A-League
A-League 2008-09
Countries	Australia New Zealand
Confederation	AFC
Founded	2004
First season	2005-06
Number of teams	8
International cups	AFC Champions League
Current champions	Newcastle United Jets (2007-08)
Current premiers	Central Coast Mariners (2007-08)
Most championships	Melbourne Victory, Newcastle United Jets, & Sydney (1)
Most premierships	Adelaide United, Central Coast Mariners, & Melbourne Victory (1)
Website	A-League.com.au

For the former US soccer league of the same name see A-League (American)

The A-League is the premier Australasian domestic football (soccer) competition. Football Federation Australia (FFA is the governing body for the sport of football (soccer in Australia. New Zealand Football (formerly New Zealand Soccer) is the governing body for the sport of association football (soccer in New Zealand. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The AFC Champions League is the current annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation (AFC For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. The original A-League (formerly the American Professional Soccer League) was a professional men's Soccer league in North America. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Founded in 2004 and staging its inaugural season in 2005-06, the league is contested by eight teams: seven covering Australia's major cities and regional centres and one from New Zealand. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island ^[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. In the 2007-08 season, these were awarded to Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets respectively. Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in

History

In 2003, a report on soccer (as it was then called) 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 soccer competition. The Independent Soccer Review Committee published a report in 2003 on the governance of Association Football in Australia popularly called the Crawford This article describes the federal government of Australia See Australian governments for other jurisdictions Football Federation Australia (FFA is the governing body for the sport of football (soccer in Australia. This page is on the former Australian soccer league For the former Canadian league see Canadian National Soccer League. 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. Football Federation Australia (FFA is the governing body for the sport of football (soccer in Australia. 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 franchises 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. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island ^[2] 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 Central Coast is an urban region in the Australian state of New South Wales, located on the coast north of Sydney and south of Lake Macquarie Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi 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. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas ^[3]

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. Dwight Eversley Yorke (born November 3 1971 in Canaan, Tobago) is a Trinidad and Tobago football player Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition The Australian national football team represents Australia in international association football competitions Nedjeljko Zelić, short form Ned Zelić (born on 4 July 1971 in Sydney) is a Croatian Australian Football (soccer player who plays for Stephen Christopher Corica (born March 24, 1973 in Innisfail, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player for Australian Archibald Gerald "Archie" Thompson (born 23 October 1978 in Otorohanga, New Zealand) is an Australian Football (soccer player Adelaide United FC won the inaugural A-League Premiership after the end of the home-and-away season. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. The Grand Final was played in front of 41,689 people at Aussie Stadium. The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in Sydney FC prevailed 1-0 over the Central Coast Mariners to become the first A-League Champions. Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team 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. ^[4]

An AU$120 million deal between the FFA and Fox Sports was reached in 2006 after the end of the first season. Fox Sports is an Australian group of Sports channels They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation Under the deal, Fox Sports will have exclusive rights from 2007 to all Socceroos home internationals, all A-League and AFC Asian Cup fixtures, FIFA World Cup qualifiers through the AFC, and all AFC Champions League matches. The Australian national football team represents Australia in international association football competitions The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football The AFC Champions League is the current annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation (AFC 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. ^[5]

2006-07 season

Main article: A-League 2006-07

The A-League's second season saw the return of such Australian international players as Stan Lazaridis, Tony Vidmar and Joel Griffiths which has boosted the media attention of the league. The A-League 's 2006-07 season was a Football (soccer competition For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Stanley "Stan" Lazaridis (born August 16, 1972 in Perth, Australia) is an Australian former Football (soccer Tony Vidmar (born July 4, 1970 in Adelaide) is a former Australian Football (soccer player of Slovenian-Italian origin Joel Griffiths (born August 21, 1979) is an Australian Football (soccer player The FFA also suggested the idea of sharing the expense of some of the wages of Socceroos players to bring them back to Australia. ^[6]

The all time Australian domestic association football regular season crowd record was smashed twice during the season - on September 2 and December 8, 2006 both times when Melbourne Victory hosted Sydney FC at the Telstra Dome. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment The crowd figures were 39,730 and 50,333 respectively. 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". Kevin Vincent Shaun Muscat (born 7 August 1973 in Crawley, England) is an Australian soccer player who currently plays

In December 2006 the New Zealand Knights had their licence revoked because of mounting debts. New Zealand Knights Football Club (known as Football Kingz Football Club until 2004 were the only professional Football (soccer team in New Zealand before New Zealand Football was allocated control of the team for the remainder of the season. New Zealand Football (formerly New Zealand Soccer) is the governing body for the sport of association football (soccer in New Zealand. The FFA called for bids from prospective operators to take over the New Zealand license for the next season. ^[7]

On February 18, 2007 Melbourne Victory defeated Adelaide United 6-0 to become champions of the A-League 2006-07 season in front of a crowd of over 55,000 people. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Archie Thompson was awarded the Joe Marston Medal, scoring five goals for Melbourne Victory. Archibald Gerald "Archie" Thompson (born 23 October 1978 in Otorohanga, New Zealand) is an Australian Football (soccer player The Joe Marston Medal is an A-League award given to the player of the match in the A-League Grand Final each year

Melbourne Victory 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. Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Geoff Lord is the current chairman of the Australian Football (soccer club the Melbourne Victory in the newly formed A-League. ^[8]

