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The '''A-League''' is the premier Australian domestic [[football (soccer)]] competition. Founded in 2004 and staging its [[A-League 2005-06|inaugural season]] in 2005-06, the league is contested by seven teams covering Australia's major cities and regional centres, as well as one representing [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{cite news | title = FFA Statement Regarding New Zealand Knights | url = http://www.a-league.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=6349 | date = [[2006-12-14]]|accessdate = 2006-12-16}}</ref> The team which finishes on top of the league table at the end of the 21-round regular season is awarded the Premiership, with the winner of the subsequent four-team finals series awarded the Championship. [[Melbourne Victory FC]] are the current A-League Premiers (Season 2006-07) and are also the reigning Champions.
The '''A-League''' is the premier Australian domestic [[football (soccer)]] competition. Founded in 2004 and staging its [[A-League 2005-06|inaugural season]] in 2005-06, the league is contested by seven teams covering Australia's major cities and regional centres, as well as one representing [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{cite news | title = FFA Statement Regarding New Zealand Knights | url = http://www.a-league.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=6349 | date = [[2006-12-14]]|accessdate = 2006-12-16}}</ref> The team which finishes on top of the league table at the end of the 21-round regular season is awarded the Premiership, with the winner of the subsequent four-team finals series awarded the Championship. [[Melbourne Victory FC]] are the current A-League Premiers (Season 2006-07) and are also the reigning Champions.


An [[Australian dollar|AU$]]3 million dollar advertising campaign was also launched, with the television and film advertisements produced by [[Ridley Scott]]'s production company. The theme for the campaign was formely known as "Football, but not as you know it". The current theme is now "90 Minutes, 90 Emotions
An [[Australian dollar|AU$]]3 million dollar advertising campaign was also launched, with the television and film advertisements produced by [[Ridley Scott]]'s production company. The theme for the campaign was: "Football, but not as you know it".


However a new campaign has been created for the 07/08 season, which debuted on Foxtel's program, Total Football. It was filmed at Bob Jane Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria. The theme for the campaign in "90 minutes, 90 emotions".
A new campaign has been created for the 07/08 season, which debuted on Foxtel's program, Total Football. It was filmed at Bob Jane Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria. The theme of the current campaign is "90 minutes, 90 emotions".


The A-League will feature for the first time in a video game in [[FIFA 08]].
The A-League will feature for the first time in a video game in [[FIFA 08]].

Revision as of 23:07, 5 September 2007

A-League

File:A-League logo.png

General Information
Founded 2004
Sport Football (soccer)
Motto 90 minutes, 90 emotions
Country Australia Australia

New Zealand New Zealand

Current Teams Template:ALeague AU
Template:ALeague CCM
Template:ALeague MV
Template:ALeague NUJ
Template:ALeague PG
Template:ALeague QR
Template:ALeague SFC
Template:ALeague WP
Leading champions and premiers
Champions Template:ALeague MV (1), Template:ALeague SFC (1)
Premiers Template:ALeague AU (1), Template:ALeague MV (1)
2006-07 Season
Champions Template:ALeague MV
Premiers Template:ALeague MV
For the former US soccer league of the same name see A-League (American)

The A-League is the premier Australian domestic football (soccer) competition. Founded in 2004 and staging its inaugural season in 2005-06, the league is contested by seven teams covering Australia's major cities and regional centres, as well as one representing New Zealand.[1] The team which finishes on top of the league table at the end of the 21-round regular season is awarded the Premiership, with the winner of the subsequent four-team finals series awarded the Championship. Melbourne Victory FC are the current A-League Premiers (Season 2006-07) and are also the reigning Champions.

An AU$3 million dollar advertising campaign was also launched, with the television and film advertisements produced by Ridley Scott's production company. The theme for the campaign was: "Football, but not as you know it".

A new campaign has been created for the 07/08 season, which debuted on Foxtel's program, Total Football. It was filmed at Bob Jane Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria. The theme of the current campaign is "90 minutes, 90 emotions".

