It’s that time of the year again when the magic of the Cup involves our Premier League Men’s teams and this year is no exception with 9 Clubs entered (up on the 5 from last season) and playing Round 2 fixtures.
The FFA Cup is a national knockout competition that includes teams from Association and state level, National Premier Leagues, right through to Hyundai A-League. The Cup is run by Football Federation Australia in conjunction with the State and Territory members.
We went to the clubs involved and asked what it means to them to be involved in the FFA Cup or even how much Phoenix FC like travelling to the Central Coast (a common theme) albeit Phoenix focused on the matter at hand. Here is what they had to say:
Anthony Murray – Coach
Coogee United FC
“After last year’s heroics of taking APIA Leichhardt NPL1 to extra time, we certainly love the magic of the FFA Cup at Coogee United! We are very excited to be involved again this year and hopefully can build a good cup run however, all our focus is now on the game against Emu Plains FC, this Saturday.”
JP Thompson and Sandy Neison – Coach/player
Randwick City FC
“The FFA Cup for Randwick City FC is a time for us to showcase our top talent from Eastern Sydney to the rest of NSW. The boys have been putting in the hard yards over the last 3 months during pre-season, so we are very much looking forward to playing against strong opposition, playing quality football and scoring quality goals! It is always a very exciting way to kick off the 2020 campaign, watching
the draw for who you’ll be playing against or where the first away day will be! We wish all ESFA teams participating in the Cup this year, the best of luck. #MagicOfTheCup.”
Ben Harris – Captain
Waverley Old Boys FC
“The FFA Cup is a great opportunity to play against Clubs outside of our region and test ourselves against players who play at a higher level than us. Having had an extended preseason and built a squad with more depth than prior years, we will have the ambitious target of making it to the ‘TV’ rounds. We are all looking forward to this Round and making a good start to the season”
Tom Barry – Captain
Sydney CBD FC
“I think the FFA Cup is a great competition for our club and any club at amateur level, as it provides an opportunity to test yourselves against the best players in the country and come up against semi-pro/professional teams, if lucky enough with the draw. It also provides a great opportunity for financial rewards and further exposure for our Club.”
Scott Grey – Coach
Lokomotiv Cove FC
“The FFA Cup is a great comp and we always look forward to playing in it as it gives us a chance to play against some top opposition. A good cup run early on, can kick start our season, so we are preparing for a touch challenge Saturday week at home to Kariong United FC.”
James Foley – Player
Glebe Wanderers FC
“FFA a great opportunity to enter Australia’s biggest cup competition and to test ourselves against teams from across the state. The boys have been training hard and be great to put a run together in this great competition. Personally I’m in the best shape of my life and have been banging goals in at training. Hopefully I can bring that into a tough match against Bankstown.”
Fergus McCarthy (Club Legend)
Phoenix FC
“For over three decades, Phoenix FC is run by the people, for the people; we epitomise grassroots football. The FFA Cup is the opportunity to showcase the talent and skill of our exceptional players and talented management here at Phoenix FC. We have a core of optimism mixed with pragmatism; as Chairman Brady said: ‘it’s just another game’. We recognise that this Sunday is anyone’s on the day and as the gaffers idol Jack Charlton once said; ‘Nothing is given to you. You’ve got to work for it.’ This Sunday we will be prepared and ready to work hard for it and try to go through to the next round. Hon the Nix!”
William Santana – Player
Maroubra United FC
“It’s my pleasure to talk a little bit about FFA Cup and this season ahead. We consider this competition one of the most important that we ever played in our history. I’m 34 years old, I’m one of the founders of the “All Blacks” futsal team in Sydney and I’m thrilled to see how far we have come and how far we can go. Last year we were called Giant Killers in one of the competitions where nobody knew us and I can tell you that the Giant Killers are back even stronger and focused on presenting great football. We are delighted to wear the shirt of the great club Maroubra United and participate in the biggest Cup competition in the Country!”.
Bill Katakouzinos – Team Manager
Pagewood Botany FC
“It is with much excitement that Pagewood Botany Football Club are hosting Coptic Utd FC this coming weekend. There is always something special about playing a cup tie at Jellicoe Park with an enthusiastic and vocal supporter group always in attendance. Both the players and coaching staff are ready for the challenge and hope this will establish a steppingstone for the season ahead. Regardless the outcome on Sunday, we are really proud as a club and team to be involved in what is Australia’s Premier Knockout Cup tournament. It is the only opportunity for grassroots Association clubs (like ours), to compete within a truly national competition.”
We are fortunate enough to have some Round 2 fixtures in our backyard. If you are looking for a football fix and supporting our teams, then you can find them in action as follows;
| Home Team | Away Team | Date/Kick Off Time | Venue |
| Coogee United FC | Emu Plains FC | 14 Mar 3:00pm | Centennial Park 4 (McKay field 4) |
| Waverley Old Boys FC | Kenthurst & District FC | 14 Mar 12:30pm | Waverley Synthetic |
| Umina United FC | Randwick City FC | 14 Mar 3:15pm | Moore Park Synthetic |
| Maroubra United FC | Rouse Hill Rams FC | 15 Mar 2:00pm | Frazer Park |
| Australian Catholic University FC | Sydney CBD FC | 15 Mar 2:00pm | ACU Strathfield Campus |
| Budgewoi FC | Phoenix FC | 15 Mar 3:00pm | TBC |
| Pagewood Botany FC | Coptic United FC | 15 Mar 5:00pm | Jellicoe Park |
| Glebe Wanderers | Bankstown Dragons | 15 Mar 5:00pm | Moore Park Synthetic |
| Lokomotiv Cove FC | Kariong United FC | 21 Mar 5:30pm | Moore Park Synthetic |
We wish all our Clubs the best of football for their first matches in the FFA Cup and look forward to a successful campaign for all our ESFA Clubs involved.