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 various A-League clubs. Danny Tiatto (born May 22, 1973 in Werribee, Victoria) is an Australian professional Football (soccer who formerly Craig Andrew Moore (born December 12, 1975 in Sydney New South Wales) is a defender from Australia, who plays for. Ljubomir (Ljubo Miličević (born 13 February, 1981 in Melbourne) is an Australian Football (soccer player who is currently Nick Rizzo (born June 9, 1979 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player who is currently playing Paul Agostino (born 9 June 1975 in Adelaide, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Striker. Hayden Vernon Foxe (born June 23, 1977 in Sydney) is an Australian Football (soccer player currently playing for A-League Anthony Popovic (born July 4, 1973 in Sydney, Australia) is a Croatian Australian Football (soccer player Socceroos' striker Sasho Petrovski left Sydney FC in favour of the Central Coast Mariners. The Australian national football team represents Australia in international association football competitions Sašo Petrovski (born March 5, 1975) is an Australian Football (soccer player with Macedonian ancestry Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team On October 20, the Central Coast Mariners completed perhaps the biggest signing coup in A-League history when they announced the signing of Socceroos' hero, John Aloisi. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team John Aloisi (born 5 February 1976 in Adelaide, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Striker who most recently plays for A-League ^[9] This spawned a large amount of controversy, as Aloisi's relatively large wages weren't included in the salary cap, because of a loophole involving replacing injured players. Also returning home was Stephen Laybutt signing with the Newcastle Jets after round 4. Stephen Laybutt (born 3 September, 1977 in Lithgow New South Wales) is an Australian Football (soccer player currently playing For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in

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 DC United that is reportedly worth three times the amount the Victory can afford to pay him. In Professional Sports, a salary cap (often called a wage cap in the United Kingdom) is a limit on the amount of money a team can spend on player Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva, usually known as Fred (born 18 August 1979 is a Football (soccer player from Brazil. Major League Soccer ( MLS) is the top-flight professional Soccer league in the United States and Canada with 14 teams 13 in the U DC United is a professional soccer club located in Washington D 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. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. ^[10]

On March 19, 2007, it was confirmed that a bid from Wellington, New Zealand, later to be announced as Wellington Phoenix, would be replacing the New Zealand Knights for the 2007-08 season. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League New Zealand Knights Football Club (known as Football Kingz Football Club until 2004 were the only professional Football (soccer team in New Zealand before ^[11][12] FFA granted New Zealand Football a three year license to stay in the competition in partnership with a Wellington-based consortium. New Zealand Football (formerly New Zealand Soccer) is the governing body for the sport of association football (soccer in New Zealand. ^[13]

Squad sizes were increased from 20 players to 23 players for the 2007-08 season. ^[14]

Going into round 21 of the season, four clubs (Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners, Newcastle Jets and Queensland Roar) were all on equal points, the first such occurrence in Australian football history (including AFL, NRL and Super 14). Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest The Super 14 is the largest Rugby union football club championship in the Southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland/Reds Central Coast and Newcastle won their matches and Central Coast were crowned Premiers after Queensland failed to beat Adelaide in their final match. As well as winning the Premier's Plate, Central Coast also qualified for the AFC Champions League 2009. AFC Champions League 2009 will be the 28th AFC Champions League. Sydney FC qualified for the Pan-Pacific Championship 2008 when they lost the minor semi-final. Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Pan-Pacific Championship 2008 is the inaugural edition of the Pan-Pacific Championship football competition which took place on February 20 and

On February 24, 2008, Newcastle Jets became 2007-08 Champions when they defeated Central Coast 1-0 in front of over 35,000 people at Sydney Football Stadium. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in Mark Bridge was the goalscorer for the Jets, and Andrew Durante was awarded the Joe Marston Medal, in the tough contest between the F3 rivals. Mark Bridge (born November 7, 1985 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Andrew Durante (born 3 May 1982 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player

2008-09 season

Main article: A-League 2008-09

The 2008-09 season will see the introduction of both a seven-team Youth League^[15] and a six-team Women's League^[16][17] which will run parallel to the A-League season. The A-League National Youth League is a Australian national Association football league run in parallel to the A-League. The season will also include breaks for FIFA match days for the first time. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football)

2009-10 season

Main article: A-League 2009-10

Gold Coast United FC logo

The 2009-10 season will see first expansion beyond the original size of the A-League from eight teams to at least nine with Gold Coast United FC, backed by Australia's fourth richest man Clive Palmer gaining the ninth licence agreement. Gold Coast United FC^[18] have provisional colours that reflect those of the Gold Coast City Council and mimic those of the NRL's Gold Coast Titans. The Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based on the Gold Coast in Queensland. A logo was revealed during the June 6 press conferance in which Clive Palmer officially signed the license agreement. ^[19]

Further expansion is expected to be announced with the FFA deciding by the end of June 2008 which of the two candidate bids to deal with exclusively in the race for a North Queensland licence, and further decisions to be made with the other 8 bids received with respect to interest in joining the A-League in time for the 2009-10 season. ^[20]

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. ^[21]

This format was edited for the 2007 competition. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The bonus round was removed, and the bonus points system introduced into each of the first three rounds.

