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This article is about the professional football league in Australia. For the former North American league, see A-League (1995–2004).

A-League Men
File:Hyundai A-League logo.svg
FoundedApril 2004; 20 years ago (April 2004)
First season2005–06
Country Australia (9 teams)
Other club(s) from New Zealand (1 team)
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams10
Level on pyramid1
Domestic cup(s)FFA Cup
International cup(s)AFC Champions League
Current championsSydney FC (3rd title)
(2016–17)
Current premiersSydney FC (2nd title)
(2016–17)
Most championshipsBrisbane Roar
Melbourne Victory
Sydney FC (3 titles each)
Most premiershipsMelbourne Victory (3 titles)
TV partnersFox Sports (Australia)
SBS (Australia)
Sky Sport (New Zealand)
WebsiteA-League.com.au
Current: 2016–17 A-League

The A-League is a professional men's soccer league run by Football Federation Australia (FFA). At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's primary competition for the sport. The A-League was established in 2004 as a successor to the National Soccer League (NSL) and competition commenced in August 2005. The league is currently contested by ten teams; nine based in Australia and one based in New Zealand. It is known as the Hyundai A-League (HAL) through a sponsorship arrangement with the Hyundai Motor Company.

Seasons run from October to May and include a 27-round regular season followed by a Finals Series playoff involving the highest-placed teams, culminating in a grand final match. The winner of the regular season tournament is dubbed 'premier' and the winner of the grand final is 'champion'. This differs from the other major football codes in Australia, where 'premier' refers to the winner of the grand final and the winner of the regular season is the 'minor premier'.

Successful A-League clubs gain qualification into the continental competition, the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) also known as "AFC Champions League". Similar to the United States and Canada's Major League Soccer, as well as other professional sports leagues in both Australia and in the United States of America, Australia's A-League does not practice promotion and relegation, unlike various football leagues in Europe.

Since the league's inaugural season, a total of six clubs have been crowned A-League Premiers and five clubs have been crowned A-League Champions. The current premier and champion is Sydney FC, who finished first in 2016–17 as well as winning the 2017 A-League Grand Final.

History

Origins

A national round-robin tournament existed in various forms prior to the formation of the A-League, with the most notable being the National Soccer League (NSL). The formation of the NSL came after Australia's qualification for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, which led to discussion of a national league, with 14 teams eventually chosen to participate in the inaugural season of the NSL in 1977.[1]

Under the guidance of the then-governing body, the Australian Soccer Federation (later Soccer Australia), the NSL flourished through the 1980s and early 1990s but then fell into decline with the increasing departure of Australian players to overseas leagues, a disastrous television deal with the Seven Network and the resulting lack of sponsorship.[2] Few clubs continued to grow with Sydney Olympic, Perth Glory, and the newly established Adelaide United the exception in a dying league.[3][4][5]

In April 2003, the Australian Federal Government initiated the Independent Soccer Review Committee to investigate the governance and management of the sport in Australia, including that of the NSL.[6] In December 2003, the Crawford Report found that the NSL was financially unviable, and in response the chairman of the sports new governing body, Frank Lowy of Football Federation Australia, announced that a task force would be formed to create a new national competition as a successor to the NSL which dissolved at the conclusion of the 2003–04 season after 27 years of operation.[7]

Foundations

The A-League was announced in April 2004, as a successor to the NSL.[7] Eight teams would be part of the new national competition, with one team from each city of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle, plus a New Zealand team and one from a remaining expressions of interest from either Melbourne or Sydney. The competition start date was set for August 2005.[8][9]

By June 2004, 20 submissions had been received and a month later 12 consortiums sent in their final bids for the eight spots. Three bids were received from Melbourne, two each from Sydney and Brisbane, one from each of the remaining preferred cities and a bid from the New South Wales Central Coast city of Gosford. Over the next three months, each bid was reviewed and on 1 November 2004, the eight successful bidders and the major sponsor were revealed, for what would be known as the Hyundai A-League, with the Hyundai Motor Company unveiled as the official naming rights sponsor for the league.[9]

The eight founding teams for the league were Adelaide United, Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets, New Zealand Knights, Perth Glory, Queensland Roar and Sydney FC, with three former NSL clubs taking part, those being Adelaide United, Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory, as well as Queensland Roar and New Zealand Knights who were formed from NSL clubs Brisbane Lions and New Zealand Football Kingz. Each club was given a five-year exclusivity deal in its own market as part of the league's "one-city, one-team" policy. This was intended to allow clubs to grow and develop an identity in their respective region without local competition.[10]

On 26 August 2005, 16 months after the demise of the NSL, the inaugural season of the A-League began.[9]

Development

On 20 March 2007, it was announced that Wellington Phoenix would replace New Zealand Knights from the start of the 2007–08 season.[11] Both Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury joined the league in the 2009–10 season. On 12 June 2009, Melbourne Heart was awarded a license to join the 2010–11 season.[12] On 1 March 2011 North Queensland Fury's A-League license was revoked for financial reasons.[13] On 29 February 2012, Gold Coast United also had its licence revoked.[14][15] On 4 April 2012 it was announced that a new Western Sydney-based club, Western Sydney Wanderers, would join the league for the 2012–13 season.[16] In January 2014, Melbourne Heart was acquired by the City Football Group and was renamed Melbourne City ahead of the 2014–15 season.[17]

