A-League Men: Difference between revisions
Line 276: | Line 276: | ||
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Peter Jungschläger]] |
| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Peter Jungschläger]] |
||
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Alex Smith (footballer born 1985)|Alex Smith]] |
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Alex Smith (footballer born 1985)|Alex Smith]] |
||
| {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Glen Moss]]<sup>2</sup> |
| {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Glen Moss]]<sup>2</sup><br> {{flagicon|Eritrea}} [[Samuel Ghebrehiwet]]<sup>1</sup><br> {{flagicon|Eritrea}} [[Ambes Sium]]<sup>1</sup> |
||
|- style="vertical-align:top;" |
|- style="vertical-align:top;" |
||
| [[File:MelbourneHeartColours.png|20px]] '''{{ALeague MH}}''' |
| [[File:MelbourneHeartColours.png|20px]] '''{{ALeague MH}}''' |
Revision as of 00:57, 26 August 2011
File:A-League logo.png | |
Founded | 2004 |
---|---|
Country | ![]() ![]() |
Confederation | AFC (Asia) |
Number of teams | 10 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Domestic cup(s) | FFA Cup |
International cup(s) | AFC Champions League |
Current champions | Template:ALeague BR (2010–11) |
Current premiers | Template:ALeague BR |
Most championships | Template:ALeague SFC Template:ALeague MV (2 each) |
Most premierships | Template:ALeague MV (2) |
TV partners | Fox Sports |
Website | www.a-league.com.au |
Current: 2011–12 A-League |
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football (soccer) league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia (FFA), it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company Australia and Qantas, and is therefore officially known as the Hyundai A-League.
The league is contested by ten teams: nine located across Australia and one from New Zealand.[1] Related leagues include a National Youth League and the Women's Westfield W-League.
Format
Pre-Season Cup
Prior to the 2009–10 season, a pre-season competition was held in August, as a precursor to the main season. In the Pre-Season Cup, the teams were evenly placed into two groups. Each team played the others in the group once over three rounds.
Beginning in 2006, an additional bonus round was 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 were 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.
- 4 bonus points for scoring 5 goals by a player.
This format was edited for the 2007 competition. The bonus round was removed, and the bonus points system introduced into each of the first three rounds. All eight teams then entered a knock-out round, culminating in the final in late August.
The Pre-Season Cup was removed from 2009-10's A-League schedule in order to give the clubs more control over their own pre-season training.[2]
Regular season
The regular season runs mainly during the Australian summer, from early August to February of the following year. The competition consists of 30 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.[3] 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.[4]
At the completion of the regular season teams are ranked from one through to ten with the top six teams progressing 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 accumulated, the following criteria are applied, in order, until one of the teams can be determined as the higher ranked:
- 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.
Finals series
The top-six-ranked teams at the end of the regular season are entered into a finals series,[5] where the top two ranked teams in the regular season compete over two legs (with ties decided by the away goals rule, including extra time), the winner progressing straight to and hosting the Grand Final.
On the same weekend, the third and sixth-ranked teams play against each other; the same for the fourth and fifth-ranked teams. The winner of each of these matches plays against each other, the winner of which goes ahead to play in a Preliminary Final against the loser of the two-legged match between the top two teams. The winner of this match progresses to the Grand Final. 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 the Grand Final then the other Grand Final competitor will be awarded the second spot in the competition, win or lose.[4] In previous seasons the finals series had four teams, which was extended to accommodate for the increased number of clubs in the competition.
FFA Cup
Details and format of the FFA Cup have been declared finalised and it will be a knock-out style cup. The FFA Cup has been announced to launch in March 2012 to January 2013 [6] during the 2012-13 A-League season with games to be played midweek and the final to be held on Australia Day. All football clubs will be available to enter the cup and smaller teams will have to survive earlier knockout rounds before mixing with A-League clubs in the last-32 stage.
The winner of the cup is expected to gain qualification to the AFC Champions League. It is hoped that the cup will help engage local football fans in the community and subsequently boosting interest in the A-League.
