Netstrata Jubilee Stadium to host 2024 Waratah Cup Final
All eyes will be on Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Wednesday 14th of August when two heavyweight National Premier Leagues Men’s NSW teams clash as Rockdale Ilinden face APIA Leichhardt FC in the 2024 Waratah Cup Final.
Currently leading the NPL Men’s NSW competition, Ilinden will be taking part in their first ever Waratah Cup Final with the club hoping to continue its rich form in the league with a good performance against a club that loves the Cup.
This will be the tenth Cup Final appearance for APIA Leichhardt FC where they’ve lifted the trophy on five occasions and were runners-up on four.
The two sides have locked horns twice this season, round 11 saw APIA prevail in a thrilling 3-2 victory at Leichhardt Oval while only recently, Ilinden got their revenge with a 2-1 come from behind win in their Round 26 clash.
Both teams had no problems in their Waratah Cup semi-final matches as Ilinden easily disposed of NWS Spirit FC 5-0 while APIA took care of Blacktown City with a 5-2 scoreline.
Ilinden will have Nick Stavroulakis, a former APIA player himself, in the dugout with Paul Dee currently away, and will hope that the likes of the competition’s most potent striker and influential skipper Alec Urosevski along with Isaac Danzo, Brendan Cholakian, Lochlan Constable, Dean Pelekanos, the Speranza brothers Giorgio and Roberto and keeper Nick Sorras all fire on Wednesday.
They, however, will be met with some brute force as APIA manager Franco Parisi has several stars of his own with Jack Stewart, Jack Armson, Ben Gibson, the Symons brothers Sean and Josh, Themba Muata-Marlow and Seiya Kambayashi all hoping they can topple the current league leaders.
Having made its Cup debut as the ‘Waratah Cup’ in 1991, the competition itself has gone through several name changes with the Federation Cup commencing in 1957 before it was renamed the Ascot (Craven) Cup in 1959 but then went back to its original name in 1962.
The Federation Cup name was then changed to the Waratah Cup in 1991 where Blacktown City took out the honours defeating Avala 2-1.
A good crowd is expected for what will be a blockbuster affair as two teams fight for the first piece of silverware in the Men’s this year but for those unable to attend, the match will be live streamed on Football NSW’s YouTube channel with Tony Tannous and Alex Molchanoff calling the big clash.
2024 Waratah Cup Final
Rockdale Ilinden v APIA Leichhardt FC
Wednesday 14th August at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
7:30pm