Competition format

Regular season

The regular season runs mainly during the Australian summer, from early October to April of the following year. The competition consists of 27 rounds, with each team playing every other team three times. The teams allotted two home matches against an opponent in one season are allotted one home match against that opponent in the following season. Each match sees the winning team awarded three competition points, with one point each for a draw. The club at the top of this ladder is crowned A-League Premiers, and as of the 2006–07 season, will be entered into the AFC Champions League.[18][19] The Premier is presented with a trophy known as the Premier's Plate.[20]

At the completion of the regular season the top six placed teams on the league table progress to the finals series. The position of each team is determined by the highest number of points accumulated during the regular season. If two or more teams are level on points, the following criteria are applied in order until one of the teams can be determined as the higher ranked:[21]

  1. Highest goal difference;
  2. Highest number of goals scored;
  3. Highest number of points accumulated in matches between the teams concerned;
  4. Highest goal difference in matches between the teams concerned;
  5. Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams concerned;
  6. Lowest number of red cards accumulated;
  7. Lowest number of yellow cards accumulated;
  8. Toss of a coin.[22]

Finals series

Melbourne Victory celebrating after their 2007 A-League Grand Final victory.

The top six (6) Clubs at the conclusion of the Regular Season progress to the Finals Series. The finals series culminates to the A-League Grand Final, where the winner is crowned A-League Champion and receives a place in the AFC Champions League. The club that wins the Grand Final is presented with the A-League Trophy.

The Finals Series consists of 6 teams who are placed by rank, as determined at the end of the regular season. The Finals Series runs over three weeks, with all games being sudden death, leading to a sudden-death Grand Final to decide the overall A-League competition. The first and second placed teams at the conclusion of the Regular Season are rewarded with a bye in the first week of the Finals Series and the advantage of hosting each of their semi-finals in the second week of the Finals Series. Further details can be found under the A-League Competition Rules

While deciding the A-League competition with a Finals Series is not consistent with overseas football competitions, it is consistent with the other major football codes in Australia and is also consistent with the A-League's predecessor, the National Soccer League (NSL).

Of the two Grand Finalists, the team that finished higher on the ladder at the conclusion of the Regular Season hosts the Grand Final. The only exception to this is if the FFA deems that team's home ground to be an inappropriate. For example, in 2008, Central Coast Mariners (as the higher-placed team) hosted the Grand Final against the Newcastle Jets at Sydney Football Stadium, due to FFA deciding that Central Coast Mariners home stadium, Central Coast Stadium with a capacity of 20,000, was too small for the event.[23]

Grand final host stadium

Stadium Location No. hosted Years hosted
Sydney Football Stadium Sydney, New South Wales 4 2006, 2008, 2013, 2017
Docklands Stadium Melbourne, Victoria 3 2007, 2009, 2010
Lang Park Brisbane, Queensland 3 2011, 2012, 2014
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium Melbourne, Victoria 1 2015
Adelaide Oval Adelaide, South Australia 1 2016

Continental qualification

Adelaide United against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the AFC Champions League in 2010.
See also: Australian clubs in the AFC Champions League

In 2004–05 Australia was still a part of the Oceania Football Confederation and Sydney FC won the right to compete in the Oceania Club Championship after defeating the Central Coast Mariners in a qualifying tournament. It has been suggested that the Wellington Phoenix should compete in the OFC Champions League after 2011, as the club will no longer be eligible for AFC Champions League football.

A-League clubs are eligible for participation in the AFC Champions League competition each season since the 2007 edition of the tournament.[24] These teams were determined by finishing positions in the 2005–06 A-League season, the 2008 competition by finishing positions in the 2006–07 season, and so on. The amount of qualification slots and their nature as direct entry to the group stage or a qualification play-off varies based on what the AFC determines for each nation in the competition for that season. Until 2012, for most seasons there were two direct entry positions. Originally the first qualification slot was given to the regular season winning club, with the second to the Grand Final winning club. Due to the dates of the respective competitions, an entire season passes before clubs compete. For example, Newcastle Jets competed in the 2009 AFC Champions League, even though they finished last in the 2008–09 A-League season.

In 2012 the AFC revised the qualification process, with A-League spots were reduced from 2.5 to 1.5.[25][26] The AFC cited lack of a second division, stadia and that the league was not a separate entity to the FFA.[27] For the 2013 AFC Champions League, the Premiers (team who finishes top of the ladder) received direct entry into the competition. The Champions (Grand Final winners) entered a play-off against another Asian club for qualification.[28] In the following season this was later revised back to 2.5 A-League spots.[29]

According to the entry manual for AFC club competitions,[30] Australia would be entitled to 2 direct AFC Champions League slots and 2 playoff slots. However, the allocation can't exceed one third of the total number of clubs in the national top division league, with foreign clubs not being considered. Thus, until the A-League will feature at least 12 Australian clubs, its allocation will be capped at 3 slots.