Promotion
The A-League logo, designed by Coast Design Sydney, is a three-dimensional sphere. 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.[7]
At the start of the inaugural season, an A$3 million dollar advertising campaign was 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 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. The theme of the current campaign is "90 minutes, 90 emotions".[8] This promotional campaign continued into the 2008–09 season, along with music track "My People" from Australian act The Presets.
The A-League has been featured in the FIFA series by EA SPORTS since the 2008 edition of the game, as well as the Football Manager series by SI Games and the Championship Manager series by Beautiful Game Studios.[9]
In 2008, 2009 and 2010 a Fox reality show, Football Superstar, offered as a prize, to the winner, a contract with an A-League club. The clubs that have participated so far are Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar
Current Clubs
There are currently nine clubs from Australia and one New Zealand playing in the A-League. Only four of these clubs, Template:ALeague AU, Brisbane Roar (as Queensland Roar), Newcastle Jets, and Template:ALeague PG, 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 American based sports leagues.
Wellington Phoenix replaced the Template:ALeague NZK at the start of the 2007–08 season.[10][11]
On March 1, 2011 the FFA officially announced that the license held by franchise North Queensland Fury had been revoked due to financial reasons.[12]
Team | City | Stadium | Founded | Joined | Head Coach | Captain |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Current A-League Clubs | ||||||
Adelaide United | ![]() |
Hindmarsh Stadium | 2003 | 2005 | ![]() |
TBA |
Brisbane Roar | ![]() |
Suncorp Stadium | 1957 | 2005 | ![]() |
TBA |
Central Coast Mariners | ![]() |
Bluetongue Stadium | 2004 | 2005 | ![]() |
![]() |
Gold Coast United | ![]() |
Skilled Park | 2008 | 2009 | ![]() |
![]() |
Melbourne Heart | ![]() |
AAMI Park | 2008 | 2010 | ![]() |
![]() |
Melbourne Victory | ![]() |
AAMI Park & Etihad Stadium | 2004 | 2005 | ![]() |
![]() |
Newcastle Jets | ![]() |
EnergyAustralia Stadium | 2000 | 2005 | ![]() |
TBA |
Perth Glory | ![]() |
NIB Stadium | 1995 | 2005 | ![]() |
![]() |
Sydney FC | ![]() |
Sydney Football Stadium | 2004 | 2005 | ![]() |
![]() |
Wellington Phoenix | ![]() |
Westpac Stadium | 2007 | 2007 | ![]() |
![]() |
Team | City | Stadium | Founded | Joined | Ceased Operations | Last Head Coach | Last Captain |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Defunct Franchises | |||||||
New Zealand Knights | ![]() |
North Harbour Stadium | 1998 | 2005 | 2007 | ![]() |
![]() |
North Queensland Fury | ![]() |
Dairy Farmers Stadium | 2008 | 2009 | 2011 | ![]() |
![]() |
Expansion
While making a relatively modest start in order to ensure future stability, both Football Federation Australia and the media have indicated significant interest in expanding the league. The eight foundation clubs had exclusivity clauses for their respective cities valid for five years, but this does not exclude teams from other areas. 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.
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.[13][14][15][16]
On 29 September 2009 West Sydney were given an A-League license for the 2011–12 season.[17][18] On 2 October, the club was officially named Sydney Rovers FC.[19] This was to be short lived as on the 10 December 2010 it was officially announced that Sydney Rovers FC would not be admitted to the competition and that the league administration would commence the search for a new Western Sydney Franchise.[20] Consortiums from Wollongong, Tasmania and Canberra are seeking to convince the FFA to instead award the 12th licence to their bids.
Squad and salary cap
An A-League squad must have between 20 and 23 players, with a maximum of 5 players from outside Australia (and New Zealand, in the case of Wellington Phoenix).[21] The squad must also include at least three under-20 players[22] and may have one additional player from the Asian Football Confederation[citation needed].