The A-League will feature for the first time in a video game in FIFA 08. [2]


History

In 2003, a report on football in Australia was published by the Australian Federal Government which ultimately led to an overhaul of Soccer Australia and the end of the National Soccer League, Australia's previous domestic football competition. In its place, Football Federation Australia (named the Australian Soccer Association at the time) announced plans for a new national competition set to start in 2005. The competition was based on a one-city, one-club format. This was for two reasons - to concentrate player talent, and possibly more importantly, break the connection between clubs and specific immigrant groups (the previous NSL had a number of teams whose players and fans largely came from one specific immigrant community). The plan called for privately owned clubs to represent Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle and New Zealand, with the eighth and final club to be selected from the remaining expressions of interest.[3] The selection of teams, with The Central Coast the eighth area represented, was announced on November 1 2004, along with the competition format which was shortened to provide a basic structure for further expansion. The FFA scheduled the inaugural season to begin in August 2005, budgeting for an annual turnover of AU$50 million and average crowds of 10,000.[4]

2005-06 season

Main article: A-League 2005-06

The opening season saw clubs attract a wide array of talent, most notably Dwight Yorke for Sydney FC, as well as bringing a large number of former and current Socceroos home, including Ned Zelic, Steve Corica and Archie Thompson. Adelaide United FC won the inaugural A-League Premiership after the end of the home-and-away season. The Grand Final was played in front of 41,689 people at Aussie Stadium. Sydney FC prevailed 1-0 over the Central Coast Mariners to become the first A-League Champions. The FFA's target crowd figure of 10,000 was achieved as the league had an overall attendance average of 12,100 during its inaugural season.[5]

An AU$120 million deal between the FFA and Fox Sports was reached in 2006 after the end of the first season. Under the deal, Fox Sports will have exclusive rights from 2007 to all Socceroos home internationals, all A-League and Asian Cup fixtures, World Cup qualifiers through the AFC, and all AFC Champions League matches. The deal will allow the FFA to increase the amount of TV money to each of the participating clubs in the league and increase the revenue streams for those clubs.[6]

2006-07 season

Main article: A-League 2006-07

The creation of the A-League has allowed for many past and present Socceroos players to return and play on home soil. So far the A-League's second season has seen the return of such current Australian international players as Stan Lazaridis, Tony Vidmar and Joel Griffiths which has boosted the media attention of the league. The FFA is also toying with the idea of sharing the expense of some of the wages of Socceroos players to bring them back to Australia.[7]

The all time Australian domestic football (soccer) regular season crowd record was smashed on December 8, 2006 when Melbourne Victory hosted Sydney FC at the Telstra Dome. The crowd was 50,333 beating the previous record of 39,000 - set when the two clubs met at the same venue previously in the season. Kevin Muscat, the Melbourne captain, was quoted as saying: "You'd do well to find an Australian abroad this weekend who'll play in front of a bigger crowd than that".

In December 2006 the Template:ALeague NZK had their licence revoked because of mounting debts. New Zealand Soccer was allocated control of the team for the remainder of the season. The FFA called for bids from prospective operators to take over the New Zealand license for the next season.[8]

On February 18, 2007 Template:ALeague MV defeated Template:ALeague AU 6-0 to become champions of the A-League 2006-07 season in front of a crowd of over 55,000 people. Archie Thompson was awarded the Joe Marston Medal, scoring five goals for Melbourne Victory.

Recently Template:ALeague MV Chairman Geoff Lord has suggested the inclusion of overseas clubs in the pre-season cup competition, particularly targeting teams from Asia and the west coast of the United States.[9]

2007-08 season

Main article: A-League 2007-08

Important signings before the start of the third season of the A-League have seen former socceroos Danny Tiatto, Craig Moore, Ljubo Milicevic, Nick Rizzo, Paul Agostino, Hayden Foxe and Tony Popovic return to Australia with Template:ALeague QR, Template:ALeague MV,Template:ALeague PG, Template:ALeague AU, and Template:ALeague SFC respectively. Socceroos' striker Sasho Petrovski has left Sydney FC in favour of the Template:ALeague CCM, where he is expected to form a deadly partnership with fit-again Nik Mrdja.

