A-League Men

australian chancellor association football league
This article is about the australian prime minister men ‘s affiliation football league. For the Australian premier women ‘s league of the like name, see A-League Women. For the australian youth league, see A-League Youth
Football league

Reading: A-League Men

A-League Men ( known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons ) is the highest-level professional men ‘s soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country ‘s chief men ‘s competition for the fun. A-League valet was established in 2004 as the A-League by the Football Federation Australia ( FFA ) as a successor to the National Soccer League ( NSL ) and contest commenced in August 2005. The league is presently contested by twelve teams ; eleven based in Australia and one based in New Zealand. The men ‘s, women ‘s and youth leagues brought in concert under a unify A-Leagues banner. [ 1 ] Seasons run from October to May and include a 26-round regular season followed by a Finals Series playoff involving the six highest-placed teams, culminating in a deluxe final peer. The achiever of the regular season tournament is dubbed the ‘Premier ‘ while the winner of the expansive final is the season ‘s ‘Champion ‘. This differs from the early major football codes in Australia, where ‘premier ‘ refers to the winner of the deluxe final and the winner of the regular temper is the ‘ minor premier ‘. successful A-League man clubs gain qualification into the asian continental club rival, the Asian Football Confederation Champions League ( ACL ), besides known as the “ AFC Champions League ”. In 2014, the Western Sydney Wanderers became the beginning and alone winning australian baseball club. similar to the United States and Canada ‘s Major League Soccer, arsenic well as other professional sports leagues in Australia, A-League Men does not exercise promotion and delegating. Since the league ‘s inaugural season, a total of seven clubs have been crowned A-League Premiers and six clubs have been crowned A-League Champions. The current premier is Melbourne City FC, who finished first in the 2020–21 A-League. The current champions are Melbourne City FC, who won the 2021 A-League Grand Final and their beginning backing .

history [edit ]

Origins [edit ]

A national round-robin tournament existed in diverse forms prior to the formation of the A-League, with the most celebrated being the National Soccer League ( NSL ). The formation of the NSL came after Australia ‘s reservation for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, which led to discussion of a national league, with 14 teams finally chosen to participate in the inaugural season of the NSL in 1977. [ 2 ] Under the guidance of the then-governing body, the australian Soccer Federation ( former Soccer Australia ), the NSL flourished through the 1980s and early 1990s but then fell into refuse with the increasing departure of australian players to overseas leagues, a black television receiver deal with the Seven Network and the resulting lack of sponsorship. [ 3 ] Few clubs continued to grow with Sydney Olympic, Perth Glory, and the newly established Adelaide United the exception in a dying league. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] In April 2003, the australian Federal Government initiated the Independent Soccer Review Committee to investigate the government and management of the mutant in Australia, including that of the NSL. [ 7 ] In December 2003, the Crawford Report found that the NSL was financially unviable, and in reply the president of the sports newly governing body, Frank Lowy of the Football Federation Australia, announced that a undertaking violence would be formed to create a new national rival as a successor to the NSL which dissolved at the decision of the 2003–04 temper after 27 years of operation. [ 8 ]

Foundations [edit ]

The A-League was announced in April 2004, as a successor to the NSL. [ 8 ] Eight teams would be separate 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. [ 9 ] [ 10 ] By June of that year, 20 submissions had been received and a month late 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 preferable cities and a offer from the New South Wales Central Coast city of Gosford. Over the adjacent 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 appellative rights sponsor for the league. [ 10 ] 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 four early NSL clubs taking separate, those being Adelaide United, Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory, ampere well as NSL club Brisbane Lions who withdrew their foremost team from the Queensland State league and entered it in to the contest as Queensland Roar [ 11 ] plus New Zealand Knights who were formed from New Zealand Football Kingz. Each golf club was given a five-year exclusivity consider in its own grocery store as separate of the league ‘s “ one-city, one-team ” policy. This was intended to allow clubs to grow and develop an identity in their respective area without local anesthetic rival. [ 12 ]

initial seasons [edit ]