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. Football Federation Australia (FFA is the governing body for the sport of football (soccer in Australia. ^[22]

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. To tie or draw is to finish a Competition with identical or inconclusive results 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. In Sports such as Ice hockey and football (soccer, goal difference (that is goals scored minus goals conceded is often the first Tiebreaker Misconduct in association football is any conduct by a player which is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction (caution or dismissal in accordance ^[23] 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. The A-League 's 2006-07 season was a Football (soccer competition The AFC Champions League is the current annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation (AFC ^[24]

At the completion of the Regular Season teams are ranked from one through eight with the first four 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:

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

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 Page playoff system is a Playoff format used primarily in Softball and Curling at the championship level The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in Association football and other sports when teams play each other twice once at each 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. The A-League 's 2006-07 season was a Football (soccer competition The AFC Champions League is the current annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation (AFC ^[24]

Promotion

The A-League logo, designed by Coast Design Sydney, is a three-dimensional sphere in the shape of a football. A football is a Ball used to play one of the various sports known as 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 Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. Spring is one of the four Temperate Seasons Spring marks the transition from Winter into Summer. Summer is one of the four Temperate Seasons Summer marks the warmest time of year with the longest days The eight 'A' figures that make up the ball shape represent the eight foundation clubs. ^[25]

At the start of the inaugural season, an AU$3 million dollar advertising campaign was launched, with the television and film advertisements produced by Ridley Scott's production company. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30 1937 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear) is a British Academy Award Nominated and Golden Globe Emmy Award and BAFTA Award winning 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 Bob Jane Stadium (also known as Lakeside Stadium) is a Football (soccer Stadium in Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 The theme of the current campaign is "90 minutes, 90 emotions". ^[26]

The A-League is featured in the video game FIFA 08 by EA SPORTS, Football Manager 2008 by SI Games and Championship Manager 2008 by Beautiful Game Studios. FIFA 08 is the next to latest installment of Electronic Arts ' series of football Video games Developed by EA Canada EA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on Sports Formerly a gimmick inside Electronic Arts sports Football Manager 2008 is the principal title of the 2008 edition of the Football Manager series of football management simulation games by Sports Interactive is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and Championship Manager 2008 is the latest game in the Championship Manager series ^[27]

Clubs

Perth

Adelaide

Melbourne

Newcastle

Central Coast

Sydney

Queensland

Wellington

There are currently eight clubs from Australia and New Zealand playing in the A-League. Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League Only three of these clubs, Adelaide United, Newcastle Jets (previously known just as Newcastle United) and Perth Glory existed before the A-League was formed. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League.

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. In many Sports leagues around the world (with North American and Australian professional leagues being the most notable exceptions promotion and relegation The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after 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 North America. Major League Soccer ( MLS) is the top-flight professional Soccer league in the United States and Canada with 14 teams 13 in the U

On March 19, 2007, it was confirmed that a Wellington based franchise would be replacing the New Zealand Knights for the 2007-08 season. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. New Zealand Knights Football Club (known as Football Kingz Football Club until 2004 were the only professional Football (soccer team in New Zealand before ^[13] The name of Wellington Phoenix was announced on March 28. Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. ^[12]

For the 2008-09 season, the eight clubs are:

Team	City	Years in competition	Home Ground
Adelaide United	Adelaide, SA	2005-06 — present	Hindmarsh Stadium (16,500)
Central Coast Mariners	Gosford, NSW	2005-06 — present	Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium (20,119)
Melbourne Victory	Melbourne, Vic	2005-06 — present	Telstra Dome (56,347)
Newcastle Jets	Newcastle, NSW	2005-06 — present	EnergyAustralia Stadium (26,126)
Perth Glory	Perth, WA	2005-06 — present	Members Equity Stadium (17,288)
Queensland Roar	Brisbane, Qld	2005-06 — present	Suncorp Stadium (52,500)
Sydney FC	Sydney, NSW	2005-06 — present	Sydney Football Stadium (45,500)
Wellington Phoenix	Wellington, NZ	2007-08 — present	Westpac Stadium (36,000)
Former clubs:
New Zealand Knights	Auckland, NZ	2005-06 — 2006-07	North Harbour Stadium

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. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Hindmarsh Stadium is a football (soccer and rugby league football Stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80km north of the Sydney Central business district Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium (formerly known as Central Coast Stadium, Northpower Stadium and Central Coast Express Advocate Stadium) is a sports venue Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie EnergyAustralia Stadium is a Football Stadium located in Newcastle New South Wales, Australia. Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Members Equity Stadium is a Sports stadium in Perth, Australia. Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Westpac Stadium, previously known as WestpacTrust Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand Knights Football Club (known as Football Kingz Football Club until 2004 were the only professional Football (soccer team in New Zealand before The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The A-League 's 2006-07 season was a Football (soccer competition North Harbour Stadium is a Stadium situated in Albany on Auckland 's North Shore in New Zealand. Football Federation Australia (FFA is the governing body for the sport of football (soccer in Australia. The eight foundation clubs have exclusivity clauses for their respective cities valid for five years, but this does not exclude teams from other areas.

