Fox Sports scores rights to new FFA Cup

Australian pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has been appointed as the official broadcaster of the new club knockout cup competition launched by Football Federation Australia.

Fox Sports’ coverage of the FFA Cup will include a minimum of 10 matches from the round of 32 onwards, including all quarter-finals, both semi-finals and the final itself.

The announcement was made today at the official launch of the new competition. Preliminary matches involving over 600 clubs across Australia have commenced this month ahead of the national knockout FFA Cup round of 32 kicking off in late July.

That is the stage when the 10 A-League clubs will join the 22 clubs who will have qualified from feeder cup competitions in eight states and territories – Queensland, New South Wales, Northern NSW, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. The inaugural FFA Cup final will take place on December 16.

FFA, football’s governing body in Australia, in November 2012 agreed a domestic rights deal with Fox Sports covering the four years from 2013-14 to 2016-17. Fox Sports acquired exclusive live rights for all Australian national team matches until June 30, 2017, and is the primary broadcaster of Australia’s top club league, the A-League.