Adelaide United might have been crowned the FFA Cup champions this week, but for many, the highlight of the Cup had already happened.
The fairytale runs of South Springvale (Aris) and Bentleigh Greens far outweighed the expected successes of the A-League teams.

Out of hundreds of games played, the two Victorian grassroots teams managed to surpass all expectations, rightfully push themselves to the fore and make an example of the Cup.

Aris, a third tier ‘part time’ team, etched their name in history after they managed to make it into the round of 16. Not even certain A-League teams with huge cash reserves and star recruits could make it that far.

Aris coach Bill Lambropoulos, who has overseen huge growth at the club, said the ride felt like the team had “won the World Cup”.

“It’s been an absolutely unbelievable ride, we never believed firstly how serious this tournament was and that we would be there centre stage,” he told Neos Kosmos after beating NSW NPL club South Cardiff in the round of 32.

Bentleigh Greens went one step further, and became the only grassroots club to make it to the semi-final of the competition, shocked and overcome with the huge interest garnered by the media and the football community of Australia.

What these two teams have done is shown just how disjointed Australian football has been for a very long time and how underappreciated the second and third tier football codes are.

Gone are the days when these clubs were etched into the Australian vernacular thanks to the NSL days.

Most worryingly, and it is something the FFA is fully aware of, is just how detached the football tiers have become.

It’s either the A-League or the highway.

That is one of the biggest reasons the FFA Cup was born, to counteract this discrimination, and the fact that it was a hit immediately shows how much it was needed.

This competition was created to better link all the nation’s football teams, give them an equal playing field and give grassroots teams more exposure.
Any team can be champions.

But not everything was an even playing field. Scheduling severely disadvantaged the grassroots teams if they managed to get to the important rounds.
Bentleigh Greens was a case in point. Coach John Anastasiadis had to keep his team ticking over eight weeks after the NPL Victorian season had finished. He was facing A-league teams that were just starting their season, all fresh and confident.

But what their final match showed is how little that mattered when they were hosting the might of Perth Glory at Kingston Heath Reserve.
At capacity hours before kick-off and the souvlaki roasting, Bentleigh Greens were able to show Australia just how they do football.

They kept their heritage alive and kicking, something the FFA chose to dump when they disbanded the NSL.

For the Greek Australian community, the FFA Cup is proof at how significant and still prosperous our teams are. We might have shaped the sport in Australia in the ’60s and ’70s, but we are still very much relevant and a part of its future.

The FFA Cup isn’t just a step in the right direction, it’s the leap the sport needed to properly say thanks to the past and provide a fruitful but equal future.
All football fans can be thankful that this year has been one of the best for the code.

We’ve seen the Socceroos, coached by a Greek Australian, show the world that we can take on intense competition in style.

We’ve seen the nation come together in the NPL finals, as more Greek sponsored clubs enter a national race.

We’ve seen the A-League surpass its crowd attendance records again, and see more and more people seek club membership.

And now, as we say goodbye to 2014, we can look forward to welcoming Asia’s best in the Asian Cup, and see the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Roma play at the MCG.

To bigger and better things!