For the 2010-11 season, each club has a salary cap of A$2.35 million (excluding Marquee, guest and replacement players) on top of Additional Services Agreements (ASA's) that can be worth up to A$275,000[21] – much less than the millions of dollars a year that individual star players earn in Europe's top football leagues. The average annual salary for an A-league player excluding Marquee players is A$106,608 and the minimum salary is A$46,215.[21][23]
These players do not fill a Visa position:
1Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian Residency (and New Zealand Residency, in the case of Wellington Phoenix);
2Australian residents (and New Zealand residents, in the case of Wellington Phoenix) who have chosen to represent another national team;
3Injury Replacement Players;
4Guest Players (eligible to play a maximum of ten games).
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 exempt from the salary cap. Arguably the best-known example of a marquee player in the A-League was the prominent former FA Premier League player Dwight Yorke, who played for Sydney FC in the inaugural season.[citation needed] From the 2008–09 season, A-League clubs may have a Junior Marquee player who is under the age of 23. The Junior Marquee's wages can be subsidised with A$150,000 outside the salary cap. On 19 April 2010 the A-League announced that in addition to marquee players and junior marquee, the 2010-11 season would also allow for an Australian marquee player.[24]
Club | Australian Marquee | International Marquee | Junior Marquee player | Captain | Vice-Captain |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
None | None | None |
![]() |
None | None | None | None | ![]() |
![]() |
None | None | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
None | None | ![]() |
![]() |
None |
![]() |
None | None | None | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
None | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
None | None | None | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
None | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
"none" |
![]() |
None | None[30] | None | ![]() |
![]() |
Youth league
Before the A-League 2008-09 season, a national youth league was set up in conjunction with the A-League in order to continue to blood young Australian talent into the league as well as into the Australian national team and its affiliates such as the under 17, under 20 and under 23 teams. The league's inaugural season was made up of seven teams, each linked to the corresponding Australian club in the A-League (excluding Template:ALeague WP) and had strong links to players training at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). Some changes were implemented for the 2009–10 season, including the addition of the Template:ALeague GCU and a team from the AIS. Wellington Phoenix does not have a team in the youth league.
The original format of the youth league was similar to the previous A-league, made up of 21 rounds (18 games each plus three byes) corresponding with the A-League fixtures and occasionally used as curtain raisers. The new format has 27 rounds, however each team has three byes over the season.
Stadiums
Primary venues used in the A-League:
Template:ALeague BR | Template:ALeague SFC | Template:ALeague WP | Template:ALeague NUJ | Template:ALeague MH Template:ALeague MV |
---|---|---|---|---|
Suncorp Stadium | Sydney Football Stadium | Westpac Stadium | Ausgrid Stadium | AAMI Park |
Capacity: 52,500 | Capacity: 45,500 | Capacity: 36,000 | Capacity: 33,000 | Capacity: 30,050 |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||
Template:ALeague GCU | Template:ALeague PG | Template:ALeague CCM | Template:ALeague AU | |