The A-League salary cap has spawned much controversy in the close season with champions Melbourne Victory unable to re-sign star midfielder Fred due to an offer from Major League Soccer club D.C. United that is reportedly worth three times the amount the Victory can afford to pay him. As well as this, Sydney FC have been unsuccessful in signing ex-Liverpool FC striker, Robbie Fowler because the club could not offer as much money as other English clubs. [10]

On March 19 2007, it was confirmed that a bid from Wellington, New Zealand, later to be announced as Template:ALeague WP, would be replacing the Template:ALeague NZK for the 2007-08 season.[11][12] FFA granted New Zealand Football a three year license to stay in the competition in partnership with a Wellington-based consortium. [13]

It is also confirmed that squad sizes will be increased from 20 players to 23 players.[14]

Format

Pre-Season Cup

A Pre-Season Cup is held in July and August, as a precursor to the main season. In the Pre-Season Cup, the eight teams are placed into two groups. Each team plays the others in the group once over three rounds.

Beginning in 2006, an additional bonus round is then held, with each team playing a cross-over match with a team from a different group. In addition to the standard points (3 for a win, 1 for a draw), there are special bonus points on offer for the bonus round matches:

  • 1 bonus point for 2 goals scored by a team,
  • 2 bonus points for 3 goals scored by a team, or
  • 3 bonus points for 4 or more goals scored by a team.[15]

All eight teams then enter a knock-out round, culminating in the final in late August.

The FFA has indicated that, if successful, the bonus points system may be used in the main league season from the 2007-08 season.[16]

Regular season

The regular season runs mainly during the Australian summer, from late August to January of the following year. The competition consists of 21 home-and-away rounds, with each team playing each other team three times – twice at one team's home stadium and once at the other's. The teams which are 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, or in the case of a draw, the teams receive one point each. At the end of the season, the teams are ranked firstly in terms of competition points accumulated, then goal difference, total goals scored, head-to-head records between tying teams and finally the number of cards each team has received.[17] 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]

Finals series

The top four-ranked teams at the end of the regular season are entered into a finals series based on the Page playoff system, where the first round of matches consists of two legs (with ties decided by the away goals rule). The top two ranked teams play the Major Semi-Final, with the winner progressing straight to and hosting the Grand Final. On the same weekends, the third and fourth ranked teams contest the Minor Semi-Final, which sees the losing side eliminated whilst the winner plays off against the loser of the Major Semi-Final in the Preliminary Final the following weekend. The winner of this match also progresses to the Grand Final, the winner of which becomes A-League Champions. As of the 2006–07 season, this team will also contest the AFC Champions League, although if the team that wins the Premiership goes through to Grand Final then the runners-up in the Grand Final are awarded the second spot in the competition, win or lose.[18]

The A-League logo, designed by Coast Design Sydney, is a three-dimensional sphere in the shape of a football. 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.[19]

Clubs

There are currently eight clubs from Australia and New-Zealand playing in the A-League. Only three of these clubs, Adelaide United, Newcastle United Jets (previously known just as Newcastle United) and Perth Glory existed before the A-League was formed.

Unlike most European leagues, there is no system for promotion and relegation of teams, nor a national knockout cup competition along the lines of the FA Cup. The A-League system thus shares some franchising elements with most other professional leagues in Australia, as well as Major League Soccer and other major sports leagues in the United States.

On March 19 2007, it was confirmed that a Wellington based franchise would be replacing the Template:ALeague NZK for the 2007-08 season.[13] The name of Template:ALeague WP was announced on March 28.[12]

For the 2007-08 season, the eight clubs will be:

Team City Years in competition Home Ground Avg Crowd
2006-07
Template:ALeague AU Adelaide, SA 2005-06–present Hindmarsh Stadium 12,101
Template:ALeague CCM Gosford, NSW 2005-06–present Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium 9,828
Template:ALeague MV Melbourne, VIC 2005-06–present Telstra Dome 33,288
Template:ALeague NUJ Newcastle, NSW 2005-06–present EnergyAustralia Stadium 11,442
Template:ALeague PG Perth, WA 2005-06–present Members Equity Stadium 7,671
Template:ALeague QR Brisbane, QLD 2005-06–present Suncorp Stadium 16,465
Template:ALeague SFC Sydney, NSW 2005-06–present Sydney Football Stadium 14,999
Template:ALeague WP Wellington, NZ 2007-08 Westpac Stadium 14,421 (2007-08)
Former clubs:
Template:ALeague NZK Auckland, NZ 2005-06–2006-07 North Harbour Stadium 3,016

