The Westfield FFA Cup round of 16 draw will have a Sky Blue feel to it tomorrow, as former Sydney FC and Socceroo midfielder, and current Community Football Officer, Paul Reid is on hand to draw the ties for this stage of the inaugural cup competition.
Sydney FC will learn tomorrow who stands in their way of a maiden quarter final appearance in the Cup and Reid said he was hopeful the Sky Blues would draw an all Sydney tie after being impressed with Sydney FC’s away performance against Melbourne City in the round of 32.
“Now that the Wanderers were eliminated from the FFA Cup in their first ever FFA Cup game, I hope Sydney FC draw a Sydney based State League team,” Reid said.
“It would have been nice if the mighty Rockdale City Suns were in the draw, but either Sydney United or Sydney Olympic would be great for football in this city.
“It was a good performance [against Melbourne City], but I think there is definitely room for improvement which is always a great sign,” he continued.
“Sydney FC can definitely win it and the players should not need any more motivation than the fact that they could be part of a team that wins the inaugural FFA Cup.”
The draw, to be broadcast live on Fox Sports at 5:15pm, will carry an air of anticipation as clubs tune in across the country to see who Reid pairs them up with.
While it may not carry the same buzz as its English counterpart, Reid, who was involved in the English FA Cup with Bradford City and Brighton & Hove Albion, believes as the Cup competition grows so too will the hype surrounding each live draw.
“The FFA Cup is in its first year so the buzz surrounding the draw is only new,” Reid said.
“The buzz over in England is nothing like I have seen, especially when you are part of a lower league team hoping to get a dream draw away against a Premier League team.
“As the FFA Cup continues to grow, it would be great to eventually see something similar happen in Australia.”
While in its infancy, Reid expressed delight at the way the competition has panned out so far and said he was pleased to be so heavily associated with the Westfield FFA Cup after being a member of the Cup’s official launch in February.
“After many years of speculation, it is great that the FFA Cup is now up and running as it creates a lot of excitement for the amateur football teams throughout Australia,” said Reid.
“When I heard about the FFA Cup competition starting in Australia, I wanted to see upsets as this creates a real buzz around the game and when Adelaide City beat the WSW last week, the biggest upset in the Round of 32, I thought this is definitely why a cup competition is good for Australian football.
“The FFA contacted me to get involved as I have played for Sydney FC and Adelaide United who are both still in the competition. It was great to a part of the official launch of the FFA Cup in February and it will be just as exciting to be involved in the Round of 16 draw.”
Sydney FC will be drawn in the Westfield FFA Cup round of 16 LIVE on Fox Sports at 5:15pm tomorrow
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