Skilled Park | nib Stadium | Bluetongue Stadium | Hindmarsh Stadium | |
Capacity: 27,400 | Capacity: 20,500 | Capacity: 20,119 | Capacity: 17,000 | |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Other venues used by A-League clubs include:
AMI Stadium | 38,628 | Used by Template:ALeague WP for two A-League matches against Template:ALeague AU on 30 January and 5 December 2010[31] |
Adelaide Oval | 40,000 | Used by Template:ALeague AU for three A-League matches against Template:ALeague SFC on 28 December 2007, 3 January 2009 and 29 December 2010 and for an A-League match against Template:ALeague MV on 11 February 2011 |
Canberra Stadium | 25,011 | Used by Template:ALeague CCM for an A-League match against Template:ALeague PG on 4 September 2009 and again for an A-League match against Template:ALeague AU on 31 October 2009 |
Docklands Stadium | 53,359 | Used by Template:ALeague MV for eight matches during 2006–07 season,[note 1] then served as team's permanent home venue for three following seasons and in 2010–11 season was used for five matches[note 2] |
Dairy Farmers Stadium | 26,500 | Used by Template:ALeague NQF in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons |
North Harbour Stadium | 25,000 | Used by Template:ALeague NZK in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons |
Parramatta Stadium | 21,487 | Used by Template:ALeague SFC for an AFC Champions League game on 25 April 2007 and in two A-League matches against Template:ALeague PG on 7 February and 21 November 2010. |
Olympic Park Stadium | 18,500 | Used by Template:ALeague MV in the 2005–06 season and part of the 2006–07 season[note 1] |
Arena Manawatu | 18,000 | Used by Template:ALeague WP for an A-League match against Template:ALeague SFC on 12 December 2009 |
Port Macquarie Regional Stadium | 10,000 | Used by Template:ALeague NUJ for an A-League match against Template:ALeague MH on 31 October 2010 (as the emergency replacement venue) |
Notes:
- ^ a b Olympic Park Stadium was Melbourne Victory's home stadium during the 2005–06 season. Their round 2 match of the 2006–07 season, on 2 September 2006, was originally a one-off game at Docklands Stadium. After the success of the event, a further seven home games were relocated to Docklands Stadium, which went on to become Melbourne finals series' home venue and as of the 2007–08 season, the full-time home ground of the club.
- ^ Due to the existing contract with Docklands, the newly built Melbourne Rectangular Stadium was the Victory's home stadium on a limited basis for the 2010–11 season and became the team's permanent home stadium from 2011 onwards.
Crowds
Average crowds for the regular season are listed below. These figures do not include finals, international friendlies or AFC Champions League matches.
Team | Crowd average | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | |
![]() |
13,684 | 12,162 | 12,697 | 11,712 | 10,765 | 11,552 | – |
![]() |
14,785 | 16,465 | 16,951 | 12,995 | 8,652 | 9,279 | – |
![]() |
7,899 | 9,828 | 12,738 | 10,465 | 7,426 | 7,713 | – |
![]() |
– | – | – | – | 5,392 | 3,434 | – |
![]() |
– | – | – | – | – | 8,312 | – |
![]() |
14,158 | 27,728 | 26,064 | 24,516 | 21,105 | 15,234 | – |
![]() |
8,912 | 11,442 | 13,177 | 9,729 | 6,340 | 8,429 | – |
![]() |
3,909 | 3,0141 | – | – | – | – | – |
![]() |
– | – | – | – | 6,723 | 4,245 | – |
![]() |
9,734 | 7,671 | 7,606 | 7,942 | 9,209 | 8,488 | – |
![]() |
16,669 | 14,999 | 16,382 | 12,380 | 12,987 | 7,656 | – |
![]() |
– | –1 | 11,684 | 7,193 | 8,965 | 7,981 | – |
Whole season | 11,281 | 12,985 | 14,608 | 12,181 | 9,831 | 8,393 | – |
1New Zealand Knights A-league Licence taken and renewed to new franchise Wellington Phoenix after season 2006-07.