Before the introduction of the A-League, FFA chairman Frank Lowy speculated that he hoped to expand the league into additional areas, mentioning Canberra, Hobart, Wollongong, Geelong and Far North Queensland. Frank Lowy AC (born 22 October, 1930 in Fiľakovo (Hungarian Fülek) Slovakia) is an Australian businessman Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. MCite/Citephp.--> Geelong (dʒəˈlɔŋ is the second largest city in the state Far North Queensland, or FNQ is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. ^[28][29][30]

A Townsville-based group first assembled a bid when it was announced that the New Zealand Knights's would not continue after the first two seasons. New Zealand Knights Football Club (known as Football Kingz Football Club until 2004 were the only professional Football (soccer team in New Zealand before The Knights' were instead replaced by Wellington Phoenix but the momentum from the bid process continued. Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League ^[13] In November 2007, it was revealed that the name of the club, if and when accepted, would be North Queensland Thunder FC, and Dairy Farmers Stadium would be the teams' home ground. Dairy Farmers Stadium is a Rugby league sports stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. ^[31][32]

Gold Coast based club Gold Coast Galaxy FC announced in December 2007 that they were ready and able to join the league upon expansion. The team is proposing to play its home games at Skilled Park. Skilled Park is a new Stadium at Robina, a suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. ^[33]

After considerable media speculation about the teams from December 2007 onwards,^[34][35][36] it was announced in February 2008 that Gold Coast Galaxy and North Queensland Thunder had been tentatively admitted to the league for the 2008-09 season - pending the provision to FFA of additional financial criteria. ^[37] However expansion was later delayed for at least another season. ^[38].

In May 2008, FFA announced their intention to add as many as four teams to the league for the 2009-10 season. Football Federation Australia (FFA is the governing body for the sport of football (soccer in Australia. ^[39] Both Townsville and the Gold Coast also saw the appearance of competing bids - by former Thunder backer Melissa Fischer-Massa^[40] and billionaire Clive Palmer^[41] On June 6, 2008, the FFA announced that Clive Palmer had signed a provisional agreement to enter a franchise, to be named Gold Coast United FC, in the 2009-10 season. Clive Palmer (born May 13 1943 is a British folk musician and Banjoist best known as a founding member of the Incredible String Band. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[42] The success of this is expected to rely on the acceptance of the tenth franchise's inclusion for this season. Other areas to talk publicly about bids include:

• Wollongong - 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. For the rugby league competition see New South Wales Cup The New South Wales Premier League is the highest State level men's Football It's been rumoured this club will be backed by Bruce Gordon, Australia's 14th richest person. ^[43]

• A second Melbourne team - On February 14, 2007, South Melbourne announced their interest in becoming the second Victorian club in the A-League. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. This page relates to the association football club known as South Melbourne FC After Melbourne Victory announced they would not be playing at the new Melbourne Rectangular Stadium unless it had a capacity of at least 30,000, the government suggested a second Melbourne team would play there. Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is a planned outdoor sports stadium to be located on Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne, Australia. A consortium of investors are willing to put at least 5 to 6 million dollars per annum into the venture, and a letter of interest from the football club has been sent to the FFA. Football Federation Australia (FFA is the governing body for the sport of football (soccer in Australia. The agreement that will see the new Stadium built with a 31,500 capacity means that it will be extremely unlikely such a bid will succeed based on the above conditions. ^[44][39] In June, it was announced the existence of three separate consortiums bidding for second Melbourne franchise ^[45]

• Tasmania - In October 2007, Football Federation Tasmania CEO Martin Shaw suggested that a Tasmanian team would be a viable location for an A-League club, mentioning the fact that it would need support from state and local government. Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass Football Federation Tasmania is the governing body for Association football (soccer in the Australian state of Tasmania. It has been suggested that such a team would play games in both Hobart and Launceston. Launceston ( (short first vowel /ˈlɔːnsəstən/ is often incorrectly heard in other parts of Australia is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia ^[46][47] In 2008, a Tasmanian Football Taskforce was formed to investigate an A-League bid. ^[48][49]

• Geelong - Local politician Darren Cheeseman has suggested a Geelong A-League club be the second Victorian club in 2010. MCite/Citephp.--> Geelong (dʒəˈlɔŋ is the second largest city in the state Darren Leicester Cheeseman (born 8 June 1976) Australian politician was the successful Australian Labor Party candidate for the federal seat of Corangamite ^[50]

• Western Sydney has also been suggested as a viable location for an A-League team. Greater Western Sydney, Western Sydney and the Western Suburbs are general terms which are used to describe the western region of the metropolitan area of Sydney This team would most likely play at ANZ Stadium. ^[35][39]

• Canberra is also a potential site for a future A-League side. Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. It has the stadium infrastructure in place as well as a larger population base than the Central Coast Club. Factors counting against a Canberra team would include the limited private sector funding available and saturation of the Canberra sporting marker with Rugby Union (Brumbies) and Rugby League (Raiders) already having a foothold in the Canberra market. On the other hand, both rugby league and rugby union play their games in the winter, whereas the A-League plays in summer, so there would not be that much conflict. A Canberra bid would not be backed by capital football but could receive ACT government funding.

• A team from the Pacific Islands has been mentioned by Frank Lowy as a possible candidate. The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20000 to 30000 Islands (the exact number has yet to be precisely determined Frank Lowy AC (born 22 October, 1930 in Fiľakovo (Hungarian Fülek) Slovakia) is an Australian businessman ^[51]

A-League Second Division

In May, 2008 the FFA announced plans to develop a second A - League competition operating as a second tier competition with a relegation/promotion pathway between both competitions. With the A - League presently expected to be expanded to no more than 12 clubs, this second division may open up a back door to consortiums and clubs unable to enter the A - League before it is complete. ^[52]

Squad & salary cap

Each club has a salary cap of AU$1. In Professional Sports, a salary cap (often called a wage cap in the United Kingdom) is a limit on the amount of money a team can spend on player The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas 9 million ^[53]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. ^[54]

