FV Proud to Announce the Cecil Earley Plate

In exciting news for the VETO Men’s State League (SLM), Football Victoria (FV) is proud to announce the inaugural Cecil Earley Plate Competition for 2025.

For the first time in 2025, the best performed SLM club will be awarded the Cecil Earley Plate. A Football Victoria Life Member and Geelong region footballing legend, Cecil Earley played a pivotal role in the inaugural Federation Cup in 1962, scoring a hat-trick for Coburg United in the Cup final replay against Sunshine City. The Federation Cup was introduced as a tournament for clubs not involved in Victoria’s top-flight competition, as the Dockerty Cup was essentially only open to the premier clubs during that period.  

The inauguration of the Cecil Earley Plate draws direct parallels to that Cup tournament first run 63 years ago, and ensures the best performed State League clubs have a chance of claiming another piece of silverware in a packed football calendar. 

The 2025 Cecil Earley Plate will comprise of the final eight (8) SLM clubs that were in the 2025 Dockerty / Hahn Australia Cup.   

The final (8) SLM clubs will be drawn in the Quarter Finals, with successful clubs advancing to the Semi and eventual Grand Final which will be held at the Home of the Matilda’s as a curtain raiser to the 2025 Dockerty Cup on the weekend of August 10. 

QUARTER & SEMI FINAL DRAW DATE 

The Quarter and Semi Final Draw will be available on Football Victoria’s YouTube page from 3:00pm, Monday 26th May 2025.  

CECIL EARLEY PLATE QUARTER & SEMI FINAL DRAW & FIXTURES 

QUARTER FINAL DRAW PROCEDURE: 

The entrants for the Quarter Final are the final eight (8) teams in SLM in the 2025 Dockerty Club. Each Club has been allocated a Draw Ball number based on Alphabetical Order of the Club Name and will be numbered 1 to 8 as per the table below: 

1. Balmoral FC
2. Banyule City SC
3. Chisolm United FC
4. FC Clifton Hill
5. FC Strathmore
6. Hampton East Brighton FC
7. Mill Park SC
8. Whittlesea Ranges FC 

Since FC Clifton Hill advanced the furthest in the Dockerty Cup (reaching Round 6) among all SLM clubs, their ball number has been removed from the Quarter Final draw and have been allocated a home fixture. The first club drawn will be designated as the away team to face FC Clifton Hill. 

Following this, 3 fixtures will be generated from the remaining teams who are in the Quarter Final. The first Club drawn in each fixture will become the nominated Home Team and the second Club drawn being the nominated Away Team.   

SEMI FINAL DRAW PROCEDURE: 

After the conclusion of the Quarter Final draw, the Semi Final draw will be completed. Each fixture will be allocated a Draw Ball Number from 1 to 4 representing a fixture from the previous round. The first fixture drawn will be the nominated Home Team and the second fixture drawn will be the nominated Away Team. 

1.  Winners of Match 1
2. Winners of Match 2
3. Winners of Match 3
4. Winners of Match 4
    

FIXTURE DATES & CONFIRMATION 

The Cecil Earley Plate Quarter & Semi Final fixtures will be played on either of the following dates: