It is I must say disappointing that the two NPLWAU sides failed to host it at their home venues as the atmosphere, pitch, food and drink would have been great. This is what a knock-out cup competition is all about; a windfall for the less fortunate clubs in the grand scheme of things.
However this is a massive wake up call for not only Stirling and Bayswater but for the rest of the NPLWAU or the lower teams to start to shape up or be shipped out by the increasingly cold and ruthless FFA. I have been around state league grounds now for more than a decade and I am sorry but very little has changed, now with this new avenue for the clubs this is the next step up for them. It is time to modernise and to improve facilities to further build upon the great community hubs that these clubs create in their local areas in Perth.
Sadly due to these unfortunate events most of the money that they would have earned was lost to the rental of the ground to the state government through Venues West, food/beverage outlets were run by Venues West and gate earnings I am lead to believe would not be distributed to the NPLWAU clubs like in traditional cup tournaments in Europe.
Despite all this the food was alright however incredibly expensive. 25 dollars for a pizza, 7 for a slice, 4 dollars for cool drink and chips for 8 dollars was highway robbery to say the least. Only when they had half price stock to knock off post match was it worth it. Drinks I was not complaining about as they seemed to be in touch with other NPLWAU grounds and pub prices on the acceptable side of the scale.
However let us talk about the game shall we? Stirling fought valiantly throughout the game but the sheer difference in class and playing against a team of professionals was the difference. Lack of discipline and tired legs gave way and Brisbane ran out 4-0 winners. The last 20 or so minutes was where it fell apart for Stirling after keeping the defending A-League champions to a one goal lead at half time and showing signs of promise at the start of the second half.
However the Wednesday night was a different match altogether. Bayswater were a far better unit and were pushing Melbourne throughout the match. However again due to the difference in one side being semi pro chinks in the armour were apparent and Melbourne scored two goals; one in each half. Bayswater did have moments where they looked incredibly threatening and could have pipped a goal back but Melbourne's defence was just too strong and too disciplined. No food or drink was tried on the Wednesday night after a carbon copy of what was on offer on Tuesday. I have to disclose I did not buy a pizza for 25 dollars, just a slice but I saw plenty of people who oddly were happy to part ways with that amount of money for oily soggy cardboard dressed up as pizza.
While it is great to see Australia finally with a knock out competition there are many issues that now need to be looked that. NPLWAU sides need to look at upgrading their facilities to move with the modern times and to prove to the FFA that they are still relevant and not a nuisance. FFA and Football West need to discuss these issues better with the NPLWAU sides so they are not 'left in the dark' when it comes to these issues. With 1100 odd coming on Tuesday and 1600 showing up on the Wednesday, that in itself is a glowing endorsement from the football public of Perth that the FFA Cup is a great idea and that finally the connection severed by the FFA between A-League and non league clubs can now be re-established.
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