LOCAL soccer officials have called for greater representation in the FFA Cup after SA's state league clubs were allocated just one place in the inaugural national knockout competition.

This is despite NSW securing 10 state league spots and Victoria four.

The cup, which will pit 23 semi-professional clubs against nine A-League sides including Adelaide United, has been promoted as an English FA Cup-style competition where minnows will take on the game's powerhouses.

But Football Federation SA has confirmed only the winners of SA's Federation Cup would represent the state in the first round of the national cup later this year.

Football Federation Australia was yet to release details of the cup, but it was believed it would feature eight state league clubs from NSW, four each from Victoria and Queensland, two each from WA and northern NSW, and one each from SA, Tasmania and the ACT.

Playford City chairman Glenn Ryan said the allocation had frustrated his club's players and members.

"When it was brought to us an FA Cup-style competition, all of our supporters were very keen but then to find out there will only be one nomination from SA is very disappointing," Ryan said.

"It's hit the players a lot too as they were really keen."

Ryan said the second-tier club had hoped to host an interstate side in a cup match at Ramsey Park but admitted that was now unlikely.

He called for more SA clubs to be represented next year.

"We're a club that has struggled in the past few years, but this would have been an opportunity for us to be exposed and promoted to the rest of Australia," he said.

Croydon Kings chairman Angelo Colangelo said limiting the state's representation meant the same handful of clubs battling for the SA Premier League title would likely be the only sides competing on the national stage.

"It's unfair because our competition is probably up there (nationally)," Colangelo said.

South Adelaide chairman Phil Reed said opportunities should be provided to more SA clubs in the 2015 cup, as long as provisions were made to financially support teams' interstate travel.

FFSA chief executive Michael Carter said the number of registered players in each state determined the allocation of national cup spots.

Carter said FFSA was powerless to appeal for more SA clubs because its numbers did not stack up against other states.

He said if the SA Amateur Soccer League's member clubs became affiliated with FFSA it would swell participation numbers to about 38,000 in SA and guarantee at least two places.

"This is a great opportunity for non-affiliated groups to participate in a truly national cup competition - I don't know who wouldn't want to do that," he said.

An FFA spokesman said details of the national cup would be finalised in the next month.

He said an expanded model was likely for next year.

FFSA last week released the draw for the first round of the Federation Cup which kicks off on Saturday, February 15.

The cup final has been brought forward to May 31 to accommodate the first round of the FFA Cup after the June-July World Cup in Brazil.

FFA CUP - EXPECTED FORMAT

• 32-team knockout cup

• Nine Australian A-League clubs

• 23 state league clubs (eight NSW, four each Queensland and Victoria, two each WA and northern NSW, one each SA, ACT and Tasmania)

• Allocation of places based on number of registered players per state

• Expected start July/August