On 26 August 2005, 16 months after the demise of the NSL, the inaugural address temper of the A-League began. [ 10 ] The first season would see Adelaide United win the chancellor ‘s plate by seven points over Sydney FC with Central Coast and Newcastle filling the final examination two spots in the final serial. [ 13 ] In the concluding series, it was Sydney that took out the deed after they defeated Central Coast by a Steve Corica finish to claim the first title on 5 March 2006. [ 14 ] The following temper saw Melbourne Victory claim the A-League premiers plate when they smashed Adelaide United 6–0 in the final at the Telstra Dome with Archie Thompson scoring five goals in the spread-eagle. [ 15 ] But the season was n’t without a change with the New Zealand Knights being replaced by the Wellington Phoenix after the Knights were taken over by New Zealand Football after the team only won six times in forty-two games and selected abroad endowment rather of local. [ 16 ] [ 17 ]

Development [edit ]

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. [ 18 ] On 1 March 2011 North Queensland Fury ‘s A-League license was revoked for fiscal reasons. [ 19 ] On 29 February 2012, Gold Coast United besides had its license revoked. [ 20 ] [ 21 ] On 4 April 2012, it was announced that a new western Sydney-based baseball club, Western Sydney Wanderers, would join the league for the 2012–13 season. [ 22 ] In January 2014, Melbourne Heart was acquired by the City Football Group and was renamed Melbourne City ahead of the 2014–15 temper. [ 23 ] In February 2018, officials announced that the league would expand to 12 teams for the 2019–20 season. [ 24 ] Later that year, the league announced that western United FC would join the competition in 2019–20 and Macarthur would enter the follow season ( 2020–21 ). [ 25 ] In the lead-up to the expansion announcements in 2019, golf club stakeholders entered into discussions with Football Federation Australia ( FFA ) to take over ownership of the contest. The league had been created and operated by the FFA since its origin in 2004, though by 2018 the FFA and clubs were at loggerheads over the permanent ownership social organization of the league. [ 26 ] A FIFA -backed sexual intercourse review working group issued a sweep 100-page report in August 2018, recommending an expanded domestic congress and an autonomous A-League, controlled and operated by the clubs. [ 27 ] On 1 July 2019, the FFA and Australian Professional Football Clubs Association ( the body representing the A-League clubs ) announced an agreement had been reached for the FFA to relinquish dominance of the league to the clubs by the following calendar month, in time for the beginning of the 2019–20 season. [ 28 ] The agreement brought the mutant in line with the administration structure utilised in most european leagues. [ 28 ] [ 29 ] In 2020, football experts concluded A-League is entering a fresh crisis earned run average, due to lack of major competitiveness and that entire reforms must be done to improve the league, including the introduction of promotion and delegating organization, and this has started to be debated. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] In response, A-League officials in May 2021 announced that the league will align to the Domestic Match Calendar to avoid clashing with FIFA Days, a well as introducing Domestic Transfer System and National Club Licensing frameworks. [ 32 ] [ 33 ]

competition format [edit ]

regular season [edit ]

The regular season runs chiefly during the australian summer, from early October to April of the trace class. The contest consists of 33 rounds, with each team play every other team three times. The teams allotted two family matches against an opposition in one season are allotted one home match against that adversary in the trace season. Each pit sees the acquire team awarded three contest points, with one distributor point each for a string. The club at the top of this run is crowned A-League Premiers, and since the 2005–06 season has been entered into the AFC Champions League. [ 34 ] [ 35 ] The Premier is presented with a trophy known as the Premier ‘s Plate. [ 36 ] At the completion of the even season the top six place teams on the league board progress to the finals series. The position of each team is determined by the highest count of points accumulated during the regular season. If two or more teams are level on points, the follow criteria are applied in rate until one of the teams can be determined as the higher ranked : [ 37 ]

Highest goal difference;
Highest number of goals scored;
Highest number of points accumulated in matches between the teams concerned;
Highest goal difference in matches between the teams concerned;
Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams concerned;
Lowest number of red cards accumulated;
Lowest number of yellow cards accumulated;
Toss of a coin.[37]

Finals series [edit ]

The top six clubs at the conclusion of the even season progress to the finals series. The finals series culminates to the A-League expansive final, where the winner is crowned A-League champion and receives a target in the AFC Champions League. The club that wins the august final is presented with the A-League Champions Trophy. The finals series consists of six teams who are placed by social station, as determined at the end of the even season. The finals series runs over four weeks. In the first workweek of fixtures, the third-through-sixth rank teams play a single-elimination peer, with the two winners of those matches joining the beginning and second graded teams in two-legged ties played over two weeks. The two winners of those matches meet in the deluxe final. This method was initially adopted for the 2021–22 season. [ 38 ] Of the two deluxe finalists, the team that finished higher on the ladder at the decision of the regular temper hosts the deluxe final. The only exception to this is if the FA deems that team ‘s home plate ground to be an inappropriate venue. For exemplar, in 2008, Central Coast Mariners ( as the higher-placed team ) hosted the grand final examination 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 excessively small for the event. [ 39 ] Grand final host stadium

