The Impact of the FFA Cup and All-Stars Game

Football in Australia has expanded rapidly since the Socceroos first World Cup appearance in 1974.

The Socceroos have qualified for three consecutive World Cups and their admirable performances in Brazil highlighted that Australia is bridging the gap in modern football, asserting that there are real possibilities for the future of Australian football.

The A-League continues to thrive with the standard continuing to strengthen as well as the attraction of internationally recognised stars such as Alessandro Del Piero and David Villa.

But what is overlooked is the impact that concepts such as the FFA Cup and the All-Stars are having on the game.

For the first time since 1968, Australia has a nation-wide knockout tournament to compliment the A-League.

Australia’s inaugural knockout tournament was much desired around the country and it is fair to say that so far it has lived up to expectations.

Last night Australia witnessed it’s first great Cup upset with Western Sydney Wanderers eliminated by semi-professional side Adelaide City.

Every fan dreams of a giant-killing act at the expense of a professional opponent – and in the first round it has happened!

It was a match played with the true spirit of a cup tie – end to end flowing football – and it was a stunning solo goal from Thomas Love which completed the huge upset.

It resembled just what the tournament is striving to achieve, greater exposure for A-League and State League clubs and the potential of replicating the excitement generated from other cups around the world such as England’s idolised FA Cup.

This result, and in the bigger scheme of things the entire Cup, is a significant milestone for Australian football and has marked the return of some of Australia’s traditional clubs.

One such club emphatically marking its return last night was NSW-based Sydney United 58.

The NSW Premier League side destroyed the Far North Queensland Heat 4-1 in a home win that their coach, former Sydney FC defender Mark Rudan, declared to be “one of the biggest days for the club since the NSL died”.

While the salary cap creates equilibrium in the A-League, the beauty of the Cup is that it is built upon inequalities and disparities.

The Cup is uniting the football community and is emblematic of a growing Australian football culture.

And just as the FFA Cup is playing its part, so is the A-League All-Stars concept.

Even before the whistle sounded at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night Australian football had already won.

Despite a 3-2 loss, the All-Stars played tremendously well and their performance against the likes of World Cup stars Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo spoke volumes for the pride, credibility and professionalism in our expanding A-League.

The impressive performances from Thomas Broich, Alessandro Del Piero and particularly Besart Berisha did not go unnoticed when they lined up against the Italian giants, with their coach admitting that the three had caused his side all sorts of problems in the front third.

The Manchester United clash last year was a telling reflection of football’s progress Under, attracting a sell-out crowd at ANZ.

Similarly, the Juventus game saw the stadium fill to almost 60,000 late on a Sunday night.

But what was quite intriguing was that prior to the match 7,000 people visited WIN Stadium on a cold Tuesday evening just to see Alessandro Del Piero and his All Stars team mates play the Young Socceroos.

Fans were clearly just as excited about the All-Stars squad as they were about Juventus.

The All-Stars game saw an international powerhouse taking the match very seriously, the local opposition never once looking inferior, the fans able to see World Cup stars and most importantly the sport getting positive publicity by promoting its domestic league against the renowned Juventus brand.

Stunning goals, ADP’s last ever match on Australian soil and seeing World Cup stars in action –the All-Star concept was a soaring success.

It is clear that football in Australia is on a path of progress.

The past few years have seen record numbers of football registrations across Australia confirming the game as the most participated sport in the country.

Combine this with the efforts of our national team and the expansion of the A-League and it is fair to say that the nation is living the dream Johnny Warren once envisaged.

Sadly the former Socceroo is no longer with us, but if he was, he would surly be proud of just how far the game has come.