It was encouraging to see Football Federation Australia launch a survey on the proposed FFA Cup this week, to discover, to quote the survey, "your views of what an FFA Cup competition should represent to the football community."
The FFA has often been accused of not listening to the football community when making key decisions on the direction of the domestic game, so this type of fan engagement should be applauded - if, and it's a big if, the survey results are taken into consideration.
The survey encompassed possible formats, which clubs should be represented, initiatives and match day activations that could be the hallmark of the competition, whether the FFA Cup will engage and increase interest in the A-League, etc. All pertinent questions which fans should have a say in.
Further into the survey, there was an interesting section that asked, "Which of the attributes listed below are associated with these competitions" (grassroots, state leagues, A-League). The options were: tribal, commercialised, ethnic, violence.
In any given survey there are a number of sections to gauge the participants feelings, prejudices and beliefs on a certain topic, to better understand their responses. But the inclusion of words such as "ethnic" and "violence" raise the inevitable question that hangs over the FFA Cup: whether the competition will provide a platform for a flaring up of old tensions; whether the game has now moved on or not from such troubles; and whether there remains an unbridgeable divide between old soccer and new football.
It seems to me the FFA are testing our perceptions of the state leagues relative to the A-League and whether or not those old and tired stereotypes still exist.
That question mark, you sense, looms in the back of the minds of FFA head honchos, given the sweeping change they brought about in their tenure and the casting aside of "old soccer".
Then there are questions that fans can't answer in the survey: whether the competition is financially viable; whether it will attract any media interest to justify and help fund itself.
Finally, how much of the football family will be incorporated into the competition? Obviously, the greater the scope of the competition, the more expensive it becomes. While fans will want to see an FA Cup-style competition encompassing as much of the state leagues and grassroots as possible, that's unlikely given the financial constraints at FFA headquarters. Remember, this will only add to the financial burden on the governing body, with the benefits likely to be more long-term.
Initial hints suggest 32 teams will compete in the inaugural FFA Cup, with state-based leagues and cup competitions, such as Victoria's Mirabella Cup, acting as the qualifiers or preliminary stages of the FFA Cup, before A-League clubs enter in the later rounds.
That may disappoint some football fans, particularly those with local clubs who may miss the cut, but it is important fans curb their expectations of the competition as financial constraints will inevitably limit its reach.
Timing of the competition will also be crucial, given the state leagues and A-League run in opposing times of the year - the latter now condensed into October to April.
The FFA has hinted that the FFA Cup will run from March next year with the final to be held on Australia Day, but one wonders whether it should instead be staged wholly within this time of the year, when the state leagues are wrapping up and the A-League clubs are well into their pre-seasons.
While the notion of the FFA Cup becoming a pseudo pre-season tournament may disappoint purists, it could serve its purpose while crucially filling this gaping hole in the calendar.
Here again fans' expectations must be readdressed. The FFA Cup won't have the allure, reach or prestige of the FA Cup. While that's clearly the direction the competition will go in if successful - running parallel to the A-League - it's highly doubtful that such a structure is sustainable at present.
The FFA Cup won't command the back pages; it'll be lucky to be televised aside from its decisive matches. Even the AFL's Foxtel Cup - a Champions League-type knockout competition involving state league teams - barely caused a ripple, despite generous coverage via the pay-television provider.
The FFA Cup will be a grassroots competition, created to unite the tiers of Australian football in suburban grounds.
So why run it alongside the A-League, overshadowed and detracting even the smallest percentage of attention and marketing spend from the league, potentially confusing an ambivalent market?
A-League clubs are currently playing pre-season friendlies against state league opposition in the lead up to the new season. So why not turn those games into the FFA Cup in a year's time?
There are so many question marks around the FFA Cup, which means there are plenty of opportunities for the FFA to get it wrong. And it remains to be seen if the competition is even viable, given the A-League's state, let alone if the predicted benefits will come to fruition.
But if expectations are lowered, the support and drive for the competition geared towards the grassroots, and its utilised to help fill the void in the calendar, then it has the potential to serve its purpose of uniting grassroots to A-League while also given its own clean air to exist and grow in.
Let's just hope the FFA is listening.
