The 2017 FFA Cup preliminary rounds was the qualifying competition to decide 21 of the 32 teams which took part in the 2017 FFA Cup Round of 32, along with the 10 A-League clubs and reigning National Premier Leagues champion (Sydney United 58). The preliminary rounds operated within a consistent national structure whereby club entry into the competition is staggered in each federation, with the winning clubs from Round 7 of the preliminary rounds in each member federation gaining entry into the Round of 32. All Australian clubs were eligible to enter the qualifying process through their respective FFA member federation, however only one team per club was permitted entry in the competition.
Schedule
The number of fixtures for each round, and the match dates for each Federation, are as follows.
4 Northern New South Wales clubs progressed to this stage.
2 Northern Territory clubs progressed to this stage – the winners of the Darwin-based and Alice Springs-based knockout competitions – which doubled as the final of the Sport Minister's Cup.
8 Queensland clubs progressed to this stage.
2 South Australian clubs progressed to this stage, which was also the Grand Final of the Federation Cup.
2 Tasmanian clubs progressed to this stage, which was also the Grand Final of the Milan Lakoseljac Cup.
8 Victorian clubs progressed to this stage. The 4 winners also qualified to the semi-finals of the Dockerty Cup.[12]
4 Western Australian clubs progressed to this stage. The 2 winners also progressed to the Final of the Football West State Cup.
Note: A-League Youth teams playing in their respective federation leagues were specifically excluded from the preliminary rounds as their respective Senior A-League clubs are already part of the competition.[13]
Key to Abbreviations
Federation
Zone
Sub Zone
ACT = Australian Capital Territory
NSW = New South Wales
NNSW = Northern New South Wales
NTH = North
FNC = Far North Coast MNC = Mid North Coast NC = North Coast NI = Northern Inland
STH = South
NT = Northern Territory
ASP = Alice Springs DAR = Darwin
QLD = Queensland
BNE = Brisbane
NQL = North Queensland
CQ = Central Queensland FNQ = Far North Queensland MRF = Mackay Regional Football NQ = North Queensland WB = Wide Bay
SQL = South Queensland
GC = Gold Coast SC = Sunshine Coast SWQ = South West Queensland
^"Westfield FFA Cup 2017"(PDF). footballfedvic.com.au. 2 December 2016. Archived from the original(PDF) on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.