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. Dwight Eversley Yorke (born November 3 1971 in Canaan, Tobago) is a Trinidad and Tobago football player Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Yorke had previously played several seasons for Manchester United and Aston Villa FC and currently Sunderland FC in the English Premier League. Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional Association football team based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, which plays in England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs For the 2008-09 season, A-League clubs are able to have a Junior Marquee player, who is under the age of 23. The Junior Marquee's wages can be subsidised with $AU 150,000 outside the Salary Cap. ^[55]

Club	Marquee player	Junior Marquee player	Captain	Vice-Captain
Adelaide United	Paul Agostino	None	Paul Agostino	Travis Dodd
Central Coast Mariners	None	None	Alex Wilkinson	John Hutchinson
Melbourne Victory	Archie Thompson	Nick Ward	Kevin Muscat	Archie Thompson
Newcastle Jets	None	None	Jade North	Ante Čović
Perth Glory	None	None	Jamie Harnwell Jamie Coyne	None
Queensland Roar	Craig Moore	None	Craig Moore	Danny Tiatto
Sydney FC	John Aloisi	None	Tony Popović	None
Wellington Phoenix	None	None	None	Tim Brown Vaughan Coveny

Youth league

Main article: A-League National Youth League

On March 5, 2008 it was announced that a national youth league would be 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. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Paul Agostino (born 9 June 1975 in Adelaide, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Striker. Paul Agostino (born 9 June 1975 in Adelaide, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Striker. Travis Dodd (born January 6, 1980 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia) is an Indigenous Australian Football Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Alexander Wilkinson (born 13 August 1984 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player John Hutchinson (born December 29, 1979 in Morwell Victoria, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Archibald Gerald "Archie" Thompson (born 23 October 1978 in Otorohanga, New Zealand) is an Australian Football (soccer player Nick Ward (born March 24, 1985 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Kevin Vincent Shaun Muscat (born 7 August 1973 in Crawley, England) is an Australian soccer player who currently plays Archibald Gerald "Archie" Thompson (born 23 October 1978 in Otorohanga, New Zealand) is an Australian Football (soccer player For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Jade Bronson North (born January 7, 1982 in Taree, New South Wales, Australia) is an Indigenous Australian Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Jamie Richard Harnwell (born July 21, 1977 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Jamie Coyne (born January 2, 1981 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Craig Andrew Moore (born December 12, 1975 in Sydney New South Wales) is a defender from Australia, who plays for. Craig Andrew Moore (born December 12, 1975 in Sydney New South Wales) is a defender from Australia, who plays for. Danny Tiatto (born May 22, 1973 in Werribee, Victoria) is an Australian professional Football (soccer who formerly Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition John Aloisi (born 5 February 1976 in Adelaide, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Striker who most recently plays for A-League Anthony Popovic (born July 4, 1973 in Sydney, Australia) is a Croatian Australian Football (soccer player Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League Tim Brown (born March 6, 1981) is a New Zealand Soccer player who plays as a Midfielder for Wellington Phoenix FC Vaughan Coveny (born 13 December, 1971 in Wellington, New Zealand) is a Football player who frequently represented his country The A-League National Youth League is a Australian national Association football league run in parallel to the A-League. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Australian national football team represents Australia in international association football competitions The league would be made up of seven teams, each linked to the corresponding Australian club in the A-League (excluding Wellington Phoenix) and will have strong links to players training at the Australian Institute of Sport. Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS leads the development of elite sport and is widely acknowledged in Australia and internationally as a world best practice model for elite athlete

The format of the youth league will be somewhat similar to how the A-league is formatted. The league is made up of 21 rounds (18 games each plus three byes) corresponding with the A-League fixture and will occasionally be used as curtain raisers. A curtain raiser is a Performance, stage act show Actor or Performer (or Sporting team that opens a show for a more famous performer The league will commence in correspondence with the A-League 2008-09 season. ^[56]

Stadiums

Primary venues used in the A-League 2007-08 season:

Other venues used by A-League clubs include:

¹Melbourne Victory's home stadium during the A-League 2005-06 season was Olympic Park Stadium. Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Westpac Stadium, previously known as WestpacTrust Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League EnergyAustralia Stadium is a Football Stadium located in Newcastle New South Wales, Australia. For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium (formerly known as Central Coast Stadium, Northpower Stadium and Central Coast Express Advocate Stadium) is a sports venue Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Members Equity Stadium is a Sports stadium in Perth, Australia. Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Hindmarsh Stadium is a football (soccer and rugby league football Stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Stadium Australia, presently known as ANZ Stadium, is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush, Sydney Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Los Angeles Galaxy (aka LA Galaxy) is an American soccer club based in Los Angeles California. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. North Harbour Stadium is a Stadium situated in Albany on Auckland 's North Shore in New Zealand. New Zealand Knights Football Club (known as Football Kingz Football Club until 2004 were the only professional Football (soccer team in New Zealand before The A-League 's 2006-07 season was a Football (soccer competition Parramatta Stadium is a sports stadium situated in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition The AFC Champions League is the current annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation (AFC Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Olympic Park Stadium is a multi-purpose outdoor Stadium located in Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne. Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. The A-League 's 2006-07 season was a Football (soccer competition Olympic Park Stadium is a multi-purpose outdoor Stadium located in Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne. Their round 2 match of the 2006-07 season, on September 2, 2006, was originally a one-off game at Docklands Stadium. The A-League 's 2006-07 season was a Football (soccer competition Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 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.