Referees
The A-League also features some of Australia and New Zealand's top match officials.[32] Referees include:
A Panel Referees: | B Panel Referees: |
Chris Beath, Queensland, FIFA Matthew Breeze, New South Wales, FIFA/AFC Strebre Delovski, New South Wales, FIFA Peter Green, Queensland, FIFA/AFC Peter O'Leary, New Zealand, FIFA Ben Williams, Australian Capital Territory, FIFA/AFC |
Kurt Ams, Australia Chris Boyle, Scotland Kevin Docherty, Victoria Jarred Gillett, Queensland Matthew Gillett, New South Wales Kris Griffiths-Jones, New South Wales Allan Milliner, Queensland Ryan Shepheard, Australia Jamie Cross, New Zealand, FIFA/A-League 4th Official Matthew Conger, New Zealand, A-League 4th Official |
A Panel Assistant Referees | B Panel Assistant Referees |
Rodney Allen, New South Wales, FIFA/AFC Hakan Anaz, Victoria, FIFA/AFC Brent Best, New Zealand, FIFA Luke Brennan, Victoria, FIFA Paul Cetrangolo, South Australia Matthew Cheeseman, Western Australia Matthew Cream, South Australia, FIFA/AFC Daniel Dewhurst, New South Wales Scott Edeling, New South Wales Shaun Evans, Victoria Joe Fusari, Western Australia FIFA Alex Glasgow, New South Wales FIFA Daniel Goodwin, South Australia Jan Hintz, New Zealand, FIFA Sarah Ho, New South Wales, FIFA Brad Hobson, Queensland Glen Lochrie, New Zealand, FIFA Mark Rule, New Zealand, FIFA Denis Silk, FIFA/AFC Ben Wilson, Australian Capital Territory, FIFA/AFC Murray Wilson, New South Wales |
Ashley Beecham, Queensland Graham Buzzi, Queensland Allyson Flynn, Australian Capital Territory, FIFA Ryan Gallagher, Nathan Macdonald, James Nicolopoulos, Victoria Michael Nugus, Western Australia Josh Manella, Western Australia David Walsh, Queensland Curtis Wordsworth, South Australia |
Champions and premiers
The club that accumulates the most points during the regular season receives the title of Premiers. Media reports sometimes erroneously refer to the Premiers as the minor premiers, a term used in other football codes in Australia. The team that wins the Grand Final receives the title of Champions.[33]
No team has ever successfully defended the Premiership or Championship. See also the list of champions from 1977 to 2004 in the previous National Soccer League competition. Note: Apart from the 05-06 season, the teams who won the premiership/came runner up have played in the grand final for that year
Premiership Winners
Titles | Team | Year(s) |
---|---|---|
2 | ![]() |
2007, 2009 |
1 | ![]() |
2006 |
1 | ![]() |
2011 |
1 | ![]() |
2008 |
1 | ![]() |
2010 |
Championship Winners
Titles | Team | Year(s) |
---|---|---|
2 | ![]() |
2007, 2009 |
2 | ![]() |
2006, 2010 |
1 | ![]() |
2011 |
1 | ![]() |
2008 |
Oceania Club Championship
In 2004–2005 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.
Season | Qualified clubs | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Team | Final Position | |||
2004–05 Details |
Template:ALeague SFC ![]() |
Winners Details |
AFC Champions League
See also: Australian clubs in the AFC Champions League
Two A-League clubs have participated in the AFC Champions League competition each season[34] since the 2007 competition. Theses 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 Champions and Premiers qualify for the cup. In the case where the same team is Champion and Premier, the losing grand finalist qualifies. The fact that a whole season passes before clubs compete in the Champions League is controversial[citation needed], as the next season passes before the Champions League begins. For example, Newcastle Jets competed in the 2009 Champions League, even though they finished last in the 2008–09 A-League season.
Season | Qualified clubs | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Team | Final Position | Team | Final Position | |
2007 Details |
Template:ALeague SFC ![]() |
Group Stage (2nd) Details |
Template:ALeague AU ![]() |
Group Stage (3rd) Details |
2008 Details |
Template:ALeague MV ![]() |
Group Stage (2nd) Details |
Template:ALeague AU ![]() |
Runners-up Details |
2009 Details |
Template:ALeague NUJ ![]() |
Round of 16 Details |
Template:ALeague CCM ![]() |
Group Stage (4th) Details |
2010 Details |
Template:ALeague MV ![]() |
Group Stage (4th) Details |
Template:ALeague AU ![]() |
Round of 16 Details |
2011 Details |
Template:ALeague SFC ![]() |
Group Stage (3rd) Details |
Template:ALeague MV ![]() |
Group Stage (4th) Details |
2012 Details |
Template:ALeague BR ![]() |
Yet to play |
Template:ALeague CCM ![]() |
Yet to play |
All Time A-League Leaders
Shows Players at current club or last club played for. Bold denotes players still playing in the A-League. Last Updated 5 August 2011
|
Shows Players at current club or last club played for. Bold denotes players still playing in the A-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 players from their own team.
