Australia Cup Matchday Review

Alexander Bebendorf

I’ve watched a lot of football in my life. Mostly European, to be specific. In Köln, the average midtable game in February would comfortable draw fifty-thousand electric fans. So turning up to an Australia Cup Round of 32 tie between two semi-professional clubs in suburban Brisbane might seem like a strange decision. But as I've learned in my time here, the soul of the sport in this country very much resides below the top tier. And with two local teams in Brisbane Olympic and City drawn together by chance, it was impossible to say no.

The match took place at 7:30 on a cool Wednesday night in late July, hosted at City’s home ground Spencer Park. A proper old-school ground with deep local roots, and the perfect venue for a derby clash in a national knockout competition. This wasn’t just about progressing to the Round of 16; it was about local pride, bragging rights, and two clubs’ legacies on the national stage.

The Australia Cup

This was a Round of 32 clash in the Australia Cup, the country’s national knockout football tournament, contested by teams from every step on the pyramid, including the A-League. Olympic and City both play in the NPL Queensland, which sits just below the A-League, occupying the second step in the Australian football pyramid.

Neither side is a title contender in the league this year (Olympic currently sit 7th in the league, and City 8th), but both have a degree of experience in the Cup. City have been champions twice, winning back-to-back in 1977 and 1978, when it was known as the NSL Philips Cup. Since the Cup was reestablished in 2014, success has been much more limited. This year marks City's third appearance in the Round of 32 since 2014, while it is Olympic's fifth. With both clubs no doubt disappointed in their league campaigns, they have every incentive to be desperate for a deep cup run to serve as a highlight for the season.

Both sides will likely have viewed this draw favourably: rather than facing an A-League side or an unknown quantity from out of state, they get to play against a much more familiar opponent. The two have met once so far this year, with City prevailing 1-0 in June. Last season, however, Olympic won both league matches convincingly, with a combined score of 7-1.

Getting There

Tickets were a breeze, just $10 for adults and $5 for kids, purchased online via Humanitix. Getting to the ground, however, was a VERY different story. While Spencer Park sits a very manageable 4km from Brisbane’s CBD, parking was an absolute nightmare. After looping around packed side streets for half an hour, I eventually found space at a convenient nearby shopping centre about 300 metres from the ground. I can't figure out why more people hadn't parked there; it was close to the stadium, covered, and virtually empty. For those not driving, Wilston train station is within walking distance and would have been a far smoother option.

Arriving at the venue brought an immediate sense of occasion. A mural at the gate commemorates the club’s 1978 Australia Cup win; a reminder that, in decades past, City were national champions. The entry process was simple and efficient, with quick ticket scans and a light bag check.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Smooth ticketing, but the parking situation was a disaster.

The Venue

Spencer Park, though small compared to most stadiums, is full of character. Originally opened in 1963 and expanded in the early ’80s, it apparently accommodates 10,000, with a main grandstand that seats 3,000. The grandstand runs along just one side of the pitch, mostly consisting of concrete steps, though there’s a small seated section in the centre and a line of corporate boxes behind. The clubhouse adds another layer, with tables for seated viewing and a mini-museum of club memorabilia inside: trophies, old kits, and a Champions Wall. It’s intimate, a little worn around the edges, but totally authentic. This is grassroots football with deep roots and local pride.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Spencer Park is rich in character, with a good layout and historic charm. It’s nothing incredible, but it doesn’t need to be.

Food and Drink

The crown jewel of the City matchday experience is supposed to be the woodfired pizza. Emphasis on supposed to be. While the smell alone made it a tempting option, the wait time stretched out past the two-hour mark; not exactly ideal for a halftime bite. If you want one, arrive early. Very early. Outside of that, other food options were standard, but didn’t leave much of an impression.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Woodfired pizza sounds great. Two-hour wait? Not so much. The only real disappointment of the night.

Crowd and Atmosphere

This was easily the night’s highlight. Spencer Park was absolutely brimming. It looked like a full house, and the crowd was one of the most diverse I’ve seen at a football match. Kids from youth teams, teens, twenty-somethings, older fans, the list was endless. It felt like the entire community had turned up. Olympic also made there presence felt, with a heaving red mass visible at the far end of the stadium.

A new tradition also seems to be taking hold: vuvuzelas. Lots of them. Young City fans blasted them throughout the match, accompanied by chants and drums that ran almost non-stop. It wasn’t just noise; it was coordinated passion. A true cup tie energy.

Rating: ★★★★★

Incredible. Loud, diverse, passionate. Easily one of the best atmospheres I’ve experienced in Australian sport.

The Game Itself

The game delivered. Football always does. Olympic were on top for most of it, racking up 9 shots to 5 in the first half and forcing several incredible saves from City keeper Joshua Langdon, who was sensational all night and got huge reactions from the crowd with every stop. Despite being under pressure, City stayed alive, and then struck twice late, scoring in the 83rd and again deep into stoppage time to steal an amazing 2–0 win and progess to another Round of 16.

The club also did a great job with the match presentation: clear announcements, a steady stream of updates from other matches around the country, and even a mini-halftime show with youth teams playing.

After the final whistle, many fans stuck around to watch the live-streamed draw for the Round of 16, giving the night a natural continuation and a shared sense of momentum. Leaving, however, was a headache. The already-tight streets became a traffic jam — another reason to consider the train next time.

Rating: ★★★★☆

High drama, great goalkeeping, and late ecstasy for City. Exactly what you want from a cup tie.

Final Thoughts

This was everything a proper cup tie should be; tense, passionate, and deeply local. While the parking situation was a total headache and the food wait times dragged into the next day, the electric crowd and dramatic late goals made up for it. Spencer Park may not be a polished venue, but it’s full of soul, and nights like this prove that the best footballing experiences in Australia happen far away from the A-League limelight.