Crowds

Average crowds for the regular season are listed below. These figures do not include finals, international friendlies or AFC Champions League matches.

Referees

The A-League also features Australia and New Zealands top match officials. The A-League 's 2006-07 season was a Football (soccer competition Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. New Zealand Knights Football Club (known as Football Kingz Football Club until 2004 were the only professional Football (soccer team in New Zealand before Referees include:

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". This is a list of A-League champions, that is all the clubs that have won the finals series (play-offs of the A-League Football (soccer competition Media reports sometimes erroneously refer to the Premiers as minor premier. The "Champion" is the team that wins the Grand Final. A Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sporting term used to describe a final that decides a league champion ^[57]

See also the list of champions from 1977 to 2004 in the previous National Soccer League competition. Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team The A-League 's 2006-07 season was a Football (soccer competition Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team This page is on the former Australian soccer league For the former Canadian league see Canadian National Soccer League.

AFC Champions League

Two A-League clubs will participate in the AFC Champions League competition^[58] from the 2007 competition on. The AFC Champions League is the current annual Asian club football competition hosted by Asian Football Confederation (AFC The teams for the 2007 competition 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.

Top scorers

All-time

Rank	Player	Club/s	Goals
1	Archie Thompson	Melbourne Victory	29
2	Danny Allsopp	Melbourne Victory	22
3	Joel Griffiths	Newcastle Jets	21
4	Alex Brosque	Sydney FC, Queensland Roar	20
4	Sasho Petrovski	Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners	20
6	Kevin Muscat	Melbourne Victory	17
6	Jamie Harnwell	Perth Glory	17
8	Damian Mori	Queensland Roar , Perth Glory, Central Coast Mariners	15
9	Travis Dodd	Adelaide United	13
9	Adam Kwasnik	Central Coast Mariners	13