Continental qualification [edit ]

In 2004–05, Australia was hush a part of the Oceania Football Confederation and Sydney FC won the correct to compete in the Oceania Club Championship after defeating the Central Coast Mariners in a qualify tournament. A-League clubs are eligible for engagement in the AFC Champions League competition each season since the 2007 version of the tournament. [ 40 ] Wellington Phoenix are not eligible to compete in the asian Champions League, nor do they compete in the OFC Champions League. The only australian side to win the asian Champions League are the western Sydney Wanderers FC. qualification is determined by league eat up positions and who wins the A-League Grand Final, and the issue of positions determined by the Asian Football Confederation club rival ranking. The ACL is split into West & East asian halves until the Grand Final, and Australia has generally been 4th placed in East Asia and received two send entry positions and one reservation play-off moor. It is unlikely the A-League will receive more than 3 positions until the contest expands beyond 10 teams. [ 41 ] [ 42 ] [ 43 ] [ 44 ] [ 45 ]

other competitions [edit ]

Since 2014 clubs besides compete in the annual FFA Cup knock-out tournament. [ 46 ] From 2020, the clear nine teams qualify for the 2020 FFA Cup – entering at the Round of 32 – while the bed two teams will play-off for a blemish in the Round of 32. [ 47 ] between 2005 and 2008 clubs participated in the A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup anterior to each A-League regular season. In 2013 and 2014 an A-League All Stars Game was besides played as a pre-season friendly game between the league ‘s finest players and a high-profile international team. [ 48 ] [ 49 ] Most A-League homo clubs have teams in the A-League Youth competition, which runs in conjunction with the A-League Men 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 starting signal of the calendar year for each new season, while four over-age players from each of the aged teams besides allowed to be selected. In accession, the A-League Women operates as the top division of women ‘s league with affiliations to the men ‘s contest. [ 50 ] In response to the consider about the development of a new master second division, the australian Championship has been proposed to support the A-League, with the aim to avoid the american english franchise-based system and to put in wrinkle with european football leagues. [ 51 ] [ 32 ]

Clubs [edit ]

The A-League Men is presently contested by 12 teams : football team from Australia and one from New Zealand. A full of 15 teams have competed at some stagecoach in the league ‘s inadequate history. alone four of these clubs – Adelaide United, the Brisbane Roar ( as the Queensland Lions ), the Newcastle Jets, and the Perth Glory – existed before the A-League was formed. Gold Coast United, the New Zealand Knights, and the North Queensland Fury have once competed in the league. Unlike most leagues from across the world, there is no system for promotion and relegation of teams. The A-Leagues system thus shares some franchising elements with most other professional leagues in Australia, Major League Soccer, and other major north American-based sports leagues .

timeline [edit ]

League penis Former member Future extremity

expansion [edit ]

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. Before the presentation of the A-League, FFA president 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 by and by Singapore. [ 52 ] [ 53 ] [ 54 ] [ 55 ] In February 2018, officials announced that the league would expand to 12 teams for the 2019–20 season. [ 24 ] [ 56 ] [ 57 ] In December 2018, the FFA announced they accepted the bids of western United who joined the league in the 2019–20 temper and of Macarthur, who joined the league in the 2020–21 season. [ 58 ]

Rivalries [edit ]

