Start a second division for F(FA Cup)'s sake!

Did FFA Cup scheduling rule our any chance of a  Palm Beach win?

This week Palm Beach, ended their fairy tale season fittingly in the grave yard of Gold Coast Football.

A 5-0 demolition at the hands of a quality Central Coast outfit leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of a club that had an almost faultless season.

Palm Beach dominated in Queensland posting a remarkable 17 wins from 26 games in the season proper, 7 points from their nearest rivals.

The Sharks also added a State Level NPL Grand Final win, a National Level NPL Semi Final berth and of course a Semi-Final berth in the FFA Cup.

It was a hugely successful year for the Sharks, topped off with strong crowds of over 2,000 to watch them in the FFA Cup that would surely set them up financially for season to come.

However despite the accolades something doesn't sit well. A 5-0 loss to Central Coast. A team that despite playing great football did itself face a tight turnaround from the previous weekend's match, a match to come this weekend, did play a somewhat under strength squad and didn't play a striker until the end of the match.

It's pretty clear that the gap between A-League and state leagues is pretty big, but season after season this gap is getting bigger and bigger and despite the romantic notion that the FFA Cup will bring together all levels of football the truth is this gap is too big to bridge for the time being.

The timing of the competition does not allow non-A-League clubs to remain competitive at the later stages of the tournament and for a strong competition the FFA must seriously look at addressing this concern.

The remaining state league teams are now in their off-season. Players are going on holiday, they are not playing games and are losing match fitness by the week.

A-League teams on the other hand are nearing their prime, with the season underway and teams starting to gel.

No one is expecting a non-A-League club to win the FFA Cup any time soon but the nature of the tournament further marginalises these clubs by happening in their off-season.

The FFA Cup has been fantastic in giving national exposure to local clubs (for example TBG would not have expected to be writing about Palm Beach at the start of the year) however, for the competition to be taken seriously in the long run it needs to be competitive.

Once the novelty wears off all that is left is a competition and the FFA Cup needs to be a strong one to survive.

Early fixtures validated the hopes of a true knock-out romance with Adelaide City knocking off the Wanderers, however these early fixtures saw a more level playing field with A-League clubs not still experimenting and State-League clubs hitting their peaks in the lead up to finals.

One can only imagine the difficulties of State-League clubs when the competition is further postponed and the final is held on Australia day next time.... 4 months since the completion of their season!

The competition is equivalent to A-League's ACL struggles. It is well known how difficult competing in the ACL is for A-League teams and how much more difficult it is to succeed - Adelaide and Wanderers aside.

So how can these issues be solved? How can the FFA Cup remain a strong, viable, respected competition in the future?

To put it simply, it needs more competitive teams.

How can we have more competitive teams?

A-League expansion aside stronger lower tiers are a must and the FFA needs to seriously look at the viability of a second tier summer league run alongside the A-League.

As well as providing more football year-round for fans a smaller summer league will provide more opportunities for players and allow more non-A-League clubs to play competitive football in the summer allowing better comparisons with A-League clubs and better FFA-Cup match ups.

This league would also be a good tester for expansion allowing consortiums and established clubs to make a case for A-League entry without damaging football's national appeal or professionalism.

The Australian Rugby League this year started a national 9 team competition to run below the current Super-League. With crowds of around 2,000 and a small broadcast deal this competition is considered viable for other codes, so why not football?