Joe Marston Medal
The Joe Marston Medal is given to the best player in an A-League Grand Final. It is named after Joe Marston, a Socceroo in the 1950s.
NAB Young Footballer
The NAB Young Footballer Award is awarded to a youth (under 20) player judged by a panel of experts to be the best young performer throughout the season.
Reebok Golden Boot
The Reebok Golden Boot is presented to the player who scores the most goals during the season. Only regular A-League matches between Round 1 and Round 27 (or to Round 21 before season 2009–10) are included.
Goalkeeper of the Year Award
Manager of the Year Award
Fair Play Award
The Fair Play Award goes 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 |
---|---|
2005–06 | ![]() |
2006–07 | ![]() |
2007–08 | ![]() |
2008–09 | ![]() |
2009–10 | ![]() |
2010–11 | ![]() |
Zurich Referee of the Year
Year | Referee |
---|---|
2005–06 | ![]() |
2006–07 | ![]() |
2007–08 | ![]() |
2008–09 | ![]() |
2009–10 | ![]() |
2010–11 | ![]() |
Foreign Player of the Year
Year | Player/s | Club |
---|---|---|
2008–09 | ![]() |
![]() |
2009–10 | ![]() |
![]() |
2010–11 | ![]() |
![]() |
Solo Goal of the Year
Year | Player/s | Club |
---|---|---|
2009–10 | ![]() |
![]() |
2010–11 | ![]() |
![]() |
TV Coverage
From the start of the inaugural 2005 season, TV coverage has been restricted to the subscription-only Fox Sport channel which obtained exclusive rights until 2012, which means that A-League games, as well as Socceroos matches, cannot be viewed free-to-air. That decision has been the source of much debate among the football community in Australia. On one hand, it is recognised that the injection of funds from the Fox contract assisted the league in its inception years, however, on the other hand the lack of free-to-air viewing prevented the majority of Australians, without pay-TV, from accessing the A-League on TV. The point of debate is whether the combination of Fox cash plus restrictions to free-to-air TV has either helped or hindered the A-League more in those crucial early years.
- Australia – Fox Sports (live coverage & highlights)
- New Zealand – SKY Sport (New Zealand) (live coverage & highlights)
- United States – Fox Soccer Channel (1 game per week + highlights)
- Hong Kong – Cable TV Hong Kong (1 / 2 game per week + highlights)
- Canada – Fox Sports World (highlights)
- United Kingdom – Sky Sports (highlights + Play offs and Final live)
Rivalries
Although there is only one local derby in the history of the A-league (the two Melbourne-based clubs) many 'rivalries' have formed between A-League sides:
- Template:ALeague MH v Template:ALeague MV: "Melbourne derby" The two teams first met on 8 October 2010 in a lively game at AAMI Park in front of 25,897 fans. Melbourne Heart came out on top with a 2-1 victory. Although the crowd was dominated by Victory fans, the Heart fans made their presence known. Aziz Behich was sent off after receiving two yellow cards. Even though they have only played three games, the rivalry is one of the most intense and well respected in the A-league, producing noticeable atmosphere and the largest crowds in the league, along with controversy with 11 goals and 2 reds cards in only three games.
- Template:ALeague SFC v Template:ALeague MV: "The Big Blue" The clash between Australia's two biggest cities is considered one of the biggest rivalries in the league by both sets of fans. Sydney and Melbourne have been historical rivals for over a century, and their football teams are no exception. These contests are often full of spite and controversy on and off the pitch, the most recent example being a clash between Daniel Allsopp and Sydney coach John Kosmina.
- Template:ALeague AU v Template:ALeague MV: "The Cross Border Rivalry" Contested the 2006–07 and 2008–09 A-League Grand Finals, in which Melbourne won 6–0 and 1–0 respectively. The Adelaide vs Melbourne 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.