There are several key rivalries and local derbies that have formed in the A-League, including : “Melbourne Derby” – Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory
The two Melbourne clubs beginning met on 8 October 2010 in a lively game at AAMI Park in presence of 25,897 fans. Melbourne City ( known at the clock time as Melbourne Heart ) came out on circus tent with a 2–1 victory. [ 59 ] A significant narrative in bowler hat history is the character of Melbourne Victory as a more successful cabaret both on and off the battlefield, having joined the A-League five years earlier than City. The competition is one of the most intense and well respected in the A-League, producing obtrusive air and some of the largest attendances in the league. [ 60 ] “The Original Rivalry” – Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory
The competition stems from the traditional cross-border competition between sporting teams from South Australia and Victoria but was strengthened by multiple incidents in the 2006–07 season, such as the confrontation between Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat and then Adelaide United passenger car John Kosmina. [ citation needed ] The two clubs contested the 2007 and 2009 A-League Grand Finals, with Melbourne winning the 2009 Grand Final 1–0 very controversially against a 10-man Adelaide United. The match will constantly be marred by the tenth infinitesimal sending off of Adelaide United striker Cristiano, which ultimately contributed to the loss. The two clubs were besides involved in the first and lone affair in the A-League during the 2008–09 A-League temper, where they both finished on the top of the ladder equal on both points and goal deviation. “Sydney Derby” – Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers
The bowler hat was contested for the first time in the 2012–13 temper with the introduction of the moment Sydney-based clubhouse, Western Sydney Wanderers, into the league. Sydney FC grabbed bragging rights by winning the beginning bowler hat 1–0 at Parramatta Stadium, [ 61 ] however Western Sydney Wanderers won the revert 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 second to the stadium ‘s hatchway in 1988. [ 62 ] A equal in 2016 between the two teams broke the criminal record A-League crowd with 61,880 fans attending the pit at ANZ Stadium. [ 63 ] Sydney Derby is intensified by the geographic distinction between the two clubs within Sydney, american samoa well as historical grievances related to the foundation of Sydney FC. “The Big Blue” – Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC
This match is so named because blue is the chief color of both teams ‘ playing kits, and is besides australian slang for a competitiveness or a contest. [ 64 ] The competition has emerged as a consequence of a number of despiteful encounters between the teams in holocene years, and due to the longstanding competition 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. [ 65 ] In 2010, Sydney FC won the A-League Premiership on the final sidereal day of the season by defeating Victory 2–0. A adult Blue match is traditionally played on Australia Day each year. “The F3 Derby” – Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets
Named after the former diagnose of the expressway that connects the cities of Newcastle and Gosford, [ 66 ] this match features the only two clubs in the A-League that are not based in state of matter capital cities. The two teams ‘ stadiums are just one hour apart, and the bowler hat was intensified when they competed against each other for the premiership in the 2007–08 A-League season and finally met in the Grand Final, which was won 1–0 by the Jets.

organization [edit ]

Logo and trophies [edit ]

The A-League Trophy was designed to resemble a laurel wreath The Premier ‘s Plate is awarded to the highest eat up team in the even season. The current A-League logo was unveiled in January 2017 by Football Federation Australia. The logo formed part of a wide rebranding post of the A-League and its auxiliary competitions, the W-League and Youth League. The logo design was “ inspired by football ‘s three outstanding features – air, diverseness and one ” and has colour alterations tailored to each of the 12 A-League clubs. The changes came into effect before the 2017/18 season. [ 68 ] The original A-League logo was designed by Coast Design Sydney. It was the inauguration logo of the league. The two-toned ocher colours represented the sun, land and desert while the ‘glow ‘ emanating from the center of the logo depicted the play season ‘s bounce and summer time straddle. The eight ‘A ‘ figures that made up the ball shape represented the eight foundation garment clubs of the league. [ 69 ] A-league decided to rebrand with a new logo in 2021 designed by R/GA, a creative agency in Sydney, leading to a major controversy and narrowly avoid legal fuss with construction company in Adelaide over blueprint similarities. [ 70 ] [ 71 ] The A-League has two trophies which are competed for during the temper : the Premier ‘s Plate and the A-League Trophy. [ 72 ] The Premier ‘s Plate is awarded to the A-League Premiers, the unconstipated 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. [ 73 ] [ 74 ] [ 75 ] 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 uncover 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 meaning of sport in a contemporaneous 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 universe ‘s original dissipated rival, the Olympic Games, were presented with a laurel wreath on their heads. We used this model as a basis for a singular, up-to-date 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 ”. [ 76 ]

Squad constitution and wage cap [edit ]