Other competitions

Since 2014 clubs also compete in the annual FFA Cup knock-out tournament. Between 2005–2008 clubs participated in the A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup prior to each A-League regular season. In 2013 and 2014 an A-League All Stars Game was also played as a pre-season friendly game between the league's finest players and a high-profile international team.

All A-League clubs have teams in the National Youth League (NYL), which runs in conjunction with the A-League as a national youth developmental and reserve league. All players in the youth teams are between the ages of 16 and 21 as of the start of the calendar year for each new season, while four over-age players from each of the senior teams are also allowed to be selected. In addition, the W-League operates as the top division of women's league with affiliations to men's competition.[31]

Clubs

The A-League is currently contested by 10 teams: nine from Australia and one from New Zealand. A total of 13 teams have competed at some stage in the league's short history. Only four of these clubs – Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar (as Queensland Lions), Newcastle Jets, and Perth Glory – existed before the A-League was formed. New Zealand Knights, Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury have formerly competed in the league.

Unlike most European leagues, there is no system for promotion and relegation of teams. The A-League system thus shares some franchising elements with most other professional leagues in Australia, Major League Soccer and other major North American-based sports leagues.

Current clubs
Team City Stadium Capacity Founded Joined Head coach Captain
Adelaide United Adelaide, South Australia Coopers Stadium 16,500 2003 2005 Spain Guillermo Amor Australia Eugene Galekovic
Brisbane Roar Brisbane, Queensland Suncorp Stadium 52,500 1957 2005 Australia John Aloisi Australia Matt McKay
Central Coast Mariners Gosford, New South Wales Central Coast Stadium 20,059 2004 2005 Australia Paul Okon Scotland Nick Montgomery
Melbourne City Melbourne, Victoria AAMI Park 30,050 2009 2010 Australia Michael Valkanis Uruguay Bruno Fornaroli
Melbourne Victory Melbourne, Victoria AAMI Park
Etihad Stadium 		30,050
56,347 		2004 2005 Australia Kevin Muscat Australia Carl Valeri
Newcastle Jets Newcastle, New South Wales McDonald Jones Stadium 33,000 2000 2005 Australia Mark Jones Australia Nigel Boogaard
Perth Glory Perth, Western Australia nib Stadium 20,500 1995 2005 England Kenny Lowe Australia Rostyn Griffiths
Sydney FC Sydney, New South Wales Allianz Stadium 45,500 2004 2005 Australia Graham Arnold Australia Alex Brosque
Wellington Phoenix Wellington, New Zealand Westpac Stadium 34,500 2007 2007 England Des Buckingham New Zealand Andrew Durante
Western Sydney Wanderers Sydney, New South Wales Spotless Stadium
ANZ Stadium 		24,000
83,500 		2012 2012 Australia Tony Popovic Spain Dimas
Defunct teams
Team City Stadium Capacity Founded Joined Dissolved
Gold Coast United Gold Coast, Queensland Skilled Park 27,400 2008 2009 2012
New Zealand Knights Auckland, New Zealand North Harbour Stadium 25,000 1998 2005 2007
North Queensland Fury Townsville, Queensland Dairy Farmers Stadium 26,500 2008 2009 2011

Expansion

Main article: Expansion of the A-League

While making a relatively modest start to ensure future stability, both the FFA and the soccer media indicated significant interest in expanding the league. The eight foundation clubs had exclusivity clauses for their respective cities valid for five years, but this did not exclude teams from other areas joining the league. Some have questioned the logic in expanding the league so soon as many clubs are struggling to stay afloat and think by expanding they are only diluting the playing talent even further.[citation needed]

Before the introduction of the A-League, FFA chairman Frank Lowy speculated that he hoped to expand the league into other cities, mentioning Canberra, Hobart, Wollongong, Geelong, Bendigo, Cairns, Ballarat, Albury–Wodonga, Launceston, Christchurch, Auckland, Sunshine Coast and possibly Darwin and later Singapore.[32][33][34][35]

Rivalries

There are several key rivalries and local derbies which have formed in the A-League, including:

"The Big Blue" – Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC
This match is so named because blue is the main colour of both teams' playing kits, and is also Australian slang for a fight or a contest.[36] The rivalry has emerged as a result of a number of spiteful encounters between the teams in recent years, and due to the longstanding rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. The teams have competed against each other in three grand finals; in 2010 & 2017, with Sydney winning 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw on both occasions and in 2015, with Victory winning 3–0. In 2010, Sydney FC won the A-League Premiership on the final day of the season by defeating Victory 2–0. A Big Blue match is traditionally played on Australia Day each year.

