The chase for the trophy has given clubs such as Sydney Olympic, which have tasted success on the big stage in former years as part of the old NSL has a real opportunity to relive their glory years.
The club was founded by Greek migrants back in 1957. For Sydney Olympic the FFA Cup has given it a new lease of life.
Last weekend the club lost the NSW Premier League Grand Final to Blacktown City, but on Tuesday night Olympic is taking on Victorian minnows Bentleigh Greens. It’s a chance to get closer to another crack at the big time said Sydney Olympic Coach Grant Lee.
"Now the main focus is on the FFA Cup so it’s very important, I think we have a great opportunity to progress to the next round, because I believe in the next round I believe there's a very good opportunity we might play against an A-League club," he said.
And such a fixture would give the club that has two National Soccer League titles to its name a potential money spinner, should they draw a team like Sydney FC or Melbourne Victory at home.
For many of the old NSL clubs, changing their focus in the A-League dominated landscape of Australian football has been necessary to survive. But it hasn’t meant losing touch with their ethnic roots.
Sydney Olympics’ Greek foundations aren’t lost on the current members of the squad. Grant Lee doesn’t have a Greek background but he played for the club in a winning Grand Final and knows and appreciates the welcoming nature of Sydney’s Greek Community.
“I took home a championship one year, so it has been a part of my history and a part of my life, so it’s very dear to my heart. It’s a big community, a lovely community a very embracing community and I’ve been here for a very long time and enjoy it very much,” said Lee.
And it’s not just the players that are happy to be part of the old ethnically based clubs. The fans too are getting a real kick out of their club’s current FFA Cup run according to Sydney Olympic President Chris Tsioulos.
"The advent of the FFA Cup now allows some of those former glories to be experienced by those fans, on the greatest stage. They still support and have their love for their A-League teams but they’ve got a soft spot for Sydney Olympic,” Tsioulos said.
Should Olympic win on Tuesday night, that soft spot will see many fans start getting re-acquainted with the former powerhouse of Australian football.
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