1996–97 NSL Cup
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The 1996–97 NSL Cup was the 21st and final edition of the
NSL Cup The National Soccer League Cup (known most commonly as the NSL Cup) was an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Australian soccer organised by the Australian Soccer Federation between 1977 and 1997. History The NSL Cup was or ...
, which was the main national
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...
cup competition in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. The NSL Cup was sponsored by
Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was established in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire in 1820, and continued to be produced and bottled at the town's Hill Street plant, once the world's ...
and known as the Johnnie Walker Cup for sponsorship purposes.
South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at the 2021 ...
were the defending champions, having defeated Newcastle Breakers to win their second title in the previous season's
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, but they were eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual winners Collingwood Warriors. Collingwood Warriors defeated
Marconi Fairfield Marconi Stallions Football Club is an Australian semi-professional association football club based in Fairfield, Sydney, New South Wales. The club has been crowned Australian champion four times. The Stallions are the soccer team of Club Marc ...
1–0 in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
to win their first NSL Cup title.


Teams

The
NSL Cup The National Soccer League Cup (known most commonly as the NSL Cup) was an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Australian soccer organised by the Australian Soccer Federation between 1977 and 1997. History The NSL Cup was or ...
was a knockout competition with 16 teams taking part all trying to reach the Final in October 1996. The competition consisted of 13 out of 14 teams from the
National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its ...
(with the exclusion of
Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...
) plus
Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...
and two state representative sides of Northern NSW Soccer Federation and South Australian Soccer Federation.


Bracket


First round

''Marconi Fairfield won 4–1 on aggregate'' ---- ''UTS Olympic won 2–0 on aggregate'' ---- ''South Melbourne won 4–2 on aggregate'' ---- ''Brisbane Strikers won 2–1 on aggregate'' ---- ''Melbourne Knights won 4–2 on aggregate'' ---- ''Newcastle Breakers won 12–2 on aggregate'' ---- ''Adelaide City won 1–0 on aggregate'' ---- ''Collingwood Warriors won 2–1 on aggregate''


Quarter-finals


Semi-finals


Final


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 NSL Cup 1996–97 NSL Cup
NSL Cup The National Soccer League Cup (known most commonly as the NSL Cup) was an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Australian soccer organised by the Australian Soccer Federation between 1977 and 1997. History The NSL Cup was or ...
NSL Cup The National Soccer League Cup (known most commonly as the NSL Cup) was an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Australian soccer organised by the Australian Soccer Federation between 1977 and 1997. History The NSL Cup was or ...
NSL Cup seasons