- Template:ALeague NUJ v Template:ALeague CCM: Labelled "The F3 Derby" by commentators,[35] the two regional clubs, only an hour apart, are also big rivals. The derby was intensified when the two teams played each other in the 2008 Finals series and eventually met in the Grand Final, which was won 1–0 by the Jets.
- Template:ALeague BR v Template:ALeague GCU: "The M1" or "South East Queensland Derby". Before their first encounter there were big media reports and controversy in the lead up to their first matchup in round 1 of the 2009–10 season. Hype was also surrounding Gold Coast United coach Miron Bleiberg (Former Queensland Roar Coach) returning to Suncorp Stadium. One of the most famous clashes, 26 December 2009, was hotly contested after former Roar star Charlie Miller left the club to join the Gold Coast.
- Template:ALeague SFC v Template:ALeague CCM: The South NSW derby. The two clubs, close geographically, contested two of the first finals for A-League teams- the 2005 Oceania Club Championship and the inaugural A-League grand final, both won by Sydney 1-0. The two have a reputation for playing high scoring games, including a 5-4 win to Sydney.
References
- ^ "North Qld, Gold Coast to join A-League". ABC News. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
- ^ Hassett, Sebastian (20 April 2009). "Clubs ditch Pre-Season Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
- ^ "Hyundai A-League > Rules". A-League.com.au. Retrieved 3 November 2006.
- ^ a b "Grand Final rematch to open HAL season". A-League.com.au. 1 May 2006. Retrieved 3 November 2006.
- ^ Template:PDFlink Football Federation Australia, 20 April 2009. Retrieved on 28 April 2009.
- ^ "Small players to get a shot at A-League's best". The Age. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "Logo signals refreshing new era". 1 November 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2006.
- ^ "New A-League ad hits the screens". FourFourTwo. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
- ^ "Hyundai A-League To Feature in FIFA 08 Video Game". 20 August 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2007.
- ^ "Kiwis alive as Townsville pulls pin". Fox Sports. 19 March 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
- ^ "NZ Phoenix to rise in A League". News.com.au. 28 March 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
- ^ HAL Hath No Fury
- ^ "ASA announce several significant initiatives". 22 March 2004.
- ^ "A-League launch speech by FFA chairman Mr Frank Lowy AC". 13 November 2004.
- ^ Osbourne, Paul (10 August 2006). "Chief talks up Townsville". Fox Sports. Retrieved 6 February 2007.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Fourfourtwo.com FFA Okay West Sydney For 2011
- ^ Fourfourtow.com All There Is To Know On The New Sydney Side
- ^ Fourfourtwo.com Sydney Rovers...Its Official!- now defunct as of 25 October
- ^ theworldgame.com.au All over red Rovers
- ^ a b c "A-league Collective Bargaining Agreement 2008–2013". Australian PFA. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "A-League salary cap to rise". The Daily Telegraph. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
- ^ "Consumer Price Index, Australia, Dec 2010". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ "A=League CBA". Australian PFA. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/serg-shocked-at-marquee-status/story-e6frecj3-1226026295439
- ^ http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/harry-kewell-deal-puts-carlos-hernandez-under-pressure-as-melbourne-victory-face-salary-cap-issues/story-e6frf4gl-1226119174506
- ^ http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/harry-kewell-deal-puts-carlos-hernandez-under-pressure-as-melbourne-victory-face-salary-cap-issues/story-e6frf4gl-1226119174506
- ^ http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/199626,culina-injury-woes-worry.aspx
- ^ http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/201980,smeltzs-new-glory-days.aspx
- ^ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/soccer-football/news/article.cfm?c_id=86&objectid=10690104
- ^ http://www.wellingtonphoenix.com/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=33975
- ^ http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/2009GameDev/default.aspx?s=ccommunity_referees_news_news_item_new&id=33901
- ^ "Australia's finest designers in trophy challenge". Football Federation Australia. 19 December 2005. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
- ^ "Australia received two spots in AFC Champions League". 18 July 2006.
- ^ "Fans steamed up for derby – if they get there". Sydney Morning Herald. 11 November 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2006.