"The Original Derby" – Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory
Contested the 2007 and 2009 A-League Grand Finals, in which Melbourne won 6–0 and 1–0 respectively. The rivalry stems from the traditional rivalry between sporting teams from Victoria and South Australia but was strengthened by incidents in the 2006–07 season, such as the confrontation between Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat and then Adelaide United coach John Kosmina. The rivalry between both respective sets of fans remains strong. [citation needed]

"F3 Derby" – Central Coast Mariners v Template:ALeague NUJ
Named after the former name of the freeway that connects the cities of Newcastle and Gosford,[37] this match features the only two clubs in the A-League that are not based in state capital cities. The two teams' stadiums are just one hour apart, and the derby was intensified when they competed against each other for the premiership in the 2007–08 A-League season and eventually met in the Grand Final, which was won 1–0 by the Jets.

"Melbourne Derby" – Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory
The two Melbourne clubs first met on 8 October 2010 in a lively game at AAMI Park in front of 25,897 fans. Melbourne Heart (as they were then known) came out on top with a 2–1 victory. A significant narrative in derby history is the role of Melbourne Victory as a more successful club both on and off the field, having joined the A-League five years earlier than Heart.[38] The rivalry is one of the most intense and well respected in the A-League, producing noticeable atmosphere and some of the largest attendances in the league.

"Sydney Derby" – Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers
The derby was contested for the first time in the 2012–13 season with the introduction of the second Sydney-based club, Western Sydney Wanderers, into the league. Sydney FC grabbed bragging rights by winning the first derby 1–0 at Parramatta Stadium, however Western Sydney Wanderers won the return match at Allianz Stadium 2–0. A Sydney Derby held early in the 2015 season broke the Allianz Stadium record for attendance during a regular season in any football code, dating back to the stadium's opening in 1988.[39] And a match in 2016 between the two teams broke the record A-League crowd with 61,880 fans attending the match at ANZ Stadium. Sydney Derby is intensified by the geographic distinction between the two clubs within Sydney, as well as historical grievances related to the foundation of Sydney FC.

Organisation

Logo and trophies

The A-League Trophy was designed to resemble a laurel wreath.
The Premier's Plate is awarded to the highest finishing team in the regular season.

The spherical A-League logo was designed by Coast Design Sydney. The two-toned ochre colours represent the sun, earth and desert while the 'glow' emanating from the centre of the logo depicts the playing season's spring and summer time span. The eight 'A' figures that make up the ball shape represent the eight foundation clubs of the league.[40] In January 2017, Football Federation Australia unveiled new branding and logos for the A-League and its subsidiary competitions, the W-League and Youth League. The logo design was "inspired by football’s three outstanding features – atmosphere, diversity and unity" and has colour alterations tailored to each of the 10 A-League clubs. The changes come into effect before the 2017/18 season.[41]

The A-League has two trophies which are competed for during the season: the Premier's Plate and the A-League Trophy.[42] The Premier's Plate is awarded to the A-League Premiers, the regular season winners, and the A-League Trophy is awarded to the A-League Champions, the winner of the Grand Final. Both pieces of silverware were designed by Sydney design company D3 Design. The A-League Trophy is nicknamed the "Toilet Seat" due to its shape.[43][44][45] Where as the Premier's Plate follows a traditional trophy design, the A-League Trophy differs. In 2005, John O'Neill, FFA CEO commented during the unveiling of the A-League Trophy, "We have a new national league and we feel it is important to re-define the conventional view of a trophy to reflect this". Clive Solari of D3 Design explained the trophy's design, saying "We wanted our trophy concept to embody the historical significance of sport in a contemporary design. So we looked to history to see how great achievements have been rewarded across all types of games for thousands of years. The winners of the world's original sporting competition, the Olympic Games, were presented with a laurel wreath on their heads. We used this model as a basis for a unique, cutting-edge design – our trophy is a modern and versatile translation of the wreath. The winners can hold it above their heads as a symbol of success".[46]

Squad formation and salary cap

See also: List of A-League players and List of foreign A-League players
Alessandro Del Piero joined the league in 2012, as Sydney FC's marquee player.

The A-League match-day squad includes the typical 11 players, and five substitutes of which one must be a goalkeeper. Prior to the 2013–14 season, just four substitutes including one goalkeeper were allowed to be named in the starting line-ups for the teams.[47]

An A-League squad must comprise a minimum 20 players with a maximum of 26, subject to several limitations. Within the squad there can be a maximum of five "foreign" or "Visa" players, from outside Australia (and New Zealand, in the case of Wellington Phoenix), that hold a temporary working-visa. Three players in the squad must also be under 20 years of age. In addition to these three under 20 players, clubs are allowed to sign an additional three youth players onto full-time contracts at a lower pay rate than the rest of the squad.[48][49][50] The A-League had initially proposed that the quota of five visa players per A-League club be reduced to four in the 2015–16 season, with the limit of four possibly become "3+1", which means three imports from anywhere and one from Asia (following regulations in the AFC Champions League).[51] However, after opposition to the proposal by both players and managers, the move was placed on hold.[52]

