A change to the draw principles for the Westfield FFA Cup 2016 will make the Round of 32 even more unpredictable for the 10 Hyundai A-League clubs, Football Federation Australia (FFA) has announced today.

This year, all of the Hyundai A-League clubs will be placed into one pot, meaning any one of the 10 professional clubs could be pitched into a knock-out tie in the suburbs against a semi-pro Member Federation club.

In previous years, the four Hyundai A-League Semi Finalists were placed into a separate pot, which guaranteed them a tie against a Member Federation club in the Round of 32, with the other six A-League clubs drawn against each other.

FOX SPORTS has again committed to provide comprehensive coverage from the Round of 32 onwards for Australian football’s national knockout competition in 2016, which began with a record 691 Member Federation clubs competing in the Preliminary Rounds of the competition.

The match schedule for the Westfield FFA Cup 2016 Final Rounds, which is when the ten Hyundai A-League clubs join the fold, remains predominantly similar to last year.

Click here for a rundown on the Final Rounds match schedule and draw process

The Westfield FFA Cup 2016 Round of 32 is set to commence on 26/27 July and, similarly to last year, will comprise of four (4) match days (four matches per night on either a Tuesday or Wednesday night) over a three week period, while the Round of 16, Quarter Finals and Semi Finals will each be played over the space of a fortnight.

The Westfield FFA Cup Final 2016 will be played on Tuesday 29 November to determine the third winners of the competition after Adelaide United claimed the trophy in the inaugural year before Melbourne Victory won it in 2015.

The more open and intriguing Round of 32 draw will again feature three (3) all Hyundai A-League Club matches, nine (9) all Member Federation club matches, and four (4) Member Federation club v Hyundai A-League club matches.

As the Westfield FFA Cup prepares to again take centre stage on the national football calendar, FFA CEO David Gallop said another captivating year of the competition lay ahead.

“With the addition of the Hyundai A-League clubs, a total of 701 clubs will have taken part in this year’s Westfield FFA Cup, which continues to go from strength to strength and capture the imagination of football fans around the country in just its third year,” said Gallop.

“The competition’s unique selling point is the appeal of watching grassroots clubs playing at suburban grounds against the pros from the Hyundai A-League.”

Similarly to last year, FOX SPORTS will show 11 matches LIVE (one match per match night) while providing coverage and updates, as well as LIVE streaming, of all non-broadcast matches.

Details regarding the FOX SPORTS broadcast and streaming will be announced closer to the start of the Round of 32.

Gallop commended Fox Sports’ continued support of the Westfield FFA Cup.

“Fox Sports have done a fantastic job in their coverage of the Westfield FFA Cup in the first two years and it’s fantastic that they have again committed to extensive coverage in order to bring the magic of the cup to people wherever they are around Australia,” said Gallop.

“Following the success of the first two years of the competition, Member Federation clubs are realising the significant benefits that come with making a run deep into the competition as Hume City found out in reaching the Westfield FFA Cup Semi Finals last year, so these clubs will be as determined as ever to go and put their name up in lights.”

On the announcement of the schedule and details for the Westfield FFA Cup 2016 Final Rounds, John Batistich, Director Marketing, Scentre Group National Marketing, reinforced Westfield’s delight in being the competition’s naming rights partner.

“We are extremely proud to once again be the Major Partner of the Westfield FFA Cup,” said Batistich.

“Just like the local clubs that participate in this competition, our Westfield Shopping Centres are very much part of their communities and we look forward to showing our continued support to all the teams taking part in the Cup’s third season.”

Slot allocations for the Westfield FFA Cup 2016 Round of 32 remain the same as last year with Football NSW receiving five (5) slots, Football Queensland and Football Federation Victoria four (4), Northern NSW Football and Football West two (2), and Football Federation South Australia, Football Federation Tasmania, Capital Football (ACT) and Football Federation Northern Territory each getting one slot.

The remaining Member Federation slot is filled by Blacktown City FC, who received automatic entry into the Round of 32 after being crowned PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues Champions of Australia last year.

Each State/Territory will know their final Member Federation entrants in the Round of 32 on the following dates:

18 May – Football NSW

6 June – Football West

11 June – Football Queensland

13 June – Football Federation Tasmania

15 June – Football Federation Victoria

18 June – Capital Football (ACT)

18 June – Football Federation Northern Territory

19 June – Northern NSW Football

25 June – Football Federation South Australia

* Dates are subject to change

The draw for the Round of 32 will be conducted in the last week of June with details to be announced closer to the date.

Features of the Westfield FFA Cup 2016 Final Rounds

Match Schedule

The Round of 32 draw will see all ten (10) Hyundai A-League clubs placed into the same pot, unlike previously which saw the four (4) Hyundai A-League Semi Finalists drawn out of a separate pot and guaranteed to face a Member Federation club in the Round of 32.

The match schedule remains predominantly similar to last year, with the Round of 32 to be held over three weeks, the Quarter Finals played prior to the start of the Hyundai A-League 2016/17 Season, and the Semi Finals completed by the end of October.

The draw principles that will see at least one Member Federation club reach the Semi Finals will remain unchanged.

Member Federation clubs will always host matches against a Hyundai A-League opponent.

The match schedule provides Hyundai A-League clubs with more competitive pre-season matches and gives Member Federation clubs the opportunity to field stronger line-ups.

The Westfield FFA Cup Final 2016 is scheduled for Tuesday 29 November 2016.

FOX SPORTS Coverage