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. The AFC Champions League 2007 is the 26th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 5th edition under the current AFC Champions League title The AFC Champions League 2008 is the 27th AFC Champions League, the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 6th under the current AFC Champions League title AFC Champions League 2009 will be the 28th AFC Champions League. Archibald Gerald "Archie" Thompson (born 23 October 1978 in Otorohanga, New Zealand) is an Australian Football (soccer player Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Daniel Allsopp (born on August 10, 1978 in Melbourne) is an Australian Football (soccer player who currently plays as a Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Joel Griffiths (born August 21, 1979) is an Australian Football (soccer player For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Alex Brosque (born 12 October 1983 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian football (soccer player who currently plays for Sydney FC in the A-League Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Sašo Petrovski (born March 5, 1975) is an Australian Football (soccer player with Macedonian ancestry Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Kevin Vincent Shaun Muscat (born 7 August 1973 in Crawley, England) is an Australian soccer player who currently plays Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Jamie Richard Harnwell (born July 21, 1977 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Damian Mori (born September 30, 1970 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Travis Dodd (born January 6, 1980 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia) is an Indigenous Australian Football Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Adam Kwasnik (born 31 May 1983 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team This is a list of various records in the Australian Football (soccer league the Hyundai A-League. Stanley "Stan" Lazaridis (born August 16, 1972 in Perth, Australia) is an Australian former Football (soccer Michael Beauchamp (born March 8 1981 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Nicholas Alberto Carle, more commonly known as Nick Carle or Nicky Carle (born November 23, 1981 in Sydney, New South Wales David Raymond 'Ronalbino' Carney (born November 30, 1983 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian footballer who currently plays as Slobodan "Bobby" Despotovski (born July 14 1971 in Perth Western Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player Adrian Leijer (born 25 March 1986 in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia is an Australian Football (soccer player who currently plays as a Mark Milligan (born August 4, 1985 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player who is currently without a Damian Mori (born September 30, 1970 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player Paul Okon (born 5 April 1972 in Sydney) is a former Australian Football (soccer player who retired after playing with Australian Carl Veart (born May 21, 1970 in Whyalla, South Australia, Australia) is a former Australian Football (soccer player Dario Vidošić (born April 8 1987 in Osijek, Croatia) is an Australian football player currently playing for Nedjeljko Zelić, short form Ned Zelić (born on 4 July 1971 in Sydney) is a Croatian Australian Football (soccer player who plays for Tony Vidmar (born July 4, 1970 in Adelaide) is a former Australian Football (soccer player of Slovenian-Italian origin Richard Kitzbichler (born January 12, 1974 in Wörgl, Tyrol) is an Austrian Football (soccer player for Red Bull Geoffrey Claeys (born October 5, 1974 in Brugge, Belgium) is a football player who last played for Melbourne Victory in the Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva, usually known as Fred (born 18 August 1979 is a Football (soccer player from Brazil. Fernando Rech (born March 13, 1974 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil) is a Brazilian Football (soccer player "Juninho", full name Oswaldo Giroldo Jr, nicknamed Juninho Paulista, (born February 22, 1973 in São Paulo) is a Mário Jardel Almeida Ribeiro (born 18 September 1973 in Fortaleza, Brazil) is a professional footballer who currently plays for Reinaldo Elias da Costa (born June 13 1984) is a left-footed Brazilian football player who currently plays in the Australian A-League Romário de Souza Faria (born January 29 1966 in Rio de Janeiro) better known simply as Romário, is a former Brazilian football Center Qu Shengqing ( born June 5, 1975) is a Chinese Football (soccer player who most recently played for Adelaide United FC in the Milton Rodriguez (born April 28, 1976) is a Football (soccer player from Colombia. Michael Bridges (born 5 August 1978 in North Shields, Tyne and Wear) is an English football Striker whose career Brian Christopher Deane (born February 7, 1968 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England) is a former English footballer Benito Carbone (born August 14 1971 in Bagnara) is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a forward, Kazuyoshi Miura (三浦知良 Miura Kazuyoshi, born on February 26, 1967) often known simply as Kazu, is a Japanese Dwight Eversley Yorke (born November 3 1971 in Canaan, Tobago) is a Trinidad and Tobago football player Ian Ferguson (born March 15, 1967 in Glasgow) is a former professional footballer. Scotland 'Scot' Gemmill (born 2 January 1971 in Paisley) is a Scottish former professional Football (soccer player Stewart Petrie (born February 27 1970 in Dundee, Scotland) is a Scottish Football (soccer player who is currently player-coach Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Dino Djulbic (born February 16, 1983 in Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia) is a Bosnian - Australian Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Cássio José de Abreu Oliveira known as Cássio (born January 8th 1980 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian football (soccer player Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Daniel Lins Cortês (born 12 December 1979 in Niteroi, Brazil) nicknamed Daniel, is a Brazilian Football Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League Diego Walsh (born December 8, 1979 in Santos São Paulo) is a Brazilian American Soccer player who plays as a center Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Bruno Ferreira Mombra Rosa or simply Bruno Mezenga (born August 8, 1988 in Niterói) is a Brazilian striker. Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Márcio Gesteira da Silva also known as Márcio Carioca (born May 2, 1983 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues (born 3 June 1981 in Rio de Janeiro) commonly referred to as Cristiano, is a professional Brazilian Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Ricardo Rogério de Brito, better known by his nickname Alemão (born on November 22, 1961 in Lavras, Minas Gerais) is a former Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Ney Fabiano de Oliveira (born February 9, 1979) more commonly known as Ney Fabiano, is a Brazilian Football (soccer player currently Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Gao Leilei ( Simplified Chinese: 高雷雷 (born July 15, 1980 in China) is a Chinese Football (soccer player who Wellington Phoenix is an association football (soccer team based in Wellington, New Zealand, competing in the Australian A-League Carlos Hernández Valverde (born April 9, 1982) is a Costa Rican football player who currently plays as midfielder for Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. José Luis López Ramírez (born March 31, 1981) is a Costa Rican Football (soccer player who currently plays as midfielder for Australian Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Eugene Dadi (born August 20, 1973 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire) is an Ivorian football Striker who plays Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Joseph John Keenan (born 14 October 1982) is an English football player of Irish heritage who currently plays for Scottish Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. James Robinson (born 18 September 1982 in Liverpool, England, United Kingdom) is an English - Australian Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. André Gumprecht (born November 26 1974 in Jena, East Germany) is a German Football (soccer player Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Terence Martin "Terry" McFlynn (born 27 March 1981) is a Football (soccer player from Swatragh, Northern Ireland. Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Grant Brebner (born 6 December 1977) is a Scottish footballer who currently plays for Australian A-League side Melbourne Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Seo Hyuk-Su (born October 1, 1973 in Jecheon, South Korea) is a South Korean-Australian football player who plays as a central Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Song Jin-Hyung (born 13 August, 1987) is a South Korean football player who is currently playing for the Newcastle Jets in the For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Michael Enfield (born July 19, 1983 in Ventura, California) is an American Football (soccer player who currently Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition The Johnny Warren Medal is the award for best player in the Australian national Football (soccer club competition John Warren MBE OAM (known as Johnny Warren ( May 17 1943 in Sydney, Australia 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	Bobby Despotovski	Perth Glory
2007	Nick Carle	Newcastle Jets
2008	Joel Griffiths	Newcastle Jets

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. Slobodan "Bobby" Despotovski (born July 14 1971 in Perth Western Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Nicholas Alberto Carle, more commonly known as Nick Carle or Nicky Carle (born November 23, 1981 in Sydney, New South Wales For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Joel Griffiths (born August 21, 1979) is an Australian Football (soccer player For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in

Year	Player	Club
2006	Nick Ward	Perth Glory
2007	Adrian Leijer	Melbourne Victory
2008	Bruce Djite	Adelaide United

Reebok Golden Boot

The Reebok Golden Boot is presented to the player who scores the most goals during the season. Nick Ward (born March 24, 1985 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Adrian Leijer (born 25 March 1986 in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia is an Australian Football (soccer player who currently plays as a Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Bruce Djite (born March 25, 1987 in Washington DC, USA) is an Australian football Striker who currently plays Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Only regular Hyundai A-League matches between Round 1 and Round 21 are included.

