Australia: Beginning of the Westfield FFA Cup, first national cup since 1968

The FFA (Football Federation Australia) launched a new version of the Australian Cup, the Westfield FFA Cup, on 29/07/2014. The previous Australian Cup existed only for seven editions, from 1962 to 1968. It was then organised by the Australian Soccer Federation, the ancestor of the FFA (founded in 2004).

The objective of the FFA is to accelerate the development of football in Australia by relaunching a competition that involves amateur and semi-professional teams along with the professional clubs of the Hyundai A-League (10 teams, including New-Zealand's Wellington Phoenix).

"With the A-League approaching its tenth season, it's high time clubs in the lower levels of Australia's football pyramid get their chance to not only mix it with the elite, but to even emerge victorious against them in formal competition," said the FFA on 28/02/2014.

The preliminary phase of the tournament started in January 2014 with 600 Australian teams competing. The final phase of the Westfield FFA Cup sees 22 amateur and semi-professional teams plus the 10 Hyundai A-League franchises play a single game at…