Football Federation Australia is committed to the concept but admits expansion is the key priority at this stage.

Support for a cup competition is growing with both A-League coaches and those in the state leagues keen to see it happen.

Gary van Egmond has already spoken publicly of his enthusiasm for the concept while Manly United boss Phil Moss recently told FourFourTwo: "Players would embrace it with open arms, so would the coaches.

"A cup competition involving A-League and state league teams would be fantastic."

However, the prospect of Manly United playing Newcastle Jets in an FFA Cup clash may have to wait.

FFA CEO Ben Buckley told au.fourfourtwo.com: "It's certainly on our agenda. We want to explore it and come up with some models.

"At the moment our focus is on expansion of the league but it is an opportunity to be assessed.

"At this stage I can't give you a timetable and I can't give you a model but as I said, it is something we want to explore."

Earlier this year Buckley said Australia could not just pinch another country's knockout format with travel the obvious problem.

He said: "We are somewhat disadvantaged relative to other countries, European nations in particular, in that you can’t just hop on a bus and be at your opponents’ doorstep in an hour or two hours.

“You have to get on a plane to make the journey and that can take a day or so. But those things can be overcome.

“We may have to create a unique format for Australia rather than just adopt what happens in other countries.”