Squad & salary cap

Each club can have a maximum squad of 23 players with a salary cap of AU$1.8 million for the whole squad - much less than the millions of dollars a year that individual star players (including a few Australians) earn in Europe's top football leagues. The minimum number of players on each squad is 20. The squad must include at least three under-20 players. Clubs may also only have a maximum of four internationals (from outside Australia and New Zealand) in their squad.[20]

Marquee player

In order to combat fears that the salary cap would reduce the capacity of the clubs to attract crowds through big-name players, the league allows each team to have one "marquee" player, whose salary is funded separately, and not included in the team's salary cap. The best-known example of a marquee player in the A-League was Dwight Yorke who played for Sydney FC in the inaugural season. Yorke had previously played several seasons for Manchester United and Aston Villa in the English Premier League.

Club Marquee player
Template:ALeague AU Australia Paul Agostino
Template:ALeague CCM Australia Tony Vidmar
Template:ALeague MV Australia Archie Thompson
Template:ALeague NUJ Brazil Mário Jardel
Template:ALeague PG Australia Stan Lazaridis (suspended)
Template:ALeague QR Australia Craig Moore
Template:ALeague SFC Brazil Juninho Paulista
Template:ALeague WP None

Expansion

While making a relatively modest start in order to ensure future stability, the league is interested in introducing more teams to the competition. The eight foundation clubs have exclusivity clauses for their respective cities valid for five years, but there is room to add more teams. With Australia's performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup there has been some media speculation that Football Federation Australia may expand the league after the 2007-08 season. This is looking very possible with upcoming changes to the number of Asian Champions League spots available from 2009.

Townsville and Canberra are possibilities, having large populations and modern football stadiums, respectively Dairy Farmers Stadium and Canberra Stadium. Wollongong and the Gold Coast could also be considered, with Wollongong pushing for an upgrade to WIN Stadium while the Gold Coast will have a new 25,000 seat stadium in 2008. Many people felt the twice Australian Champions Wollongong Wolves should be the team from the Illawarra, but according to media reports the Wolves are planning on staying in the NSW Premier League, and are fully supporting a new club for the region. This club will be backed by Bruce Gordon, Australia's 14th richest person.[21]

Before the introduction of the A-League, ASA chairman Frank Lowy speculated that he hoped to expand the league into additional areas, mentioning Canberra, Hobart, Wollongong and Far North Queensland.[22][23] On August 10, John O'Neill was talking up the support football would enjoy in Townsville.[24]

A representative of Capital Football has been quoted as saying "Canberra, Geelong, Wollongong and Townsville were "on the radar" to join the comp for the 2008/09 season."[25]

After pulling out of a bid to replace the defunct New Zealand Knights, Townsville are in pole position to be the first club introduced into the league upon its expansion in the near future. [13] The A-League also features in the upcoming Fifa 2008, made by EA Sports. This is a first for the A-League. It includes all the teams and new features. It is expected to by released in Australia in late September

Stadiums

Stadium Capacity A-League Clubs
Telstra Dome* 56,347 Template:ALeague MV
Suncorp Stadium 52,500 Template:ALeague QR
Sydney Football Stadium 45,500 Template:ALeague SFC
Westpac Stadium* 36,000 Template:ALeague WP
EnergyAustralia Stadium 26,126 Template:ALeague NUJ
Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium 20,059 Template:ALeague CCM
Members Equity Stadium 17,288 Template:ALeague PG
Hindmarsh Stadium 16,500 Template:ALeague AU
  • denotes oval-shaped stadiums

Champions and premiers

Main article: List of A-League champions

The "Premier" is the team at the top of the league table at the end of the regular season although the common term for this type of competition in Australia is "minor premier". Media reports sometimes erroneously refer to the Premiers as minor premier. The "Champion" is the team that wins the Grand Final.[26]

Season Pre-season cup Regular season Grand Final
Premiers Runners-up Champions Runners-up
2005-06 Template:ALeague CCM Template:ALeague AU Template:ALeague SFC Template:ALeague SFC Template:ALeague CCM
2006-07 Template:ALeague AU Template:ALeague MV Template:ALeague AU Template:ALeague MV Template:ALeague AU
2007-08 Template:ALeague AU - - - -

See also the list of champions from 1977 to 2004 in the previous National Soccer League competition.

