FFA Cup football will come to Mudgee this Saturday when Blacktown City FC face Central Coast Mariners in a huge Round of 32 clash!
It will be the first time the competition's Final Rounds visit the regional town, with the game set for the Glen Willow Stadium - just a 20 minute walk from the main strip.
Blacktown City - who are the 'hosts' of the match - and Central Coast Mariners made the decision in tandem to take the game to Mudgee as travel opens up between Greater Sydney and regional NSW.
It provides a fantastic opportunity for the regional town to catch some national football, but also doubles as an economic boost with the travelling supporters set to make their way up from Sydney & Gosford.
Blacktown City Executive Chairman Bob Turner told Soccerscene: “The reason we took it to a regional area in Mudgee is that Central Coast and ourselves both thought that this would be a very positive move for football.
"For Mudgee it’s a great opportunity to see top-notch football and from what I understand, their ground is top-notch. We know that they’ll welcome us and we’re expecting a big crowd."
City and Mariners are no strangers to each other, facing off in the 2017 FFA Cup. And on that day it was the NPL side who came out on top, with Blacktown knocking off the A-League's Mariners 3-2 in a famous 'Cupset'.
“Four years ago, we played the Mariners in the FFA Cup and we knocked them off," Turner added. "And then we played the Wanderers and had 5,000 people at the ground.
"It’s a great stimulus for us to be able to show our credibility as a team and bring some extra pride as a team.”
FFA Cup 2021 Round of 32
Blacktown City v Central Coast Mariners
Date: Saturday, 13 November
Time: 5pm AEDT kick-off
Venue: Glen Willow Stadium, Mudgee
Tickets: Buy here
Broadcast: Live & free on 10 Play