The A-League match-day squad includes the distinctive 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. [ 77 ] An A-League team must comprise a minimum of 20 players with a utmost of 26, subject to several limitations. Within the squad, there can be a utmost of five “ foreign ” or “ Visa “ players, from outside Australia ( and New Zealand, in the case of Wellington Phoenix ), that hold a impermanent working-visa. Three players in the squad must besides be under 20 years of senesce. In addition to these three under 20 players, clubs are allowed to sign an extra three youth players onto full-time contracts at a lower give rate than the rest of the squad. [ 78 ] [ 79 ] [ 80 ] The A-League had initially proposed that the quota of five visa players per A-League clubhouse 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 ). [ 81 ] however, after enemy to the proposal by both players and managers, the move was placed on delay. [ 82 ] Although A-League clubs have restricted salaries ( wage hood ), the league allows each clubhouse to have two “ marquee ” players whose salaries are excuse from the cap, plus a number of other ‘exemptions ‘ or ‘allowances ‘ to incentivise clubs to spend in specific areas. Guest players are besides excluded for up to a maximum of 14 league matches. [ 83 ] From the formation of the league, clubs have been allowed to sign one external pavilion musician. From the 2008–09 season, A-League clubs have been permitted a junior pavilion player ; one that is under the long time of 23. immediately known as the ‘Homegrown Player allowance ‘, clubs can spend up to a collective $ 150,000 on three australian players aged 23 or younger that have come through the club ‘s youth system. [ 84 ] 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 temper. [ 85 ] celebrated pavilion and guest players in the A-League have included Alessandro Del Piero, William Gallas, Dwight Yorke, Emile Heskey, Robbie Fowler, Shinji Ono, David Villa and erstwhile FIFA World Player of the Year Romário. Famous australian Marquees include Harry Kewell, John Aloisi, Brett Emerton, Joshua Kennedy and Tim Cahill. Commencing in the 2015–16 season, players who have played at their club for 5–10 years will be covered by a “ loyalty actor allowance ”, allowing up to $ 200,000 of their wage to be exempted from the cap. additionally, clubs are now permitted a mature-age cub whose wages are outside the wage ceiling. [ 83 ] The 2016–17 season saw the introduction of a third ‘Full Season Guest Marquee ‘ blot, designed to attract high-profile players on short-run deals. [ 86 ] The wage cap for A-League clubs is $ 2.1 million for the 2020–21 season. In the casing for western United and debuting Macarthur FC, they are entitled to a $ 333,000 allowance thus increasing their wage cap to $ 2.433 million. Clubs must spend at least the wage floor which is $ 1.7 million. The wage cap applies to the 18 to 23 players that clubs have registered to their A-League musician roll, the top 2 highest-paid players ( Designated Players ) do n’t count in the hood. Unless specifically exempt, all payments and benefits ( e.g. cars, accommodation, etc. ) provided by a golf club to a actor are included in the club ‘s wage capital. Players registered at a club for more than 4 back-to-back years as a professional are considered as Loyalty Players and have the adopt amounts exempt from a club ‘s wage cap ; Year 4 – 12.5 %, class 5 – 25 %, and 5 % increments after that up until a soap of 50 %. Teams can spend an unlimited sum on 4 U-23 australian players who have come from the young team, called Homegrown Players. Teams can sign up to 9 U-20 players on minimum wage called Scholarship Players who do n’t count in the police squad unless they are one of the 3 U21 ‘s in the squad, any payments above the national minimal engage to these Players are included in the baseball club ‘s wage Cap. [ 87 ]

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[88]
2006–07
1
No
No
No
$1,600,000[89]
2007–08
1
No
No
No
$1,800,000[89]
2008–09
1
No
1
No
$1,900,000[90]
2009–10
1
No
1
No
$2,250,000[91]
2010–11
1
1
1
No
$2,350,000[88]
2011–12
1
1
1
No
$2,400,000[92]
2012–13
1
1
1
No
$2,468,000[93]
$48,000[94]
2013–14
1
1
1
No
$2,500,000[93]
$50,000[93]
2014–15
1
1
1
No
$2,550,000[93]
$51,000[95]
2015–16
2
1
1
$2,600,000[84]
$55,000[84]
2016–17
3
1
1
$2,650,000[96]
$55,715[96]
2017–18
2
1
1
$2,928,000[96]
$61,287[96]
2018–19
2
1
1
$3,063,000[97]
$64,113[96]
2019–20
2
1
No
$3,200,000[97]
$47,792–$64,113[98]
2020–21
2
1
No
$2,100,000[99]
$45,000–$62,500[99]
2021–22

Stadiums [edit ]