AFC Champions League

Two A-League clubs will participate in the AFC Champions League competition [27] from the 2007 competition on. The teams for the 2007 competition were determined by finishing positions in the 2005-6 A-League season, the 2008 competition by finishing positions in the 2006-7 season, and so on.

The Champions and Premiers qualify for the cup. In the case where the same team is Champion and Premier, the losing grand finalist qualifies.

Season
2007 Sydney FC Adelaide United
2008 Melbourne Victory Adelaide United

Top scorers

All-time

Rank Player Club/s Goals
1 Australia Archie Thompson Template:ALeague MV 23
2 Australia Danny Allsopp Template:ALeague MV 16
2 Australia Damian Mori Template:ALeague QR , Template:ALeague PG , Template:ALeague CCM 15
4 Australia Sasho Petrovski Template:ALeague SFC , Template:ALeague CCM 14
5 Australia Alex Brosque Template:ALeague SFC , Template:ALeague QR 13
5 Australia Kevin Muscat Template:ALeague MV 13
5 Brazil Fernando Rech Template:ALeague AU 13
5 Australia Carl Veart Template:ALeague AU 13
9 Australia Bobby Despotovski Template:ALeague PG 11
9 Australia Ante Milicic Template:ALeague NUJ , Template:ALeague QR 11

See Also: A-League all-time records

Notable Past players

Current foreign players in the league

Awards

Johnny Warren Medal

The Johnny Warren Medal, named after the late former Socceroo and media advocate Johnny Warren, is presented to the player who is deemed to be the best player overall at the end of the season as judged by his fellow players. Each player in the A-League votes three times over the season: after Round 7, Round 14 and Round 21. Players are not allowed to vote for other players on their own team.

Year Player Club
2006 Australia Bobby Despotovski Template:ALeague PG
2007 Australia Nick Carle Template:ALeague NUJ

Rising Star Award

The Rising Star Award is awarded to a youth (under 20) player judged by a panel of experts to be the best young performer throughout the season.

Year Player Club
2006 Australia Nick Ward Template:ALeague PG
2007 Australia Adrian Leijer Template:ALeague MV

Reebok Golden Boot

The Reebok Golden Boot is presented to the player who scores the most goals during the season. Only regular Hyundai A-League matches between Round 1 and Round 21 are included.

Year Player/s Club Goals
2006 Australia Alex Brosque, Australia Bobby Despotovski, Scotland Stewart Petrie, Australia Archie Thompson Template:ALeague QR, Template:ALeague PG, Template:ALeague CCM, Template:ALeague MV 8
2007 Australia Danny Allsopp Template:ALeague MV 11

Coach of the Year Award

Year Name Club
2006 Scotland Lawrie McKinna Template:ALeague CCM
2007 Australia Ernie Merrick Template:ALeague MV

Fair Play Award

The Fair Play Award will go to the team with the lowest points on the fair play ladder at the conclusion of the home and away season (Yellow Card = 1 point, Direct Red Card = 3 points, 2nd Caution Red Card = 2 points).

Year Club
2006

Template:ALeague PG

2007

Template:ALeague PG

Zurich Referee of the Year

Year Referee
2006

Mark Shield

2007

Mark Shield

TV Coverage

The Hyundai A League, being a new league, hasn't got the TV coverage that the Premier League has for instance. However, it is rapidly growing and can be seen in some countries:

Rivalries

Although there are no local derbies, due to the league's one-city one-team policy, many rivalries have formed between A-League sides:

