FFV State Knockout Cup
 | |
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Region |
.svg.png){kind=small} Victoria |
| Number of teams | 119 (24 Seeded, 11 Un-Seeded) |
| Current champions | Green Gully |
| Most successful club(s) |
Dandenong Thunder Northcote City SC Green Gully (1 title) |
| Website | FFV |
 2013 FFV State Knockout Cup | |
The State Knockout Cup, formerly known as the Mirabella Cup for sponsorship reasons, was a football (soccer) knockout-cup competition held between men's clubs in Victoria, Australia, organised by the Football Federation Victoria. The competition included clubs from all levels of the Victorian Football Pyramid, with the exception of the two A-League clubs, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart, who were been prevented from entering by the national governing body, Football Federation Australia.[1]
It was preceded by the Dockerty Cup. In 2014 FFV went back to naming its state-wide cup competition the Dockerty Cup.
The final champions were Green Gully.
Format
The State Knockout Cup was a knockout competition, open to all Football Federation Victoria (FFV) men's clubs and, initially, to the two Victorian Hyundai A-League clubs, Melbourne Heart FC and Melbourne Victory FC.[2]
The stage one of the cup was a knockout stage for Victoria's amateur clubs, and takes place within the FFV’s Zone structure (8 metropolitan and 4 regional Zones). Victoria's semi-professionals leagues, the Alanic Victorian Premier League and State League One clubs, joined the competition in the second stage. Heart and Victory were initially planned to enter in the quarter final stage before the FFA's reversal of permission for the A-League club's participation.[1]
Matches were drawn randomly within the Zone structure.
Home teams were responsible for paying the referee's fees and for arranging the event day requirements when fixtured at their ground. Teams reaching the semi finals shared in a $50,000 prize pool.
The 2011 competition began on 19 March and finished prior to the start of the A-League season.[3]
Regional Challenge Cup
The highest finishing two regional teams play off for the Regional Challenge Cup, played as a curtain-raiser to the final.
Registration
There is a sliding fee for teams to enter the competition.
| Team | Entry fee |
|---|---|
| Clubs from State League 2 and down | $200 |
| State League 1 and Alanic VPL teams | $500 |
| Hyundai A-League clubs | $2,000 |
History
The previous club knockout cup in Victoria, the Dockerty Cup, ran from as early as 1909, when it was first won by Carlton United. It was in recess from 1996, except for the year 2004. Victorian clubs from all divisions were eligible to participate, however, similarly to the current competition, clubs from the then national top league, the NSL, were excluded between 1977 and 1984.
The competition was announced on the 14th of February 2011 by FFV President Tony Dunkerley at the PFA's Alex Tobin Medal ceremony, and was held for the first time in 2011.
The competition's naming rights were initially given to its sponsor, Mirabella International, which signed up for sponsorship rights for 10 years.[4] However, the sponsorship was removed for the second season, changing to the current name. Sales and Marketing Manager of Mirabella, Joe Mirabella, was then also a member of the Melbourne Heart board.[5] Mirabella was previously an investor for Melbourne Victory.[6]
In May 2011, with the first rounds of the inaugural competition already underway, the FFA reversed its decision to allow Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart to take part, citing confusion of fans in marketing an as yet unannounced national knockout cup competition, which the FFA themselves described in a press conference announcing their reversal as still being in a stage of consideration, and not yet having a viable plan.[1]
The first competition was won by Northcote City on the 10th of September 2011.
Original Intended Format (2011)
| Round | Clubs remaining | Clubs involved | Winners from previous round | New entries this round | Leagues/Teams entering at this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone Playoffs | 130 | 104 | n/a | 104 | Victorian State League Division 2 Victorian State League Division 3 Victorian Provisional Leagues Victorian Metropolitan Leagues Regional Leagues |
| Zone Semi Finals | 50 | 48 | 24 | 24 | Victorian Premier League Victorian State League Division 1 |
| Zone Finals | 26 | 24 | 24 | none | none |
| Super 12 | 14 | 12 | 12 | none | none |
| Quarter-Finals | 8 | 8 | 6 | 2 | Melbourne Heart Melbourne Victory |
| Semi-Finals | 4 | 4 | 4 | none | none |
| Final | 2 | 2 | 2 | none | none |
Final results
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Northcote City | 2-0 | Melbourne Knights | AAMI Park |
| 2012 | Dandenong Thunder | 0-0 (aet) | Port Melbourne | Lakeside Stadium |
| 2013 | Green Gully Cavaliers | 3-1 | Dandenong Thunder | Knights Stadium |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 , FFA order Victory, Heart out of Mirabella Cup.
- ↑ , Official announcement by Football Federation Victoria.
- ↑ , Mirabella Cup comes alive.
- ↑ , Moonee Ponds Weekly.
- ↑ , Melbourne Heart official site.
- ↑ , Victory blow: Mirabella turns on Heart light.
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