Although A-League clubs have restricted salaries (salary cap), the league allows each club to have two "marquee" players whose salaries are exempt from the cap, plus a number of other 'exemptions' or 'allowances' to incentivise clubs to spend in specific areas. Guest players are also excluded for up to a maximum of 14 league matches.[53] From the formation of the league, clubs have been allowed to sign one international marquee player. From the 2008–09 season, A-League clubs have been permitted a junior marquee player; one that is under the age of 23. Now known as the 'Homegrown Player allowance', clubs can spend up to a collective $150,000 on 3 Australian players aged 23 or younger that have come through the club's youth system.[54] On 19 April 2010, the A-League announced that, in addition to the international marquee and junior marquee, clubs would be allowed an Australian marquee player from the 2010–11 season.[55] Notable marquee and guest players in the A-League have included Alessandro Del Piero, William Gallas, Dwight Yorke, Emile Heskey, Robbie Fowler, David Villa and former FIFA World Player of the Year Romário. Famous Australian Marquees include Harry Kewell, John Aloisi, Brett Emerton, Joshua Kennedy and Tim Cahill.

The A-League salary cap is $2.60 million for the 2015/16 Season. Clubs must spend at least the salary floor which is $2.275m (representing 87.5% of the Salary Cap). The salary cap applies to the 20 to 23 Players that clubs have registered to their A-League Player Roster. Unless specifically exempt, all payments and benefits provided by a Club to a Player are included in the club's salary cap.[54]

Commencing in the 2015–16 season, players who have played at their club for 5–10 years will be covered by a "loyalty player allowance", allowing up to $200,000 of their salary to be exempted from the cap. Additionally, clubs are now permitted a mature-age rookie whose wages are outside the salary cap.[53]

The 2016–17 season saw the introduction of a third 'Full Season Guest Marquee' spot, designed to attract high-profile players on short-term deals.[56]

A-League salaries and marquees
Season Marquee player Australian marquee Junior marquee Mature-aged rookie Salary cap Minimum salary
2005–06 1 No No No $1,500,000[57]
2006–07 1 No No No $1,600,000[58]
2007–08 1 No No No $1,800,000[58]
2008–09 1 1 No No $1,900,000[59]
2009–10 1 1 No No $2,250,000[60]
2010–11 1 1 1 No $2,350,000[57]
2011–12 1 1 1 No $2,400,000[61]
2012–13 1 1 1 No $2,468,000[62] $48,000[63]
2013–14 1 1 1 No $2,500,000[62] $50,000[62]
2014–15 1 1 1 No $2,550,000[62] $51,000[64]
2015–16 2 1 1 $2,600,000[54] $55,000[54]
2016–17 3 1 1 $2,600,000[65] $55,715[65]

Stadiums

Main article: List of A-League stadiums

A-League football has been played in 27 stadia since the inaugural season of the A-League in 2005. Hindmarsh Stadium, the home of Adelaide United, is currently the only soccer-specific stadium used in the A-League. Adelaide Oval, secondary home of Adelaide United, has the greatest seating capacity (53,583) of any stadium used by an A-League club (excluding Melbourne's Docklands Stadium), although it is only the fourth largest stadium in Australia by capacity, and is an oval stadium, being designed for cricket and Australian rules football.

Sponsorship

Since its formation, the A-League has been sponsored by an official naming rights partner.[9] In 2004, the Hyundai Motor Company was announced as the sponsor for the first three seasons of the league, known for commercial purposes as the "Hyundai A-League". In 2008, Hyundai renewed its initial contract with FFA for another four seasons until 2012, and that contract was further extended by four seasons until 2016.[66]

Honours

Main article: List of A-League honours
Season Champions Premiers
2005–06 Template:ALeague SFC Template:ALeague AU
2006–07 Template:ALeague MV Template:ALeague MV
2007–08 Template:ALeague NUJ Template:ALeague CCM
2008–09 Template:ALeague MV Template:ALeague MV
2009–10 Template:ALeague SFC Template:ALeague SFC
2010–11 Template:ALeague BR Template:ALeague BR
2011–12 Template:ALeague BR Template:ALeague CCM
2012–13 Template:ALeague CCM Template:ALeague WSW
2013–14 Template:ALeague BR Template:ALeague BR
2014–15 Template:ALeague MV Template:ALeague MV
2015–16 Template:ALeague AU Template:ALeague AU
2016–17 Sydney FC Sydney FC
Regular season premierships
Club Premiers Runners-up Winning seasons
Melbourne Victory 3 2 2006–07, 2008–09, 2014–15
Adelaide United 2 2 2005–06, 2015–16
Central Coast Mariners 2 2 2007–08, 2011–12
Sydney FC 2 2 2009–10, 2016–17
Brisbane Roar 2 1 2010–11, 2013–14
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 2 2012–13
Newcastle Jets 0 1
Finals series championships
Club Champions Runners-up Winning Grand Finals
Melbourne Victory 3 2 2007, 2009, 2015
Sydney FC 3 1 2006, 2010, 2017
Brisbane Roar 3 0 2011, 2012, 2014
Central Coast Mariners 1 3 2013
Adelaide United 1 2 2016
Newcastle Jets 1 0 2008
Western Sydney Wanderers 0 3
Perth Glory 0 1

