2025 Dockerty Cup
Football tournament season
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The 2025 Dockerty Cup was the 100th edition of the Dockerty Cup, an annual soccer knockout-cup competition held between men's clubs in Victoria. A total of 218 clubs from the Victorian soccer league system competed.[1]
| |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Dates | 14 February – 9 August 2025 |
| Teams | 218 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | South Melbourne (10th title) |
| Runners-up | Heidelberg United |
| Semifinalists | |
South Melbourne won the Dockerty Cup for the tenth time, defeating Heidelberg United 2–1 in the final held on 9 August 2025.[2]
The competition also served as qualifying rounds for the Australia Cup. In addition to the three Victorian A-League clubs, the four preliminary Round 7 winners qualified for the final rounds of the 2025 Australia Cup, entering at the Round of 32.[3][4]
Format
| Round | Clubs remaining |
Winners from previous round |
New entries this round |
Main Match Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 218 | none | 131 | 14–16 Feb |
| Round 2 | 167 | 80 | 48 | 28 Feb–3 Mar |
| Round 3 | 103 | 64 | 14 | 11–25 Mar |
| Round 4 | 64 | 39 | 25 | 8–19 Apr |
| Round 5 | 32 | 32 | none | 29 Apr–14 May |
| Round 6 | 16 | 16 | none | 20–27 May |
| Round 7 | 8 | 8 | none | 10–17 Jun |
| Semi-finals | 4 | 4 | none | 12 Jul |
| Final | 2 | 2 | none | TBD |
Preliminary rounds
Victorian clubs participated in the 2025 Australia Cup via the preliminary rounds. This was open to teams from the NPL Victoria, VPL 1, VPL 2, State League divisions, regional and metros leagues. Based on their divisions, teams entered in different rounds.
The four qualifiers for the final rounds were:[4][5]
| Australia Cup Qualifiers | |||
| Avondale FC (2) | Heidelberg United (2) | Nunawading City (4) | South Melbourne (2) |
Semi-finals
A total of four teams took part in this stage of the competition, with the matches played on 12 July.[6]
| Tie no | Home team (tier) | Score | Away team (tier) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heidelberg United (2) | 5–0 | Nunawading City (4) | [7] |
| 2 | South Melbourne (2) | 3–1 | Avondale FC (2) | [8] |
Final
The 2025 Dockerty Cup Final was played between Heidelberg United and South Melbourne at the Home of the Matildas on 9 August 2025.[9][10] This would be the 123rd time the two sides met. Despite being nine-time and defending winners, South entered the clash as underdogs, with Heidelberg sitting equal top of the NPLM table. Japanese playmaker Asahi Yokokawa scored a goal for Heidelberg in the fifth minute of the game. Chasing an equaliser, South looked dangerous but Heidelberg's strong defence prevailed until half time. In the 47th minute, Campbell Dovison levelled the scores. Into injury time, Campbell Dovison scored his second goal in the 90+5th minute, ensuring victory, and resulting in him being awarded the Jimmy McKay Medal for the best player.[2]
| 9 August 2025 | Heidelberg United | 1–2 | South Melbourne | Melbourne |
| 16:00 AEST (UTC+10:00) |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Home of the Matildas |