A-League games have been played in 33 stadiums since the inauguration season of the A-League in 2005. Dolphin Stadium, the home of Brisbane Roar, is presently the smallest used in the A-League, with a capacity of 11,500. Optus Stadium, one of the homes of Perth Glory, has the greatest seat capacitance ( 60,159 ) of any stadium presently used by an A-League work force baseball club .
Since its formation, the A-League has been sponsored by an official mention rights spouse. [ 10 ] 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 compress was further extended by four seasons until 2016. [ 100 ] This sponsorship deal was then far extended to the end of the 2019–20 A-League season. [ 101 ] On 23 December 2020, it was announced that the new major patron of the A-League and W-League would be home improvement shop Bunnings Warehouse. [ 102 ] On October 6, 2021, Isuzu UTE was announced as the appointment rights collaborator of the A-League Men in a 3-year conduct, with the league known as the Isuzu UTE A-League Men. [ 103 ]

League championships [edit ]

As of the end of the 2020–21 regular temper, 14 different clubs have competed in the league, with seven having won the trophy, and eight winning at least one prime minister ‘s home plate .

Records [edit ]

Besart Berisha is the leading A-League goalscorer, scoring his 100th A-League goal in April 2017. Brisbane Roar hold the record for the longest unbeaten melt in the competition with 36 league matches without defeat. [ 104 ] Besart Berisha holds the record for the greatest issue of A-League goals, with 140 goals, playing for Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory and presently western United. [ 105 ] The A-League phonograph 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 ; and Jamie Maclaren who scored 5 goals against Melbourne Victory on 17 April 2021. Jamie Maclaren has scored the most A-League hat-tricks with 6. Shane Smeltz and Bobô are the alone players to have scored hat-tricks in consecutive matches. [ 106 ] [ 107 ] Henrique was the first base, and so far lone, player to score a hat-trick coming on as a utility, for Brisbane Roar against Newcastle Jets. [ 108 ] In 2015, austrian hitter Marc Janko broke the record for scoring in back-to-back matches when he scored in seven games for Sydney FC. [ 109 ]

Media coverage [edit ]

In Australia [edit ]

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 transmit, to which alone 7 % of australian residents had access. [ 110 ] On 19 November 2012, free-to-air Australian public broadcasting television net 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. [ 111 ] SBS ‘s coverage ended in the 2016–17 season, with Network Ten securing free-to-air broadcast rights. Ten simulcasted the Fox Sports coverage of the Saturday nox regular on its digital multichannel One. [ 112 ] From the 2019–20 season, ABC television receiver has broadcast one bet on a weekend ( Saturday 5pm ) live on its elementary channel. It besides has the right to broadcast delayed coverage of some finals matches and the Grand Final. [ 113 ] Fox Sport ‘s contract with the A-League, which was renegotiated in June 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, concluded in July 2021. [ 114 ] From August 2021, both the A-League and W-League signed a five-year conduct with ViacomCBS giving circulate rights to Network 10 ( one A-League match per week on Network 10, one W-League on 10 Bold ) and Paramount+ ( all matches ) streaming service. [ 115 ]

other countries [edit ]

In New Zealand the league has been broadcast on Sky Sport since its inaugural address season. In the 2019–20 season, the league besides broadcast on Qatari beIN Sports after Sky ink four-year partnership for across-the-board soccer coverage, particularly the A-league. [ 116 ] The increase of coverage of the A-League outside Australia saw the league broadcast in 65 countries around the populace in 2013/14. [ 117 ] Full couple broadcasts are available in the United States, China, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Canada, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Singapore and Myanmar. [ 117 ] In addition to the full pit broadcasts, highlights of A-League matches can be viewed in 53 countries throughout Asia and the Middle East, including Japan and South Korea. [ 117 ] In 2014, a three-season cover with Sony TEN allowed the league to be broadcast hot in asian nations including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Every A-League match is besides hot streamed globally, allowing games to be viewed online through a subscription service provided in a partnership with the FFA. [ 119 ] All games besides broadcast live in the United States on ESPN+. Most games in the United Kingdom are broadcast by BT Sport but use Fox Sports ‘ live run for every alive game. For the 2014–15 Season, the A-League was broadcast in 173 countries. [ 120 ]

promotion [edit ]

The A-League has been promoted using a number of different advertising slogans and strategies since its origin. At the beginning of the inaugural season, a A $ 3 million dollar ad campaign was launched, with the television and film advertisements produced by Ridley Scott ‘s production ship’s company Scott Free Productions. The theme for the campaign was : “ football, but not as you know it ”. A newly television receiver ad was created for the begin 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 to 2009 and was accompanied by the music track “ My People ” from australian act The Presets. [ 121 ]