Records

Main article: A-League all-time records
Sydney FC's Danny Vukovic holds the record for the most A-League appearances.[67]
See also: List of A-League players
As of 30 April 2017
Rank Player Appearances
1 Australia Danny Vukovic 277
2 New Zealand Andrew Durante 268
3 Australia Eugene Galekovic 253
4 Australia Tarek Elrich 243
5 Australia Nikolai Topor-Stanley 236
6 Australia Leigh Broxham 236
7 Malta John Hutchinson 228
8 Australia Michael Theo 226
9 Australia Mark Bridge 225
10 Australia Archie Thompson 224


Goals

Besart Berisha is the leading A-League goalscorer, scoring his 100th A-League goal in April 2017.

Besart Berisha holds the record for the greatest number of A-League goals, with 101 goals, playing for Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory.[68] The A-League record for most goals in a single match is held by Archie Thompson, scoring 5 goals against Adelaide United on 18 February 2007, during the 2007 A-League Grand Final. Shane Smeltz has scored the most A-League hat-tricks with 4, playing for Gold Coast United and Perth Glory. Smeltz is also the only player to have scored hat-tricks in consecutive matches.[69] In 2015 Sydney FC striker Marc Janko broke a record scoring in seven consecutive matches.


As of 30 April 2017 [70]
Rank Player Goals
1 Kosovo Besart Berisha 101
2 New Zealand Shane Smeltz 92
3 Australia Archie Thompson 90
4 Australia Alex Brosque 63
5 Australia Mark Bridge 58
6 Australia Jamie Maclaren 51
7 Indonesia Sergio van Dijk 50
8 Australia Bruce Djite 45
9 Australia Matt Simon 44
10 Costa Rica Carlos Hernández 43

Media coverage

Newcastle Jets against Sydney FC at Newcastle Stadium in 2007.

From the start of the 2005–06 season to the 2012–13 season, television coverage of the A-League in Australia had been restricted to the subscription-only Fox Sports channel, to which only 7% of Australian residents have access.[71] On 19 November 2012, free-to-air Australian public broadcasting television network SBS secured the shared rights, alongside long-time A-League broadcasters Fox Sports, to the A-League from the 2013–14 season with a A$160 million four-year broadcast deal.[72]. SBS's coverage ended in the 2016-17 season, with Network Ten securing free to air broadcast rights. Ten will simulcast the Fox Sports coverage of the Saturday night fixture along will all Socceroos fixtures on it's digital multichannel One[73]. In New Zealand the league has been broadcast on Sky Sport since its inaugural season.

The growth of coverage of the A-League outside Australia saw the league broadcast in 65 countries around the world in 2013/14.[74] Full match broadcasts are available in the United States, China, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Canada, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Singapore and Myanmar.[74] In addition to the full match broadcasts, highlights of A-League matches can be viewed in 53 countries throughout Asia and the Middle East, including Japan and South Korea.[74] In 2014, a three-season deal with TEN Sports allowed the league to be broadcast live in Asian nations including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.[75] Every A-League match is also live streamed globally, allowing games to be viewed online through a subscription service provided in a partnership with the FFA.[76] Some games are televised live in the United States on Fox Sports 2. Most games in the United Kingdom are broadcast by BT Sport but use Fox Sports' live feed for every live game. For the 2014/15 Season, the A-League was broadcast in 173 countries.[77]

The A-League has been promoted using a number of different advertising slogans and strategies since its inception. At the start of the inaugural season, a A$3 million dollar advertising campaign was launched, with the television and film advertisements produced by Ridley Scott's production company Scott Free Productions. The theme for the campaign was: "Football, but not as you know it". A new television advertisement was created for the start of the 2007–08 season, which debuted on Foxtel's program Total Football. It was filmed at Bob Jane Stadium in Melbourne. Other campaigns include the "90 minutes, 90 emotions", which was used for two seasons from 2007–09 and was accompanied by the music track "My People" from Australian act The Presets.[78]