Year	Player/s	Club	Goals
2006	Alex Brosque, Bobby Despotovski Stewart Petrie Archie Thompson	Queensland Roar Perth Glory Central Coast Mariners Melbourne Victory	8
2007	Danny Allsopp	Melbourne Victory	11
2008	Joel Griffiths	Newcastle Jets	12

Goalkeeper of the year

Year	Player	Club
2006	Clint Bolton	Sydney FC
2007	Michael Theoklitos	Melbourne Victory
2008	Michael Theoklitos	Melbourne Victory

Coach of the Year Award

Year	Name	Club
2006	Lawrie McKinna	Central Coast Mariners
2007	Ernie Merrick	Melbourne Victory
2008	Gary van Egmond	Newcastle Jets

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). Alex Brosque (born 12 October 1983 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian football (soccer player who currently plays for Sydney FC in the A-League Slobodan "Bobby" Despotovski (born July 14 1971 in Perth Western Australia) is an Australian Football (soccer player Stewart Petrie (born February 27 1970 in Dundee, Scotland) is a Scottish Football (soccer player who is currently player-coach Archibald Gerald "Archie" Thompson (born 23 October 1978 in Otorohanga, New Zealand) is an Australian Football (soccer player Queensland Roar FC is an Australian Association football (soccer club from Brisbane, Australia competing in the A-League competition playing Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Daniel Allsopp (born on August 10, 1978 in Melbourne) is an Australian Football (soccer player who currently plays as a Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Joel Griffiths (born August 21, 1979) is an Australian Football (soccer player For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Clint Bolton (born August 22, 1975 in Bundaberg, Queensland) is an Australian Football (soccer player Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Serafim Michael Theoklitos (born February 11, 1981) is an Australian Football (soccer player who currently plays as a Goalkeeper Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Serafim Michael Theoklitos (born February 11, 1981) is an Australian Football (soccer player who currently plays as a Goalkeeper Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Lawrie McKinna (born July 8, 1961) is a Scottish - Australian former professional footballer and current football manager Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Ernest 'Ernie' Merrick (born 3 January 1953 in Scotland) Scottish-Australian Ernie Merrick is the current head coach for the Australian Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Gary van Egmond (born June 29 1965) is an Australian Football (soccer manager of Dutch heritage who is currently in charge of For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in

Year	Club
2006	Perth Glory
2007	Perth Glory
2008	Newcastle Jets

Zurich Referee of the Year

TV Coverage

The Hyundai A-League, being a relatively minor league internationally, only has a small broadcast base, compared to the giant European competitions such as the FA Premier League or Serie A. Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. Perth Glory FC is an association football (soccer club from Perth Western Australia, playing in the A-League. For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Mark Shield (born September 2, 1973) is a former Australian Football referee Mark Shield (born September 2, 1973) is a former Australian Football referee Mark Shield (born September 2, 1973) is a former Australian Football referee The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs Serie A (officially known as the Lega Calcio Serie A TIM for Sponsorship reasons is a professional league competition for football clubs located The countries where the A-League is shown are mostly other Commonwealth nations, which have a larger than normal base of Australian immigrants. The English noun commonwealth dates from the fifteenth century.

• Australia - Fox Sports (live coverage & highlights)
• New Zealand - Sky Sports NZ (live coverage & highlights)
• United States - Fox Soccer Channel (highlights)
• Canada - Fox Soccer Channel (highlights)
• United Kingdom - Sky Sports (highlights)

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:

Major Rivalries

• Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory: The clash between Australia's two biggest cities is considered the biggest rivalry in the league by both sets of fans. Fox Sports is an Australian group of Sports channels They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Fox Soccer Channel is a United States Digital cable network owned by News Corporation, that specializes in soccer. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby (pronounced 'dur-bee' in American English and 'dar-bee' in British English after the city of Derby Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. 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.
• Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners: Labelled the "F3 Derby" by commentators,^[59] the two regional clubs, only an hour apart, are also big rivals. For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team 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.
• Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory: Contested the 2006-07 A-League Grand Final, in which Melbourne won 6-0. Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Melbourne Victory Football Club is a football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Melbourne, Victoria. Also the confrontation with Melbourne's captain Kevin Muscat and Adelaide coach at the time John Kosmina has done nothing to help the situation. Kevin Vincent Shaun Muscat (born 7 August 1973 in Crawley, England) is an Australian soccer player who currently plays Alexander John Kosmina (born August 17, 1956) known as John Kosmina, is a former Australian international Football (soccer

Minor Rivalries

• Adelaide United v Sydney FC: The clash between the two most successful teams in the A-League's inaugural year (Adelaide the Premiership and Sydney the Championship). Adelaide United Football Club is a Football (soccer team in the Australian A-League based in Adelaide, South Australia. Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition The finals series between the two teams was explosive and led to the establishment of a rivalry between the clubs.
• Newcastle Jets v Sydney FC: (NSW Derby) Newcastle have never beaten Sydney in the regular season since 2005. For the English club see Newcastle United FC Newcastle United Jets is an association football (soccer club based in Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition 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, especially in the second leg in Newcastle, where Alex Brosque was sent off and the ensuing arguments led to Iain Fyfe falling over after being tapped by Jade North. ^[60] Sydney won all 3 encounters in the 2007/08 season.
• Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC: (NSW Derby) 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. Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Sydney FC beat the Central Coast Mariners in the inaugural A-League grand final in 2005. Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Due to this it is considered by the fans as the grudge match of the A-League. The Central Coast Mariners supporters (The Marinators) take great pride in beating Sydney FC, and Sydney supporters (The Cove) take great pleasure in reminding them of the score in the final. Central Coast Mariners Football Club, also known as The Mariners or The Coast, are an Australian professional football (soccer team Sydney FC, founded in 2004, is an Australian Association football (soccer club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition This rivalry intensified after Round 15 of the 2007-08 season, where Central Coast were beaten at home 5-4. Two of Central Coast's players were sent off, the second being in the 94th minute for a handball in the penalty area which gave Sydney FC a penalty that won the match in the last play of the game.

References

External links

• A-League official website
• Football Federation Australia
• SBS The World Game A-League section
• FOX Sports Australia A-League section
• A-League active support