify. Northern NSW have two teams qualify. Western Australia have two teams qualify. ACT have one team qualify. South Australia have one team qualify. Tasmania have one team qualify.
The first of the preliminary rounds began on 6 April 2013 and the final of the preliminary rounds took place on 25 June 2014. Seven of the eight member federation preliminary rounds took place in 2014 (16 February–25 June). The exception was the ACT, whose competition took place during 2013 (6 April–28 August).
Teams A total of 32 teams participated in the 2014 FFA Cup competition proper, ten of which came from the A-League, the remaining 22 teams from FFA member federations, as determined by the preliminary rounds. A-League clubs represent the highest level in the Australian league system, where as member federation clubs come from Level 2 and below. The current season tier of member federation clubs is shown in parentheses.
A-League clubsAdelaide UnitedBrisbane RoarCentral Coast MarinersMelbourne CityMelbourne VictoryNewcastle JetsPerth GlorySydney FCWellington PhoenixWestern Sydney WanderersMember federation clubs Tuggeranong United (2) Blacktown City (2) Manly United (2) South Coast Wolves (2) Sydney Olympic (2) Sydney United 58 (2) Parramatta FC (3) Hakoah Sydney City East (4) Broadmeadow Magic (2) South Cardiff (2) Brisbane Strikers (2) Far North Queensland (2) Olympic FC (2) Palm Beach (2) Adelaide City (2) South Hobart (2) Bentleigh Greens (2) Melbourne Knights (2) South Springvale (4) St Albans Saints (3) Bayswater City (2) Stirling Lions (2)
Draw After the completion of the 2013–14 A-League season and the preliminary rounds by the respective member federations, the 32 teams were organised for the FFA Cup Round of 32 draw, the first of four draws in the competition proper. The draw for the round of 32 used three pots to arrange the teams: Pot A included the four A-League teams to reach the semi-finals in the 2013–14 A-League Finals series (Brisbane Roar, Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers), Pot B included the remaining six A-League teams and Pot C contained the 22 member federation teams. Teams were drawn randomly into predetermined positions. From the round of 16, Quarter-finals and Semi-finals, teams will be allocated in one of two pots. The remaining A-League teams were allocated to Pot A and the remaining member federation teams into Pot B. In each draw, teams were again drawn randomly into predetermined positions.
The positions into which teams were drawn into were structured to ensure that member federation teams have the best chance of advancing in the competition. The draw ensuresd a minimum of one non-A-League team reached the Semi-finals stage, a minimum of three in the Quarter-finals and a minimum of nine in the round of 16. This structure was achieved by allocating randomly drawn teams into predetermined positions, with some A-League teams guaranteed to be drawn against one another.
The draw for each round did not take place until after the scheduled completion of the previous round. Each draw also determined which teams will play at home; that is, if a member federation team drew an A-League team, the member federation team would host the fixture. However, where two A-League teams or two member federation teams were drawn together, the first team drawn would be the host, with the exception that Wellington Phoenix was required to play all of their matches in Australia, away from home.
Bracket
Round of 32 The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Hakoah Sydney City East and South Springvale. They were the only level 4 teams left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEST
Round of 16 The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was South Springvale. They were the only level 4 team left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEST
Quarter-finals The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Adelaide City, Bentleigh Greens and Palm Beach. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEDT
Semi-finals The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Bentleigh Greens. They were the only level 2 team left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEDT
Final
Top goalscorers RankPlayerClubGoals1 Sergio CirioAdelaide United62 Andy KeoghPerth Glory5 Nebojša MarinkovićPerth Glory Matt SimCentral Coast Mariners5 Ali AbbasSydney FC3 Besart BerishaMelbourne Victory Bruce DjiteAdelaide United Jake McLeanOlympic FC9 Guilherme FinklerMelbourne Victory2 Michael GaitatzisSydney Olympic Chris NaumoffSydney FC Mirjan PavlovićSydney United 58 Glen TrifiroCentral Coast Mariners Notes Goals scored in preliminary rounds not included.
Broadcasting rights The live television rights for the competition were held by the subscription channel Fox Sports, who broadcast ten games live, including all games from the quarter-final stage onwards.
Match ball The official match ball for the 2014 competition was the Umbro Neo 150 Elite.
References
External links Official website