Territory Network
 Australia Network Ten[79]
Fox Sports[80]
 New Zealand Sky Sport[81]
 Cook Islands
 Fiji
 Kiribati
 Marshall Islands
 Nauru
 Niue
 Palau
 Samoa
 Solomon Islands
 Tonga
 Tuvalu
 Vanuatu
 Afghanistan TEN Sports[75]
 Bangladesh
 Bhutan
 India
 Maldives
 Nepal
 Pakistan
 Sri Lanka
 Albania SuperSport Albania
 Kosovo
 Argentina Claro Sports
 Bolivia
 Chile
 Colombia
 Costa Rica
 Dominican Republic
 Ecuador
 El Salvador
 Guatemala
 Honduras
 Mexico
 Nicaragua
 Panama
 Paraguay
 Peru
 Uruguay
 Venezuela
 Antigua and Barbuda Digicel SportsMax
 Bahamas
 Barbados
 Cuba
 Curaçao
 Dominica
 French Guiana
 Jamaica
 Saint Kitts and Nevis
 Saint Lucia
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
 Suriname
 Trinidad and Tobago
 Austria Eurosport
 Denmark
 Finland
 Germany
 Norway
 Portugal
 Spain
 Sweden
 Belgium Play Sports
VOO Sport World
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Arena Sport
 North Macedonia
 Montenegro
 Serbia
 Croatia
 Slovenia Šport TV (Slovenia)
 Brazil Esporte Interativo
 Brunei beIN Sports
 Cambodia
 Indonesia
 Malaysia
 Philippines
 Singapore
 Taiwan
 Thailand
 Cambodia Fox Sports Asia
 Federated States of Micronesia
 Guam
 Laos
 Mongolia
 Myanmar
 Papua New Guinea
 Timor-Leste
 Vietnam
 China LeTV[82]
 Estonia Viasat Sport Baltic
 Latvia
 Lithuania
 France SFR Sport
 Luxembourg
 Monaco
 Hong Kong Cable TV Hong Kong
 Israel Sport 5
 Italy Fox Sports
 San Marino
 Vatican City
 Japan TV Asahi
NHK
Australia Plus (Highlights)
 Kazakhstan Stan Sport
 Kyrgyzstan
 Tajikistan
 Turkmenistan
 Uzbekistan
 South Korea SBS Sports
 Macau TDM
 Netherlands Fox Sports International
 Ireland BT Sport
Eir Sport
 Puerto Rico ESPN3 (English)
ESPN Deportes (Spanish)
 United States
 Russia Match TV
 Switzerland Eurosport (German)
SFR Sport (French)
Fox Sports (Italian)
 Ukraine Football 1
 United Kingdom BT Sport