  • Template:ALeague AU v Template:ALeague MV: Considered by many as the greatest rivalry in the league. Much like the Queensland/Sydney rivalry, the historical Australian rules football rivalry between the cities has passed into a general sporting and cultural rivalry. Contested the 2006-07 A-League Grand Final, in which Melbourne convincingly won 6-0.
  • Template:ALeague AU v Template:ALeague SFC: The clash between the two most successful teams in the A-League's inaugural year (Adelaide the Premiership and Sydney the eventual winners).The finals series between the two teams was explosive and led to the establishment of a rivalry between the clubs.
  • Template:ALeague SFC v Template:ALeague MV: The clash between Australia's two biggest cities. Sydney and Melbourne have been historical rivals for over a century, and their football teams are no exception. The rivalry between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory has become arguably the most bitter in the A League, with almost every match between the two teams characterised by spiteful confrontations, controversy and consistently record-breaking crowds. There is also an intense rivalry emerging between the supporters of the clubs.
  • Template:ALeague NUJ v Template:ALeague CCM: Labelled the "F3 Derby" by commentators,[28] the two regional clubs, only an hour apart, are also big rivals. Due to their close geographic proximity, the Mariners/Jets rivalry is identified as the closest thing to a true 'local derby' that the league offers.
  • Template:ALeague NUJ v Template:ALeague SFC: Sydney had never beaten their intra-state rivals until January 1 2007. The rivalry between these teams was originally mild, with most Newcastle supporters more concerned with the Central Coast and most Sydney supporters more concerned with Melbourne. However, the on-field rivalry reached explosive levels in the 2006-2007 Minor Semi-Final. [29]
  • Template:ALeague CCM v Template:ALeague SFC: Although not the most intense rivalry in the competition, there is still a history that adds an element of importance for the fans in this fixture. Template:ALeague SFC beat the Template:ALeague CCM in the inaugural A-League grand final in 2005. Due to this it is considered by the fans as the grudge match of the A-League. The Template:ALeague CCM supporters (the marinators) take great pride in beating Template:ALeague SFC, and Sydney supporters (the cove) take great pleasure in reminding them of the score in the final.
  • Template:ALeague QR v Template:ALeague CCM: Though not a very big rivalry in the A-League, these two teams have a long history of draws and drew with each other in their first five clashes in the A-League until Template:ALeague QR finally broke through with a 3-2 win at Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium in Round 17 of the A-League 2006-07 season.


References

  1. ^ "FFA Statement Regarding New Zealand Knights". 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Hyundai A-League To Feature in FIFA 08 Video Game". 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  3. ^ "ASA announce several significant initiatives". 2004-03-22. Retrieved 2006-11-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Australian Soccer announces the Hyundai A-League". 2004-11-01. Retrieved 2006-11-03.
  5. ^ "Facts and Figures". 2006-02-09. Retrieved 2006-12-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Historic deal to secure Football's future". 2006-05-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Plan to bring back Socceroos". The World Game. 2006-08-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Tough trip for Waitt's lineup". The Dominion Post. 2007-02-10. Retrieved 2007-02-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Lynch, Michael (2007-02-01). "Victory chairman wants Asia, US teams in pre-season". Retrieved 2007-02-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ NZ franchise for A-League.
  12. ^ a b "NZ Phoenix to rise in A League". News.com.au. 2007-03-28. Retrieved 2007-03-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b c "Kiwis alive as Townsville pulls pin". Fox Sports. 2007-03-19. Retrieved 2007-03-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "The time is right to go into the ref's book". The Age. 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2007-01-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Pre-Season Cup to go Regional". 2006-05-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "New and old for Kossie (see Matt Carroll interview section)". 2006-07-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Hyundai A-League > Rules". A-League.com.au. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ a b "Grand Final rematch to open HAL season". A-League.com.au. May 1, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Logo signals refreshing new era". 2004-11-01. Retrieved 2006-12-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ A-League salary cap to rise
  21. ^ Cockerill, Michael (2006-08-19). "Win-win situation to get Wollongong into A-League". SMH. Retrieved 2007-02-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "ASA announce several significant initiatives". 2004-03-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "A-League launch speech by FFA chairman Mr Frank Lowy AC". 2004-11-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Osbourne, Paul (2006-08-10). "Chief talks up Townsville". Fox Sports. Retrieved 2007-02-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Canberra chief: 4 new teams on A-League radar (Google cache)". 2006-03-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Australia's finest designers in trophy challenge". Football Federation Australia. 2005-12-19. Retrieved 2006-11-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Australia received two spots in AFC Champions League". 2006-07-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "Fans steamed up for derby - if they get there". Sydney Morning Herald. 2006-11-11. Retrieved 2006-11-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "Jets down Sydney FC in night of spite". Sydney Morning Herald. 2007-02-02. Retrieved 2006-02-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

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