Football Victoria (FV) is thrilled to announce the 2024 Dockerty Cup Round 1 and 2 draws will be conducted this Wednesday, January 24 at 2PM.
Featuring 134 Clubs from across Victoria, the first seven rounds of the tournament will also serve as Preliminary Rounds for the 2024 Australia Cup.
In recent years, the Dockerty Cup and Australia Cup Preliminary Rounds have run concurrently. While the format will remain the same, FV is delighted to further showcase the Dockerty Cup and celebrate the significant impact Harry Dockerty had on our game.
This is particularly relevant in 2024 as incredibly, this year marks the 100th time the Cup will be contested.
Inaugurated in 1909, the ‘Challenge Cup’ was donated by the grandfather of Victorian Association football, Harry Dockerty. A pivotal figure in our state's football history, Harry Dockerty was instrumental in the formation of the Victorian Amateur British Football Association a year earlier.
You can view Harry Dockerty's Hall of Fame page here.
Designed to replicate the English FA Cup, the Dockerty Cup evolved to become the pre-eminent Cup competition in Victoria, surviving a myriad of format changes and periods of hiatus. The most significant of which was the period between 1997 and 2010, where it was contested just once as the Crazy John’s Cup in 2004.
Following this period, Victorian cup football was reignited by the introduction of the Mirabella Cup in 2011, which was replaced by the State Knockout Cup a year later. It eventually reclaimed the historic Dockerty Cup name in 2014.
While 2024's iteration marks a significant anniversary for the competition, winners were not awarded in two of its active years. In 1920, the final between Albert Park and Northumberland and Durham was abandoned and never replayed, while the pandemic and subsequent season cancellation in 2020 meant no winner could be declared exactly 100 years later.
Since 1909 some famous teams have claimed the trophy, with Melbourne Knights (9), South Melbourne (8) and Hakoah (8) leading all comers. In 2023, the Oakleigh Cannons defeated Heidelberg United 3-0 on a frigid night at Kingston Heath and will head into 2024 as the reigning champions.
How To Watch The Draw
The Round 1 and 2 Cup draws will be broadcast to FV's Facebook Page at 2PM on Wednesday January 24. Don't miss the action! The ball allocation will be published prior to the draw.