WA clubs land home ties in Australia Cup Round of 32

Football West was delighted to welcome Olympic Kingsway and Perth Glory to the Sam Kerr Football Centre last night for the Australia Cup national Round of 32 draw.

Many of the Olympic first team squad, plus head coach David Tough and his staff, club president Steve Nelkovski and other committee members were in attendance, while Glory were represented by CEO Anthony Radich and Football Director and former Olympic player Stan Lazaridis.

The draw gave Kingsway a home tie against Football Northern NSW NPL side Edgeworth Eagles, while Glory are also at home against Melbourne City, should they beat Brisbane Roar in next month's play-off in Darwin.

Perth RedStar, WA's other representatives, were drawn at home to Football Queensland NPL outfit Lions FC.

Lazaridis said: “It’s in the [A-League] pre-season so it gives us a chance to look at our squad, but we’ve got to get past Brisbane in Darwin first.

“I think as many of these competitive games we can get, the better for us.”

And looking at his former club Kingsway’s draw with Edgeworth, the 60-cap Socceroo said: “I think it’s a very good draw, I feel they’re very capable of making the next round.”

Olympic president Steve Nelkovski and captain Shane Cassidy also gave their reaction to the draw, with the NPLWA leaders expecting a bumper crowd at Kingsway Reserve.

“We’re very excited to be hosting. This squad’s been built to compete on multiple fronts and the Australia Cup has been a real priority of the club for a real long time,” Nelkovski said.

While this is the first time Olympic have reached this stage of the competition, skipper Cassidy played in the Round of 32 for RedStar’s forerunner ECU Joondalup in 2021. He said: “It’s great exposure for the club – we’ve got a good team and we’re confident of getting through to the next round.”

Meanwhile RedStar keeper and former Glory star Liam Reddy told the club’s Facebook channel: “I think initially the boys were probably disappointed that we didn’t get an away trip but it’s a good game for us at home. We’ll make it as hostile as possible. It’s definitely a game we feel we can win.”

While Perth Glory reached the final of the competition in its first two years in 2014 and 2015, Sorrento FC are the only Football West side to advance to the Round of 16 in 2017.

The 2024 Australia Cup Round of 32 will be played over two weeks from late-July to mid-August.

It is anticipated that venues, dates and timings for the Round of 32 will be made available next week, as Football Australia works with participating clubs and Member Federations to navigate ground availability.

*Dates are subject to change based upon fixtures and ground availability

**Exact Quarter Finals and Semi Finals match days to be confirmed

All Australia Cup 2024 Final Rounds matches will be streamed LIVE and FREE on 10 Play, with thanks to the Football Australia’s Broadcast Partner, 10 Paramount.