See also

References

  1. ^ Hay, Roy; Murray, Bill, eds. (2006). The World Game Downunder. Melbourne: Australian Society for Sports History. p. 120. ISBN 0975761668.
  2. ^ "A brief history of the NSL: Part IV". The Roar. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2013.[unreliable source?]
  3. ^ "Origins". Sydney Olympic Football Club. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  4. ^ Howe, Andrew (21 February 2013). "History against the Wanderers". footballaustralia.com.au. Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 11 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Wanderers help lay some ex-NSL ghosts to rest". The Roar. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.[unreliable source?]
  6. ^ Baum, Greg (18 November 2009). "Crawford wants sport to be for all, not just the privileged". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  7. ^ a b Hill, Simon (8 April 2014). "Simon Says: 10 years on from last NSL game, the past and present are starting to share the future". Fox Sports. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  8. ^ Lynch, Michael (23 March 2004). "Hundreds of jobs on hold in league revamp". The Age. Retrieved 5 September 2014. If the eighth best" application comes from Sydney or Melbourne, either of those cities would have two teams.
  9. ^ a b c d "Our History". Hyundai A-League. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  10. ^ "Was one-team one-city a mistake by the FFA?". The Roar. Retrieved 8 January 2013.[unreliable source?]
  11. ^ "New franchise keeps NZ in A-League". Herald Sun. Herald and Weekly Times. 20 March 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  12. ^ Reed, Ron (13 June 2009). "Melbourne awarded licence for second A-League team". Fox Sports. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  13. ^ "HAL Hath No Fury". Australian FourFourTwo. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  14. ^ Gatt, Ray (29 February 2012). "Gold Coast owner Clive Palmer loses A-League licence". The Australian. News Limited.
  15. ^ "Glimmer of hope for Gold Coast's future". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  16. ^ "New Hyundai A-League club for Western Sydney". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  17. ^ "Manchester City buy A-League's Melbourne Heart". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  18. ^ "Grand Final rematch to open HAL season". A-League.com.au. Football Federation Australia. 1 May 2006. Retrieved 3 November 2006.
  19. ^ "2012–2013 A-League season: full fixture list and new finals series". Fox Sports. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  20. ^ "A-League: HAL 7 (2011–2012 Season)". back-of-the-net.com. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  21. ^ "Hyundai A-League > Rules". A-League.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 October 2006. Retrieved 3 November 2006. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "Hyundai A-League 2012/13 – Competition Rules Summary" (PDF). Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  23. ^ "SFS to host A-League grand final". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 February 2008.
  24. ^ "Australia received two spots in AFC Champions League". 18 July 2006.
  25. ^ "AFC cuts Champions League slots". Football Federation Australia. 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "A-League misses out on automatic ACL spot". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service. Australian Associated Press. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  27. ^ Micallef, Philip (3 December 2012). "AFC ruling clouds A-League finals". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  28. ^ "A-League misses out on automatic ACL spot". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  29. ^ "A-League wins extra Asia spot". The Australian. News Limited. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  30. ^ "Entry Manual for AFC Club competitions 2017-2020" (PDF). AFC. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  31. ^ "Women in a league of their own". Football Federation Australia. 28 July 2008.
  32. ^ "ASA announce several significant initiatives". Australian Soccer Association. 22 March 2004. Archived from the original on 9 September 2006.
  33. ^ "A-League launch speech by FFA chairman Mr Frank Lowy AC". Australian Soccer Association. 13 November 2004. Archived from the original on 12 September 2006.
  34. ^ Osbourne, Paul (10 August 2006). "Chief talks up Townsville". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ Ormond, Aidan (4 January 2010). "Gippsland's A-League Call". Australian FourFourTwo. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  36. ^ "Blue". The Macquarie Essential Dictionary. The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. 1999. p. 81.
  37. ^ "Fans steamed up for derby – if they get there". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 November 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
  38. ^ "A-League live scores, blog: Reds vs Victory". The Roar. Retrieved 3 February 2014.[unreliable source?]
  39. ^ "FLOURISHING A-LEAGUE SMASHES MORE RECORDS". The World Game. SBS. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  40. ^ "Logo signals refreshing new era". A-League.com.au. Football Federation Australia. 1 November 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2006.
  41. ^ "FFA reveal new branding and A-League logo". SBS Australia. 24 January 2017.
  42. ^ Ormond, Aidan (19 March 2007). "Gold medal trophy". Australian FourFourTwo. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  43. ^ Hill, Simon (2 January 2013). "Goal-line technology,'toilet seats' and MRPs: Simon Hill reveals his hopes and dreams for football". Fox Sports. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  44. ^ "The top 10 A-League flops". The World Game. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2015. Then there's the A-League prize – a shiny metal ring that looks like something you stick your rear end in to eject fecal waste through. Aptly nicknamed the 'toilet seat', the A-League trophy is actually an impressive piece of kit close up, but in the lexicon of famous football championship bling, it's a definite flop.
  45. ^ "EPL trophy influenced FFA Cup design". Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  46. ^ "New A-League trophy revealed". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  47. ^ Orr, Michael. "A-League increases available substitutes to five". SBnation.com. Vox Media. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  48. ^ "Open slather as clubs push for squad quotas to be scrapped". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 January 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  49. ^ "A-League Collective Bargaining Agreement 2008–2013". Australian PFA. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  50. ^ "A-League salary cap to rise". The Daily Telegraph. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  51. ^ Moore, Craig (15 March 2014). "Reducing the A-League imports to four will only help the development of our young Australian players". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  52. ^ Davutovic, David (24 January 2015). "A-League chiefs are set to backflip and not reduce visa spots for next season". Fox Sports. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  53. ^ a b "Sweeping changes to A-League cap unveiled". Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  54. ^ a b c d "A-League Salary Cap Summary". Football Federation Australia.
  55. ^ "A-League CBA". Australian PFA. 2 May 2010. Archived from the original on 19 April 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  56. ^ "FFA finalise third "guest" marquee". Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  57. ^ a b "Can our talent reside in the A-League?". theroar.com.au.
  58. ^ a b "A-League lifts its salary cap to $1.8m". The Age.
  59. ^ "New Season To Start with a Bang". Australian FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  60. ^ "Football federation ignored Sydney FC's alleged breach of salary cap". Sydney Morning Herald.
  61. ^ "FFA, players on collision course". The Australian. News Limited.
  62. ^ a b c d "A-League players strike a deal for a minor increase to salary cap, minimum wages". Adelaide Now.
  63. ^ "A-League clubs to see slight salary cap raise under new pay deal". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  64. ^ "Foreign marquee quota doubled in revised salary cap". SBS website. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  65. ^ a b "Salary Cap System". Football Federation Australia.
  66. ^ "Hyundai Extends A-League Partnership Until 2016" (Press release). Hyundai Motor Company, Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  67. ^ "Statistics: Player (Appearances)". ultimatealeague.com. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  68. ^ "Statistics: Goals (Overall)". ultimatealeague.com. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  69. ^ Quartermaine, Braden (1 April 2012). "Hat-trick to Shane Smeltz sees Perth Glory knock out Melbourne Heart". Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  70. ^ "Statistics: Player (Goals)". ultimatealeague.com.
  71. ^ "FOXTEL Announces Solid Growth Despite Difficult Consumer Environment" (Press release). Foxtel. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  72. ^ "Football returns to free-to-air TV on SB". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  73. ^ "New TV deal for Football". Hyundai A-League. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  74. ^ a b c "Hyundai A-League broadcast to global audience in 2013/14". footballaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  75. ^ a b "A-League and FFA Cup's Asia TV deal". Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  76. ^ "Watch A-League's Top Football LIVE!". aleague.livesport.tv. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  77. ^ "Hyundai A-League 2014/15 Season Report" (PDF).
  78. ^ "New A-League ad hits the screens". Australian FourFourTwo. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  79. ^ "New TV deal for Football". Hyundai A-League. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  80. ^ "FFA announces new A-League broadcast deal". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  81. ^ "Cash block to Phoenix A-League licence extension". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  82. ^ "Hyundai A-League on Fox Soccer Plus". Fox Soccer Plus. Retrieved 4 November 2014.

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